Other ways to become a mum

Other ways to become a mum

Surrogacy

How it works – finding a surrogate, what’s involved and the legal situation

Adoption

How to start the adoption process and give a child a special home

Fostering

Giving vulnerable children a temporary loving, stable home

Whether through choice or the result of circumstances beyond your control, there are other ways to become a mum and give a child a special home.

Adoption offers the opportunity to not only give you and your partner the child you’ve longed for, but also provide a loving and stable environment and home for a child who really needs it. Anyone over the age of 21 can adopt, and you don’t need to be with a partner or married. The process will involve you being approved as suitable to adopt and you will then be supported through the entire process as a child is matched to you.

It might be that you want to provide a child with a loving home and environment whilst the local authorities find a long term place for them. Fostering is an option that will allow you to help vulnerable children find stability and security in your care. Fostering can lead to adoption, but often you will be able to provide them with everything they need in terms of love and support until they’re found a permanent family.

An increasingly popular option for people having trouble conceiving, is to ask a surrogate to have a baby for you. With IVF, a surrogate mother can carry a child that is you and your partner’s biological child and whilst it is an emotionally intense and complex arrangement, it allows couples to have their own baby which otherwise might not have been possible.