00:00I've been accused of selling my child. I was paid $50,000 to be a surrogate.
00:05I have got a lot of hate online that I never really expected.
00:10Keep selling yourself. The baby is still yours.
00:13It's like a superpower. It's carrying eggs in your belly.
00:17How'd you feel during the pregnancy?
00:20Well, I mean...
00:25This is Tamir. He's eight weeks old.
00:29We're gonna go outside and meet his big brothers and ride around.
00:33Just gotta make sure we're all nice and cuddly first.
00:36My name is Yesenia LaTorre and I am a mother of three. Tyson is six years old.
00:43Trey is five years old. And Tamir is eight weeks old.
00:48And something really cool is the surrogate baby was also a boy.
00:51So I've only had boys.
00:53In between my pregnancies with Tyson and Trey, I experienced a miscarriage
00:58and it changed my life forever.
01:01What ended up leading me to surrogacy so I could help other people have children.
01:09Egg donation was something that I was really interested in.
01:12But I kind of did the egg donation because I was too nervous to do surrogacy yet.
01:18I started doing a lot of research about surrogacy.
01:22Initially, I was really nervous about talking to my husband about surrogacy.
01:26It was something I really wanted to do.
01:28But I know there's a lot of stigma around the subject.
01:34I didn't really have an understanding of surrogacy before the process.
01:37I think I was like most people, like I've heard the term surrogacy.
01:41But I didn't know what all it entailed.
01:45Good throw.
01:46I wasn't that shocked because she was already like an egg donor.
01:51And she was already into that realm.
01:54I was always supportive from day one because
01:57Jesenia has always supported me in everything I've done.
02:00And so naturally, like, I support her as well.
02:04I was a little bit concerned about all of the medical things that she would have to go through.
02:08But I was like, I'm going to do this.
02:09I'm going to do this.
02:10I'm going to do this.
02:11I'm going to do this.
02:12I'm going to do this.
02:13I'm going to do this.
02:14I'm going to do this.
02:14I was there for moral support.
02:28I ultimately decided to choose gestational surrogacy
02:31because I would be carrying a baby that was not related to me.
02:36My journey was amazing.
02:38Honestly, I met amazing intended parents.
02:42They treated me well.
02:44The pregnancy was actually easier than the pregnancy with my children.
02:51What's your favorite thing to do with your parents?
02:53Uh, ride my bikes.
02:58Riding bikes, yeah.
02:59I'm playing basketball.
03:01How did you explain your surrogacy to your children?
03:04Since they were so young when I started the process, I kept it very simple.
03:08So I would always tell them, like, mommy's having a baby,
03:12but it is not mommy and daddy's baby.
03:14They had the chance to meet the family,
03:17so it made it a lot easier to explain, like, this is his mom and this is his dad.
03:22Who's that?
03:24It's not you, silly.
03:25It's me.
03:26You remember him?
03:27No.
03:29I don't think you would, huh?
03:30Yes, I did remember him.
03:32You do?
03:33Yeah.
03:35I do not.
03:35He was in your surrogate belly.
03:38In my surrogate belly?
03:39Yeah.
03:40And he lives with his mommy and daddy.
03:43Yeah, I saw his cats and dogs.
03:45Were you worried that you being a surrogate could confuse the kids at all?
03:49I personally wasn't really worried, but my husband was worried.
03:54Always asking, like, what would the kids think?
03:56Would they be upset?
03:57But ultimately, they were very nonchalant about it.
04:04Are you guys glad that your mom was able to help someone like that?
04:08It's like a superpower, just carrying eggs in your belly.
04:15These are some of my maternity clothes that I wore for my surrogacy,
04:20and I just keep them for the future.
04:23Do you plan to do it again in the future?
04:25Whenever I'm done breastfeeding, I hope to do it again and change another family's life.
04:30So I initially started to share my surrogacy journey online
04:34really because I wanted to help other women going through the process.
04:38Hoping just to help one person, but I've been grateful to help a lot of people on the way.
04:47I have got a lot of hate online that I never really expected
04:52from sharing my journey.
04:53Things I hate hearing as a surrogate.
04:56This is one of my videos.
04:57You sold your kid.
04:58That's not normal.
04:59A lot of people compare surrogacy to human trafficking,
05:02and I just don't understand it.
05:05I rented out my womb, okay?
05:07I was a landlord until eviction occurred.
05:10I don't like when people talk about saying that I rented out my womb.
05:15I don't feel as if I rented out my body in any way.
05:20I think egg donation is crazy.
05:21You have a whole child out there and don't keep it.
05:24It's just mad.
05:25So egg donation is a little bit of a different topic.
05:28Um, but ultimately I don't see the egg donation child as being my baby.
05:34No matter the amounts of money been paid to you, the baby is still yours.
05:39Never work.
05:40Keep selling yourself.
05:42This is a funny comment because actually most surrogates have full-time jobs.
05:46You must be getting paid a lot.
05:48That's what people say to me all the time.
05:50They assume I'm getting a hundred thousand dollars.
05:53So I think a lot of people think surrogacy is a get-rich-quick scheme, but it's not that at all.
06:00So I was paid $40,000 in base compensation and around $5,000 to $10,000 in additional benefits.
06:07A lot of people think money is the main motivation for surrogacy,
06:12but ultimately it was 18 months of my life.
06:16I had to give birth.
06:17I had to take IVF medications.
06:19I tell people all the time, I only got $4 an hour.
06:23All right, take a jibble first.
06:24Take a jibble first.
06:31What was your understanding of surrogacy before, um, before this process started?
06:36Well, when I first heard about it, I mean, I thought it was a, you know,
06:40it was a great thing to be a part of.
06:42But I think your reaction is probably the best that we could hope for,
06:46you know, when you're, when you're telling your family about it.
06:49One thing that stood out with me though, with you,
06:53uh, I didn't know how that was going to affect, you know, my other grandbabies.
06:58Right.
06:59So internally I felt a concern and I also felt a connection.
07:05Yeah, I think everybody were concerned about our kids to feel like,
07:10The connection.
07:11How would the kids feel?
07:13Right.
07:13Would the kids be sad?
07:15Um, would they think that it's their sibling?
07:17They were very nonchalant about it.
07:19And they're just like, okay, mommy's doing this.
07:21How did you feel during the, during the pregnancy?
07:24Well, I mean, just like any grandfather, you know,
07:27I was just hoping the baby would be healthy.
07:29How would you describe your relationship with the surrogate baby?
07:32Well, I felt an instant connection, you know, that's, that's what I felt, you know,
07:38but, uh, I didn't allow myself, you know, to become too attached
07:43because I knew what the process was going to be.
07:45That's not a traditional process.
07:48Yeah.
07:48So we're not, you know, conditioned for that.
07:50But now that we're in that age, you know, it's acceptable, you know,
07:54because we understand now that process, you know,
07:57brings happiness, joy and continuation of life.
08:01Hey guys.
08:02So welcome to my series.
08:04I'm going to be doing a series on all the steps to become a surrogate.
08:07So I hope you guys stay tuned for all of my videos.
08:10A lot of people do respond positively to it.
08:13And it kind of encourages other women to want to take this step.
08:18I know for a fact that I've helped more than 50 women
08:21complete the process and guide them through it as well.
08:25The thing that I love the most about the process
08:27was seeing the baby in his parents' arms for the first time.
08:31I felt so proud of what I did.
08:35We're just super happy to come from a loving family
08:38and we're looking forward to the future.
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