An Interview with a Surrogate: Leslie Mattern Shares Her Journey

Originally published December 15, 2016 — Updated December 11, 2025

Sometimes the best way to understand surrogacy is to hear directly from someone who’s lived the experience. We caught up with gestational carrier, surrogacy blogger, and mom Leslie Mattern to discuss her journey as a surrogate.

Leslie is currently in the middle of her second surrogacy journey. She works as a 911 dispatcher at night and, in her spare time, maintains an online journal chronicling her surrogacy experiences. She is married and has two children of her own.

Here’s Leslie’s story — in her own words.

Getting to Know Leslie, a Two-Time Surrogate

CA: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

LM: This is my second surrogacy journey. My first journey was in 2015. I’ve been married 8½ years, together 11 in total, and I have two daughters — five and seven years old. I work as a 911 dispatcher, which is challenging with overnight shifts, especially while pregnant, but I’ve always had an obsession with helping people.

I’ve been very lucky with my surrogacy experiences. My first intended mother turned out to be my husband’s second cousin — by accident! It became a fun, family affair with everyone involved.

How Leslie Discovered Surrogacy

CA: How did you first hear about surrogacy, and what made you want to become a surrogate?
LM: I had easy pregnancies with my own children and love being pregnant. After having two kids, my husband and I felt our family was complete, but I still wanted the experience of pregnancy. I’d heard about surrogacy before and started researching online. That’s how I found ConceiveAbilities — their video on the homepage really resonated with me. It felt like the perfect fit, and it still does today.

The Rewards of Being a Surrogate

CA: What do you enjoy most about being a surrogate?
LM: I absolutely love being pregnant, but the best part is seeing the intended parents with their babies. Witnessing their joy and gratitude — hearing “thank you” over and over — makes it all worth it.

CA: What’s the most challenging part?
LM: Not having total control can be hard. For example, this time I had dietary restrictions. Even simple decisions — like wanting to fly to Vegas for my dad’s birthday — require approval from the clinic, intended parents, and match manager. But ConceiveAbilities makes the process smooth and acts as a mediator whenever needed.

Pregnancy Challenges and Triumphs

CA: Were there any complications during pregnancy?
LM: My pregnancies were generally smooth. I did have a subchorionic hematoma early on — some bleeding under the chorion, which is common in IVF pregnancies — but it resolved by 15 weeks. The rest of the pregnancy went well.

CA: How did your family and friends react?
LM: It was a little more surprising than I thought. A lot of my friends were supportive. My parents were not. My mom was really concerned something would go wrong. My past intended mother was diagnosed with cancer right before we did the transfer, so my mom was really concerned if something happened to her, or something happened to the baby, or something happened to me, but I think it was just her being a mom. She was a lot more vocal about it than I expected her to be, so that was kind of hard. But she came around by the end of it, and this time she’s totally on board and super excited. She asks me all these questions all the time.

My dad didn’t really care- he’s just a dad. He was like, “okay whatever you want.” My brother was totally grossed out by it, but he still supports my decisions. Other than that everyone’s super supportive.

How Surrogacy Changed Leslie

CA: How has becoming a gestational surrogate changed you?
LM: It gave me a new perspective on infertility and gratitude for my own family. We realized how fortunate we were to have two healthy kids. My husband and I, for our first pregnancy, it took us 6 or 8 months to get pregnant and we thought that was horrible. But then we had our first and then had our second 18 months later and we had these two beautiful babies and everything was perfect- they didn’t have any health problems.

The experience of being a surrogate has also made us more willing to help others in all areas of life. Surrogacy isn’t widely discussed, so stepping into that role taught me compassion and generosity in new ways. It’s not something that a lot of people talk about. It makes you think- if they’re not talking about this, there’s a lot of other things that people could not be talking about. So if somebody needs help or somebody’s asking for help, we are more willing no matter what the situation is.

Surrogacy Agency Support: ConceiveAbilities

CA: How has ConceiveAbilities helped you?
LM: They’ve been incredible. From appointments to complicated questions, they’ve always been there to guide, support, and provide answers. They ensure both surrogates and intended parents feel cared for. Their behind-the-scenes work makes the process much easier, and that’s why I chose to become a surrogate again.

LM: They have been amazing. From appointments to complicated questions, they’ve always been there to guide, support, and provide answers. They’ve just made every single transition, step, conversation, doctor’s appointment easier- they’re just there. For whatever you need, any questions you have, they have answers, and if they don’t, they’ll find them. They’re obviously very well versed in this whole process, so they have the experience and knowledge to calm you. Even if there’s complications, they’re there. They’re supportive, they always make sure, not only as a surrogate, but that IPs are taken care of and everyone has the support they need. They’ve just been incredible. Which is why we did it again. It was just- they’re just amazing! I don’t really know how to put it into words. The stuff that they do behind the scenes that makes it easier for us… it’s just amazing how hard they work for us.

Advice for Women Considering Surrogacy

CA: What would you tell women thinking about becoming a surrogate?
LM: Do your research and make sure you have a strong support system. Surrogacy is a big life decision and a long-term commitment, but it’s absolutely worth it. With the right support, physically and emotionally, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. The most important thing, support. ConceiveAbilities will be there for anything and everything as well.