GLOW OF PARENTHOOD
Marie Schultz and her husband, Taylor, share a cuddle with newborn son Ciaran on Tuesday. The couple had tried for years without success to get pregnant when Marie's co-worker Amber Peters offered to be a surrogate. Ciaran was born Sunday.
It was a sunny hot morning in July when Marie Schultz and her husband Taylor welcomed their newborn son into the world.
The moment, which Marie described as magical and unbelievable, was everything they had hoped for after years of struggling to conceive.
“We just look at him in awe, like, oh my god, I can't believe he's here,” she said. “You know, we've waited for so long and he's a little human and he's just so perfect and so many people love him.”
Ciaran John Schultz was born July 18 at 8:51 a.m in the Regina General Hospital.
He was healthy at seven pounds and nine ounces.
The birth would not have been possible without Marie's co-worker Amber Peters, who offered to carry a child for the couple. Marie said she had never considered surrogacy before, but she was willing to try anything to have the family she wanted.
Amber gave birth to Ciaran nine days early.
The original due date was July 27, but the baby was breech, so a caesarean section was scheduled around 39 weeks.
This was Amber's first C-section and surrogacy experience, but it was not her first time giving birth. She has two sons, ages six and nine, with her husband Jeff.
“It was really difficult to adjust to the idea,” Amber said, referring to the C-section. “I had two wonderful birth experiences previously. My labours are very easy.”
Marie and Jeff were present in the operating room throughout the whole process, while Taylor waited outside and viewed the final moments through video.
Pandemic restrictions only permitted two people to be in the birthing room at once.
Amber's aunt Shelly Macmurchy, a labour and delivery nurse, helped deliver the baby, and Marie cut the umbilical cord.
“When we were in the section and I first heard his cry and saw Marie's reaction, my whole emotional and physical self, it was like a shift I've never experienced ever in my life,” said Amber. “It was just like joy and gratitude, and I really felt like a whole different person in that moment.”
The Schultzes' fertility journey was not an easy one.
For seven years, they tried to have a child, pursuing treatments like IVF and egg donorship. Ciaran was born from an egg that Marie's cousin Tara donated, which was fertilized in a lab and implanted into Amber.
But the journey isn't quite over yet. Marie is using the opportunity to raise awareness of issues that surrogacy families encounter.
Marie explained that since she didn't give birth to the child, she's not eligible for maternity leave,
something she wants changed.
Although her employer granted her 18 months' leave, she won't be paid beyond the first eight months of parental leave and will have to budget accordingly.
She said she has written to local MPS about the issue, but has yet to hear anything back.
The Schultzes anticipate there might be complications with Ciaran's birth certificate. Although they completed a surrogacy agreement with a lawyer at the beginning of the process, their son might still legally belong to Amber, and the transfer of parental rights would involve going to court, a process that could cost up to $5,000.
But they said they have received conflicting opinions about this and are still waiting to see how the situation will play out.
As for Amber, she's taking the next few months to recover before returning to work and said she's looking forward to watching Ciaran grow. She's excited for the Schultzes and said she already knows they'll be amazing parents.
“The way she talks to him feels like she's been his mom forever,” Amber said. “Everything felt exactly as it should have been in that moment.”