NY gay couple features at The Advocate in a story about the realities of The New Normal
The Advocate also features a lesbian couple who needed alternative reproduction services, and the difficulties are mentioned in details by the article, as are the potential high costs. However Steve and Rich, who’s surrogate is in her second trimester now, are highlighted as a success story: "Not every couple experiences extreme setbacks. Rich Palermo, 39, and Steve Mazza, 40, of New York City, consider themselves lucky".
The couple had both considered alternative reproduction (possibly doing it as single parents) before they had even met, and eventually started the process six months into their relationship. Steve is quoted saying that “at first it was a bit scary and overwhelming, mostly because so many pieces had to come together and we didn’t know where to begin.” However things went very smoothly for them: "The couple was warned that their surrogate might not get pregnant on the first implantation, so they shouldn't get their hopes up. But she did."
The article mentions the challenge the couple faced being so far away from their surrogate, who lives in Missouri, but they are also finding ways to deal with this challenge and recently flew to Missouri for the 20-week ultrasound and found out they’re having a healthy baby girl.
Palermo and Mazza mentioned how much they appreciated the great support system of friends and acquaintances who had already gone through the process, including our Men Having Babies seminar. For couples considering alternative reproduction, Palermo and Mazza suggest talking to as many people as possible who have gone through the process. “It really helps to hear what others experienced – so that you can have realistic expectations about the process and so that you can try to avoid some of the pitfalls that others encountered,” said Mazza.
The couple had both considered alternative reproduction (possibly doing it as single parents) before they had even met, and eventually started the process six months into their relationship. Steve is quoted saying that “at first it was a bit scary and overwhelming, mostly because so many pieces had to come together and we didn’t know where to begin.” However things went very smoothly for them: "The couple was warned that their surrogate might not get pregnant on the first implantation, so they shouldn't get their hopes up. But she did."
The article mentions the challenge the couple faced being so far away from their surrogate, who lives in Missouri, but they are also finding ways to deal with this challenge and recently flew to Missouri for the 20-week ultrasound and found out they’re having a healthy baby girl.
Palermo and Mazza mentioned how much they appreciated the great support system of friends and acquaintances who had already gone through the process, including our Men Having Babies seminar. For couples considering alternative reproduction, Palermo and Mazza suggest talking to as many people as possible who have gone through the process. “It really helps to hear what others experienced – so that you can have realistic expectations about the process and so that you can try to avoid some of the pitfalls that others encountered,” said Mazza.
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