On July 14, 2026, in Ventura, California, a healthy baby girl made her long-awaited arrival. Born at 39 weeks and 6 days and weighing 7 pounds, she was delivered vaginally — and for her intended parents, that first cry was the answer to years of hoping.
The road to this moment was longer and harder than anyone expected. The very first embryo transfer was a success, and for months, everything pointed toward joy. Then came the mid-pregnancy anatomy scan, and with it, devastating news: the baby had a very severe congenital heart defect. After consulting closely with their doctors, the intended parents faced the most heartbreaking decision a family can face, and made the painful choice to end the pregnancy.
Their experience carries an important truth for every family walking this path. A PGT-A–normal embryo is not a guarantee. PGT-A screens an embryo's chromosomes — it cannot see how organs like the heart will form and develop as a pregnancy progresses. It is a powerful and valuable tool, but it has real limits, which is why thorough prenatal screening matters at every stage.
Grief did not get the last word. When the family was ready, they and their gestational carrier gathered their courage and began again — and a later transfer took hold. This time, the pregnancy was smooth from beginning to end, without a single complication, and baby girl arrived at full term, healthy and beautiful.
On the day of the birth, Ivy Surrogacy Case Managers Slonne and Victoria arrived at the hospital to be with both the gestational carrier and the intended parents — celebrating alongside a family whose perseverance had finally been rewarded.
To this extraordinary gestational carrier: thank you. From embryo transfer through delivery, she stood by this family through sorrow and joy alike, and gave them the most generous gift imaginable. And to the new parents: congratulations. After everything you have walked through, your daughter is here — and she is worth every step.
If this story moves you, it could be the beginning of your own. Women who want to help build a family as a gestational carrier can apply to become a surrogate today. And whether you are a heterosexual couple, a same-sex couple, or a single intended parent — in the U.S. or abroad — we invite you to explore our services for intended parents and take the first step toward your family.
