Hugo always felt he would make a good father; that he was meant to start a family. But it was 25 years after meeting his partner, Noel, that the Hong Kong businessman seriously started to search for an egg donor and a surrogate to carry their child.
They decided that Hugo, who originally comes from France, would donate his sperm. And that they would use an Asian egg donor as Noel is from the Philippines. The rest of their reproductive journey was a bit more complicated. The first surrogate changed her mind, and the second surrogate experience two dropped cycles. And out of the two embryos that were eventually implanted, only one stuck.
“It took a lot of resolve,” says Hugo. What kept them going was to “plan for the worst and hope for the best.” The best part could not come soon enough. On January 31st, 2019, their doctor induced labor in their surrogate, Michelle, who was accompanied by her mother and sister.
The subsequent birth of their son, Amaury, was so moving that Hugo and Noel could hardly hold back their tears. In fact, Hugo is pretty sure he momentarily blacked out from the sheer adrenaline.
What ultimately helped them on their journey was the committed team of Dr. Bradford Kolb from Creating LGBTQ Families and their primary nurse, Kristy. Says Hugo: “Nothing would have been possible without their help and support, and for this we will remain forever grateful.”
In addition to finding a supportive fertility team, the two dads also advise not to wait once you make the decision to have children, especially since the process can take a few turns before the happy day of holding your baby.
Now the family of three is focused on the future; returning to their kid-friendly neighborhood in Hong Kong and raising their son. And with their remaining embryos, Amaury may soon have a baby sister.