A Dad’s Story: Surrogacy and Baby #2

06/10/2025

Guest Blog By: Zane Colt

For as long as I can remember, having my own family has always been my dream. I grew up in a happy, boisterous family – two sisters to laugh with, lean on, and occasionally tease – and an ample extended family complete with lots of cousins constantly joining in for dinners, cottage weekends, holidays, and more. It was a full house – one that shaped my own expectations of what my future home might look like. In those early years, it never occurred to me that that dream might be more difficult to achieve than I had envisioned.

In 2012, the first part of my fairytale came true – I met the girl. My wife, who no doubt will be pleased I’m alluding to her as some storybook princess, came into my life in a chance meeting on our university campus. From the first date, I knew we wanted all the same things in life, and that a home with littles running around was at the top of that list for both of us. The catch? She has a chronic condition making pregnancy unsafe for her. If we wanted to build the life we both dreamt of, it was going to be a challenging road to get there.

In 2021, we took the first steps on the journey with a trip to the fertility clinic. What began as good news quickly shifted as we began to learn how challenging it would be to find a surrogate to carry for us. Thankfully, my wife has a knack for storytelling and after sharing our story on social media, we met Ashley – the incredible woman who would go on to carry our daughter Scottie (a proud Mommy Connections participant!).

While we remain incredibly close with Ashley and her family, she is unable to help us on a sibling journey, so we are currently looking for that special someone to help us complete our family. Surrogacy in Canada is legal, but altruistic, meaning that we cannot compensate, but can reimburse for all pregnancy related expenses, including net lost wages. For us, we’re looking for someone between the ages of 21 and 42, who is finished building her family, with a healthy lifestyle and stable, supportive network, and eager to go on the journey of a lifetime.

With Father’s Day approaching, it takes me back to the day Scottie was born, nearly two years ago. I remember how time froze in that moment – holding my daughter for the first time made me whole when I hadn’t realized I wasn’t before that moment. How turning and seeing my wife cradle our newborn made me fall in love with her all over again. And most of all, I will never forget the intense rush of emotions for Ashley in that moment – gratitude, awe, and pride. Having someone do such an incredible act of kindness and generosity for you and your partner is something I can’t quite put to words, other than to say that the admiration I have for surrogates grows more each day.

Becoming a father has been the greatest joy I’ve known, and I know in my heart that we’re two tiny feet away from feeling that our family is complete. Considering Father’s Day, I think about it more and more – when will we be lucky enough to meet that next tiny human, and which special woman out there will help us get there?

Only time will tell – but I’m so excited for that adventure to begin.

Zane, Baden & their toddler Scottie

Written by Zane Colt

Zane is Toronto-based dad and was a frequent Mommy Connections Midtown participant during his paternity leave. You can learn more about Zane and Baden’s journey to parenthood via their blog Not My Tummy (But I’m Still Mummy!) or reach out to learn more @notmytummy on Instagram. 

Are you a Midtown Toronto Mom or Dad with an interesting story to share? We love sharing the stories of the participants from our classes. If you’re a Mommy Connections alumni or current participant and have an interesting story (related to your journey to become a mother, career, childhood etc) – we’d love to hear from you!

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