The surrogacy program in Australia is typically set up to benefit heterosexual couples wanting to have children. But for 44-year-old Shaun Resnik, the journey is different. The naturopath came out as gay when he was just 24, but has always wanted to have a family. He knew that would be more difficult without a partner. When he turned 40 and hadn’t yet settled down, he decided it was time he started creating his dream of a family of his own.

Paid surrogacy is illegal in Australia. Shaun could have considered international options, but he decided that wasn’t for him. He was committed to building a family, though, and had even purchased a four-bedroom house years earlier. He worked for years to get to the point where he could start his family and began joining surrogacy groups in the hopes he would find someone to carry a child for him. That’s where he met Carla.

It took several years for the two to develop a friendship strong enough to give Shaun the start on the family he’s always wanted, but she’s now carrying his child. He used a donor egg from another good friend of his, Bree, who already has two children. Shaun plans to make sure his child knows the woman who donated her egg, along with the gestational carrier. The baby is due in April, and Shaun hopes to be in the delivery room with Carla.

He wants to catch the baby if that’s allowed, but if not he’ll just be glad to be part of the process and to have the start of the family he’s been dreaming of for years. He hasn’t discussed how many children he’d like to have, or whether Carla or Bree will be part of that journey, but with a big house, it’s quite possible that Shaun will continue to focus his efforts on expanding his family after he brings his little one home in April.

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