by: Jenna Jones, OC Register staff writer
On July 28, 2014, Andrea Muehlhaus underwent a C-section and gave birth to Dylan, a dark-haired baby boy, at Saddleback Memorial-Laguna Hills. The newborn took his first breath at 8:20 a.m. and weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. He was perfectly healthy, with 10 fingers and 10 toes.
After the delivery and recovery, the baby went home with his fathers – Robbie Cronrod and Allen Artcliff-Cronrod, a married couple from Los Angeles. Since their first date, they had talked about wanting children, and Muehlhaus had given them that chance.
Photo: Dylan Cronrod, 13 months, with his surrogate mother, Andrea Muehlhaus, and his two dads, Allen Artcliff-Cronrod. and Robbie Cronrod,
STEVEN GEORGES, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
STEVEN GEORGES, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Muehlhaus lives in Westminster and has two children of her own, ages 10 and 6. She gave birth to a little boy for another gay couple three years ago. “I wanted to give back in some way, and for me personally, I wanted to help gay couples because they can’t have a child on their own,” Muehlhaus said. “They need someone else and I felt like I could be that person who could help them create their family.”
Muehlhaus is not genetically related to either of the surrogate children she carried. As a gestational surrogate, she was implanted with an embryo through in vitro fertilization. The egg was harvested from an egg donor and fertilized through one of the fathers’ sperm.
"...many couples who come to West Coast Surrogacy have suffered multiple miscarriages, serious illnesses and years of infertility." says Tyler Zion, Intended Parent Coordinator, West Coast Surrogacy, Inc.
A traditional surrogate is a woman who is artificially inseminated with a father’s sperm, then carries the child to term. She uses her own egg and is the child’s genetic mother. The couple seeking and using a surrogate are known as the “intended parents.”
Now a surrogate program coordinator at West Coast Surrogacy in Irvine, Muehlhaus matches surrogates to intended parents and guides them through the process. Her most recent surrogacy was handled independently before she started working there. Surrogacy agencies usually process commercial surrogacy cases in which a woman is paid to carry a child. West Coast Surrogacy coordinated 46 births last year and works solely with gestational surrogacy.
"During the matching process at West Coast Surrogacy, the surrogate’s and intended parents’ personal beliefs are taken into account." says Zion
To find out more about West Coast Surrogacy's Surrogate Mother Requirements and Surrogate Mother Process visit our website, and click on the section Become a Surrogate.
If you think becoming a Surrogate is for you, and want to give the gift of unparalleled compassion, West Coast Surrogacy would love to speak with you! Apply Today by filling out our easy online application
Read the full story here.
About West Coast Surrogacy, Inc and West Coast Egg Donation, Inc:
West Coast Surrogacy, Inc (WCS) and West Coast Egg Donation, Inc. (WCED) is an all inclusive surrogacy and egg donation agency based in Southern California, with satellite offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and Sacramento. Working with Intended Parents domestic and International, together with gestational surrogates and egg donors nationwide, WCA and WCED uses a team-oriented approach that encompasses the highest level of integrity, support, compassion and affirming care. Committed to compliance with all the regulations and standards set forth by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), it is our pledge to guide you through every step of this life-changing process, acting as both a resource for information and an unparalleled support system.
Contact the writer: Jljones@ocregister.com or on Twitter @jljonesOCR
