Recommendations

From a wonderful surrogate who delivered recently:

“It is with great honor I can proudly share that I have had the privilege of bringing a healthy, beautiful baby boy together with his precious family. I simply do not have the words to describe to you the emotions that overwhelmed me as I watched a loving, longing set of parents and an infatuated big brother finally get to hold and kiss their new baby. My heart is bursting from all of the love, gratitude, and kind words I have received from so many people throughout this entire experience. On behalf of myself and the baby’s family, I cannot say thank you enough to anyone and everyone who took the time to say a prayer or think a positive thought for us all. This miracle would not have been possible without all of the unconditional support and encouragement from my beloved friends, family, and co-workers who have been by my side from the very start. I would like to give the biggest “thank you” of all to my sweet boy who always takes such good care of me and always keeps me smiling. It goes without saying that if it wasn’t for my son, I would not have been able to help bring this family together. He is my greatest blessing and inspiration, and he is an angel to so many people. I am so proud of him and that big heart he has.

To those who have ever suffered a loss or struggle with carrying or conceiving a child of their own- my heart breaks for you… I am so grateful that I am able to handle pregnancy and labor so easily, whereas many other individuals are not as fortunate as me. I can only pray that through having shared my surrogacy journey, I have inspired or at least brought the slightest glimpse of hope to at least one person. Please, never lose faith that miracles can happen.”

MK


Words cannot begin the thank you for all that you did for us. It had been amazing and blessing working with your agency. You found us a wonderful and beautiful surrogate mother Amanda and result our baby boy William Weizhi was born on March 7, 2016. Our family dream came true with William’s birth. It has been a long waiting for this miracle baby since we started our IVF journey back in 2005. We had tried for a baby a couple times before but failed. It was such an emotional journey. Our baby boy William Weizhi is a sweet , smart and handsome boy. We have a lot of joys with him every minutes. He is our sunshine, our
only sun shine.

Note: special thanks to Amanda and her wonderful family for taking such good care of the mom and new baby while they were in the U.S. The family wrapped them in love and care until they were ready to fly back home. Many thanks to her and her husband and parents for their graciousness.


“You have been amazing Shirley!!! I wouldn’t have this precious little baby without you. You do amazing things and many families wouldn’t be in the position they are without you!!!!”

A New Mom


Shirley:

Thank you so much for pairing us with such a wonderful family! I enjoyed every day of my
experience as a surrogate. You do such wonderful work and make so many dreams come
true – including mine! I have spoken to several women about my positive experience as a
surrogate with Parenting Partners. Hopefully, you’ll get some clients your way. We know
it’s not much, but please accept the enclosed donation to Parenting Partners as a token of
our appreciation and admiration.

Love, D & K


Julie, Ethan and her Mom are coming up for a visit tomorrow and we are all over the moon excited to snuggle with Ethan. I’m amazed at how well our kids have done with the whole surrogacy process. They certainly understood that I was carrying Ethan for John and Julie, but love on him like he is just a part of our extended family! We have been blessed beyond measure to do this journey with John and Julie, and I truly think that we have created a bond that will last a life time! Thank you so much for making a “perfect match!” Take care, and thank you again for all you’ve done!

~Caitie


“We are doing well. You helped to make our dream come true.
Our daughter is more than we could have ever hoped for.
Thank you!”


Hi Shirley,

Thanks a lot for your email. We know that both you and our surrogate did the best that you could, but unfortunately there are things that go beyond us. We have to move forward and focus on our next steps.

We’ll see what our doctor says. PS: I wrote this to our surrogate and feel I should also say it to you:

“One candle is enough to light a room. Two do better than one, but only one is enough to take away the darkness. And you’ve already done that for us”


We were so grateful to be referred to you and matched with our wonderful surrogate. Looking back, that was such a difficult time in our lives , not knowing whether we would ever be parents. From our first meeting, your warmth and sensitivity reassured us that you would do everything you could to help us. While yours is a business, it never felt that way. It felt more like you were a family member supporting us in our goal to create a family. Now that we have 3 children, we routinely look at each other and say, “can you believe we have 3 kids?!?” Thank you for helping us!

Sarah


Since our son was born two and a half years ago, our lives have been filled with immense joy. We are so happy to see him grow and we are able to participate in more and more activities with him. Here are some pictures. A Happy Mom and Dad.


