Deciding to go with surrogacy is a very personal decision.

In the midst of your excitement, it can seem off to involve an outside party like a lawyer or an agency in your decision. Your partner might not even feel comfortable with going through these documents and outlining what the arrangement will look like.

But as you grow your family, it’s very important that you have a firm and clear relationship with the surrogate mother so that you can avoid misunderstandings and conflicts.

Failing to hire a Surrogacy Agency, consultant or a surrogacy attorney could be a big mistake. This is an important and exciting time for your family, but it is also one that should be approached with care. Many mistakes are made due to people failing to get the appropriate insight from an experienced professional with regard to surrogacy.

Here are some of the most common mistakes when planning a surrogacy arrangement:

• Working with a woman under the age of 21.
• Working with a woman who has never given birth to a child of her own, who may be more likely to decide to keep the child.
• Never use sperm that comes from a former boyfriend.
• Don’t work with a surrogate who lives in a state in which commercial surrogacy contracts are legally unenforceable.
• Don’t use insemination procedures that are not carried out by an official facility.
• Don’t have compensation payments made to the surrogate coming directly from you. Instead, use an escrow account or agent.
• Don’t use a contract that is downloaded from the web with no legal guidance about whether or not it is enforceable or covers all of the specifics.
• Don’t have the surrogate stay with you for a long period of time. Instead, offer a hotel nearby.
• Don’t avoid the psychological evaluation.
• Don’t forget to pay any of the financial bills associated with the pregnancy and the surrogacy in a timely manner as this could be viewed as you not complying with the terms of the surrogacy arrangement.

Given the sensitive nature of surrogacy itself, it’s important to schedule a consultation with an experienced surrogacy lawyer.