Nick & Daniel

Hoping to Connect: Our Independent Surrogacy Story

About Us

Nick

Nick is an open water swimmer who loves to ferment things—from kombucha to kimchi to beer. He enjoys hiking, running, and reading. A self-proclaimed TV enthusiast, if you watch a series, he probably watches it too. Nick has six nieces and nephews who he adores, and spending time with them has made him even more excited about starting a family.

Daniel

Daniel practices synchronized swimming and loves to travel and listen to public radio. He's passionate about architecture and urban planning, always curious to learn new things. Daniel cooks amazing Peruvian dishes that his mom taught him to make. He has a god-daughter who he's very close with, and being part of her life has deepened his desire to become a father.

Together, we love baked goods—our routine used to be "Bagel Fridays" when we lived in New York, and now in Paris it's "Croissant Sundays." We love being outdoors, exploring new places by bike or on foot. We don't have pets, but we're proud uncles to "Gaston," our neighbors' cat who likes to wander into our apartment for visits.

Fun fact: We lived four years in a 24 square meter apartment and not only did we not kill each other, we're closer than ever. ❤️

Our Story

We met at a swim competition five years ago in New York. We're both active swimmers—Daniel doing synchronized swimming and Nick doing open water swimming.

At the time, Nick was based in New York and Daniel was based in Paris. When we first started dating, we were long distance, but Daniel made it on the last flight out of Paris just before the borders closed during Covid so we could lockdown together in New York.

It was a big jump going from long distance to living together, but it couldn't have worked out better. In summer 2020, Nick moved with Daniel back to Paris. We've been living here ever since.

We've been through a lot as a couple over the course of five years, and are really excited about the prospect of starting a family.

Hiking in Corsica just after we decided to have kids

A Typical Weekend for Us

On Friday nights, we like to end the week by finding an outdoor table at a restaurant where we can watch the sunset over the city with a glass of wine. On Saturdays, we catch up with friends, go for a run, and explore a museum or a new area of the city we haven't visited before. On Sundays, our routine is to start the day with croissants for breakfast (very French!) and visit our nearby farmers market. If the weather is bad, we like to read at home or go to the movies.

Our Independent Surrogacy Journey in Canada

As a gay couple, the pathways to parenthood aren't always straightforward. Adoption in France for gay couples is extremely difficult, so we started looking into surrogacy as an option to build our family. After researching our options, we chose independent surrogacy in Canada as the path that felt right for us.

In speaking with friends who have gone through the surrogacy journey, we were inspired by the ways in which this type of journey can gather together a beautiful community of people—especially a wonderful egg donor and surrogate—to help bring a child into the world.

We are working with Victory Reproductive Care in Canada and have embryos ready to go. We're using donor eggs through a known donor. Now we're looking for the right surrogate to partner with on this incredible journey.

Exploring Canada before visiting our fertility clinic

Our Support Network

Our parents are so excited that we are having children and can't wait to be grandparents. All our siblings are incredibly supportive—they're an essential part of our support network and we know we can lean on them for advice or assistance whenever needed.

Our nieces, nephews, and god-children are very excited as well! We have a great group of friends who are looking forward to being additional uncles and aunties in our child's life.

We're also part of an association in Paris of LGBTQ+ parents and future parents who are helping us navigate this process and will be there as a community as we raise our child.

With Daniel's family after an escape room

Looking Ahead

We're saving up financially and banking vacation days to take the maximum amount of time off after the birth of our child. In the first few months, we'll stagger our hours and days off to cover childcare, and our parents hope to visit for extended periods to help out as well.

We're lucky to live in a neighborhood of Paris with the most nurseries, featuring great early development programs and healthy food. Our hope is to have two kids down the line—we would love to complete a sibling journey in the future.

What We're Looking For in a Surrogate

The Relationship We Hope For

We'd like to get to know each other and have a meaningful and supportive connection. We don't want to be nightmare Intended Parents that micromanage any aspect of the pregnancy. We want to share in the journey together and hopefully have a lot of laughs and good times along the way.

We'd love to come up with routines we share over the course of the journey—whether sharing favorite recipes with each other, new books we've been reading, series we've been watching, or other parts of our day-to-day lives.

During the Pregnancy

As we're far away, we may not be able to be there in person for all appointments, but we would love to be there with you for support virtually. We would love to be there virtually during the embryo transfer if that's something you're comfortable with.

Yes, we'd like to be there in the delivery room when our child is born, but we're happy to discuss this with you about whatever setup feels most comfortable.

After the Birth

After delivery, we'd like to maintain a connection with you, keeping you up to date on how our child grows and on major life milestones.

We'd be interested in gathering in person in the future so that you and our child can eventually meet, if that's something everyone is comfortable with.

We want our child to be aware and proud of how they came into the world and to know the incredible person who helped make it possible.

Our Approach

The health of our surrogate is our utmost priority. We're open to discussing all aspects of the journey together—from birth preferences to breastmilk to how we navigate any challenges that arise.

Nick's older sister gave birth working with midwives at home and found it to be the best experience for her. We understand that you should be making decisions that will make your birthing process the most comfortable.

Logistics

We are fully committed to reimbursing all pregnancy-related expenses as permitted under the AHRA. We believe in transparency and will ensure you never have to worry about out-of-pocket costs.

More Moments From Our Life

A Few More Things About Us

🏊 We met at a swim competition—synchronized swimming meets open water swimming!

💃 When we were teenagers, Daniel took salsa dancing classes while Nick's school organized contra dancing events.

🏅 We were so happy Paris hosted the Olympics and Paralympics this summer! We watched beach volleyball, gymnastics, and artistic swimming—and even went swimming in the Seine!

🎤 The day we visited Victory Reproductive Care to create our embryos, we found out Beyoncé was performing nearby and managed to snag last-minute tickets!

Contact Us About Surrogacy

Are you considering becoming an independent surrogate in Canada? We'd love to hear from you. If you're interested in learning more about us or beginning this surrogacy journey together, please reach out.

Get in Touch

Or email us directly at: Nick-and-Daniel@proton.me