Hi Shirley: It has been so nice seeing you under such happy circumstances. We have appreciated your guidance, support and friendship. We are so happy with our three kids. The twins, our newest additions, continue to thrive and grow. We could not have had a better surrogate. She has been wonderful.

Lots of love and thanks,
Grateful Parents


Shirley, our son is truly a miracle. He is healthy and growing every day.
He has my eyes and Tim’s feet! We can’t thank you enough for finding
our wonderful surrogate for us. She is our super-star! We have
friends who may be calling you for help. I know you’d take good care
of them. Thanks again!
Lindsay


Gavin and Kaitlyn went home with their mom and dad today 🙂 Both babies are doing wonderfully. The are both absolutely adorable and perfect in every way! Although we had many ups and downs, this was such a perfect ending. Thanks for everything you have done for finding me a perfect match.

Tami


I just wanted to check in and send you a picture of the baby.
She is such a miracle! Always thinking of you and how wonderful
you have been to our family! Words can’t express how grateful
we are to you! You are just the best at what you do!

Fondly,
Happy New Mom & Dad


It’s been a three year struggle to have a baby. Thank you so much for all
of your help and for matching us with Tami. We never imagined finding
someone so perfect for us! We are so grateful!

Pam and Mike
(new mom and dad of twins)


Hi Shirley,

This is Theresa. I worked with you about 5 yrs ago to help one of your couples. I just wanted to say hello. I hope things are going well with you and Parenting Partners. I thought I would send you some pictures of the kids and let you know that everyone is doing well and there is some talk about doing it one more time this summer. Sean is now 4 1/2 yrs old and Pete will be 2 next month. Wow how time flies. My family has been so blessed with knowing how it feels to help someone like that. I believe that because of YOU my own children have grown up knowing how awesome it can be to help others. They want to help people every chance they get. My children are now 13 and 15 now and continue to make the world a better place by donating their time in the community, raising money for cancer walks, and donating hair. You gave me the chance to fulfill my dream, and help create a family and it also taught my children to be better people. It just doesn’t get better than
that! So Thank You so much!


“You are a true gem! Thank you for your help in getting us our wee one
and huge miracle!”

Maureen and Patrick


Hello Shirley: For us, a smaller service felt right. We started with a bigger agency in the area. But we just didn’t feel the connection that we have with you. Going through surrogacy is an emotional and expensive undertaking. You’ve been there for us every step of the way, bumps and all. We can’t wait to bring our baby home.

We will always be grateful for the match you made us with our surrogate. She’s the best. God Bless!

Jennifer and Mark


You’ll be getting a Christmas letter and picture every year from us. We consider you our daughter’s fairy godmother!

Carol and Paul


Thanks to the wonderful match you made for us, everything worked out great.
We would recommend Parenting Partners to others.

Andrea and Mike


“Shirley, you said you wanted to put a baby in our crib. The day has finally come and we could not be more content with our little family. Thank you for all of your help, support, kindness and all that you do.”

Karen and Tom


“Hello Dr. Jacobs (at Fertility Centers of Illinois)

Four week-ends ago our dreams became true with the birth of our long awaited baby, thanks to your skills and persistence in believing that success was around the corner. We want of course to also thank Shirley Zager who has also worked hard to provide us with the successful match-up and help us through the unexpected set-backs. She has done a great job in supporting us and advising us and will be valuable for many future parents who are in the situation we were last year.

Vincent is doing fine and now is 10.3 pounds. He will have his 1 month check up at the pediatrician to see that everything is in order. He loves his bottles of milk and does not waste any drop and can’t get them down fast enough. He already can lift his head up when lying face down against my stomach. In terms of length, he is off the charts for his age! So he is a strong and tall little guy!

All the best,
Michael and Laura


Hello Shirley, thank you so much for setting us up with Alyssa and providing us the opportunity to complete our family. The whole process was very easy and smooth. We greatly appreciate your services. Please let us know if we can provide you with references.

We weren’t too happy with our first agency. We are glad we switched to
Parenting Partners. Madison is doing great and growing like a weed! We
feel like you’re her godmother. All the best!


Dear Shirley: “Thank you for our blankets. We love snuggling in them. We are growing bigger each day and are healthy and happy. Mommy and Daddy tell us that you are their guardian angel. We love you!

Ronin and Maximiliana


How can we thank you enough for the role you played leading up to this incredible time in our lives? We feel truly blessed. It was so kind of you to send a gift for the baby.


Shirley: I cannot tell you how thankful I am to have you. You truly have been wonderful throughout this entire process and have made it one of the most remarkable experiences of my life. Thank you for all of your time and effort to make this the best possible arrangement for all of us.

Kelly
Note: Kelly delivered twins in October, 2009


We hope this card and the baby’s pictures find you in god health and
enjoying the summer. She will be six months old next week. We just
can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by! Your gift to her, a
cuddly bear, has been a companion and sleeps with her. Thank you
for everything! PS: We went to a birthday party for our surrogate’s
older son. She looked great in her normal sized clothes! We love
having them as ‘extended family.”


Hi Shirley, Just an update about us. The babies are doing very well. I will
recommend your service to others who need an agency’s help. Just have
them call me. I will also tell my fertility doctor when I see him in the coming
weeks. Thank you and God bless you!

Your clients,
Gina and Frank


Hello my name is Annette. I currently live in Florida. I’ve delivered for two different couples in Chicago. I am now looking for a last journey. I cannot thank Shirley enough for her help and guidance in my previous arrangements. To be a surrogate takes a lot of dedication and patience. Shirley gave 100% to each of my matches. Bills got paid on time. In many agencies, you’re just a number or dollar signs. I would not work with anybody else.


Shirley: Here are some photos of the new baby.
The parents couldn’t be any happier. Thank you so much for
matching us up. Without you these two precious lives
wouldn’t be here. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to live
a dream. And I know that the mom is thankful every time she
looks at her two little pumpkins. Thanks again, Terri.


My name is Laura and I have been a surrogate with Shirley twice. The reason I
chose to work with Shirley the first time is the same reason I chose to do it again- Shirley truly has a gift for matching the right surrogate with the right couple. With Shirley, you are not simply a number to be matched with the first couple who comes along. She truly takes the time to understand what you, and the intended couple want from the surrogacy process, as well as after the baby is born. For some, the surrogacy relationship ends with the birth of the baby- for others like myself, it is a journey that creates a bond that will last a lifetime. I can’t speak highly enough of the genuine care, concern, guidance, and support Shirley provides for both the surrogate and couple during this process.


Message to Parenting Partners from a surrogate who is “retiring.”

Shirley, I find myself sitting here in tears because I am going to miss you. You have sat by my bedside when I needed someone the most. You have rubbed my back, shoulders and whatever else that needed to be done. You took care of my family when I could not. Only a friend would have done the stuff that you have done for me. You have been a mother to me and I love you dearly. You are an amazing person for all that you do and you have a job that I would die for, even at the rough times. Anyway, Shirley, I love you more then the world, and even though we don’t talk as much I will always love you. If you ever need a speaker please feel free to call me. If I am not doing anything I would love to come and speak..

Heather
4 time gestational surrogate

Gaby & Stefi Born on 3-6-00
Gavin born on 8-10-02
Sophia born on 2-6-06
Abigail born on 5-21-07


I would be more then happy to talk to any other surrogate in your program who wants to contact me. have worked independently and also through your agency. Working with your agency has been so much easier on me. I’m so ready to do another surrogacy as soon as I’m allowed and I’m coming straight back to you for another match. I loved helping my IPs and I’m so glad that we all had a very happy ending. Their baby is just so beautiful and healthy! Thank you so much for getting us together. You really helped make a perfect match!

Cydney


I always wanted a loving wife, a nice home and good job. God gave me all these things. But, though we prayed, we couldn’t start a family. We had to go through surrogacy to conceive our child. With Shirley’s help, we wound up with a wonderful surrogate who carried our precious daughter. Shirley took us
through the steps and helped us realize our dream. You can have all the material things in the world but the gift of life is the greatest gift. I would recommend Parenting Partners to anyone who needs a surrogate to have their own child.

Signed,
Martin


Shirley – I can’t thank you enough for all you have done for my couple and me.
We not only brought a beautiful baby into the world, we have formed a lifelong friendship. Without you, this would not have been possible. For that, I thank you. You have made this a truly wonderful experience for me.

Heidi


Hello: My name is Ann. I live in Wisconsin. I was matched with a couple in Jan of 2006 through Parenting Partners and gave birth to my first surrogate baby in 2007. Parenting Partners was there to help when I ran into problems with the parents. She calls all of the surrogates angels but I think she is the leader angel because she has made it her life mission to assist couples with making their dream of parenthood come true. There is no gift greater than the gift of life.

Sincerely,
Ann


On July 27th, 2007 I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, baby boy. On this day I was able to give a family the blessing that they were longing for such a long time. All of that was possible because of Parenting Partners and Shirley Zager. I went to Shirley eager to become a surrogate and help a family. She was able to match me with the most amazing couple. We were a perfect match for each other. I can tell you that our bond is very strong. I have no doubt that we will be lifelong friends and I have Shirley to thank for it all. I would recommend Parenting Partners for surrogacy, to anyone who is ready to start a remarkable journey into parenthood. The experience I had was wonderful and I know that I will be a surrogate again. I look forward to working with Parenting Partners again in the future.

Sincerely,
Athena


“Dear Shirley,

You have been so wonderful throughout this whole process! We literally never could have had Campbell without you!! You are perfect for your profession! We cannot thank you enough for finding Heidi and stepping us through the whole fertility, pregnancy and birth process! Hope you enjoy these pictures and some more will come by e-mail.

Thanks so much again.
Grateful Parents”


When it was time for us to begin the baby process, we knew we were going to directly to Shirley Zager and Parenting Partners. Shirley was recommended to us through another couple who had a wonderful experience. They now have 2 beautiful babies because of her. We were so happy with Shirley’s knowledge of all aspects of the surrogacy process. We had the most special experience
with our surrogate, Rose, and her wonderful family! They are now part of our family! We will definitely be using Parenting Partners again when we are ready for our next baby!


When I decided to become a surrogate, I talked with my OB/GYN first and he referred me to a fertility specialist, who recommended I contact Shirley Zager at Parenting Partners. Shirley was wonderful in helping match personalities. She is very intuitive, informative, and thoughtful. The intended parents were wonderful to work with and will make great parents. Parenting Partners made the whole process flow very smoothly. I had a wonderful pregnancy and delivery. I would definitely recommend anyone who is considering becoming a surrogate or looking for one talk with Shirley at Parenting Partners.


Last week I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl to a couple that will forever be an extension of our family. Our match was so perfect. This is the first time I have been a surrogate and because this experience was so perfect it will not be my last. I thank Shirley all of the time for bringing me such a great couple. I also owe a lot of thanks to a supporting husband and daughter. Without them my dream of being a surrogate would still just be a dream. I truly found my calling in life and I cannot wait to do this again. You can trust Shirley to find a great match for you and to help you through this wonderful experience.


In 2005, I chose Parenting Partners to find me a couple. Shirley matched me
with a great couple nearby. We cycled and I got pregnant the first try. I ended up pregnant with boy/girl twins and my couple was ecstatic. The babies were delivered healthy last year.

It was an amazing experience partly due to the fact that Shirley made me a good match. She was wonderful about handling the escrow and getting payments out on time. She would call every once in a while to see how things were going. I think Shirley has just the right combination of business and heart.

It wasn’t long before I wanted to do another surrogacy. Of course I called
Shirley first. I knew that she had wonderful Intended Parents waiting. Once again, I was matched with a great couple. We cycled and again I was pregnant right away. This time I’m carrying one little one for my couple. We’re 17 weeks along and things are going perfectly.

Shirley has been there every step of the way. She’s always available. I always feel that no matter what I need, Shirley will get it taken care of. That’s a great feeling.

If I was able to do another surrogacy, I would choose Shirley and Parenting
Partners again. She helped to make my dream of surrogacy and my couples’
dreams of a family come true.

I had a baby for a couple through Parenting Partners last year. I am now in another arrangement through the same agency. The service that Parenting Partners provides is great. I have had the opportunity to work with great couples. The information and attention I received, the good matches and help and support all the way through is what I found special about the agency. It really takes somebody with first hand experience to work well with couples and surrogates. It has been a very wonderful journey for me. I have never had to worry about bills being paid or worry about not being taken care of. I recommend Parenting Partners to anybody who is thinking about
being a surrogate or who needs one.


I was matched with a wonderful couple. Their baby is due in October, 2007. I have been very pleased with this agency. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. Not to mention that Shirley (the owner of Parenting Partners) has been helpful in every aspect. I’ve been very happy with the service and would recommend it to other surrogates.