A London -based couple shared their unconventional route for paternity, celebrating the “Colombian fairy godmings”, who helped three children through surrogacy.
Sean Thomas, a 36 -year -old pharmacist, and his partner, 40 -year -old banker Paul Brainon, found the UK surrogacy process difficult and expensive. Determined to start a family during epidemics, he discovered options abroad.
The couple’s research took them to Colombia, which was drawn by its ability, moral practices and “high -grade eggs”. Despite the language barrier, he created a strong relationship with women carrying their children. Their twins, Margot and Tomas, are now two years old, and their youngest, Ryan, nine months old.
While reflecting their experience, Thomas and Brainon expressed gratitude to the Colombian women who made their family possible. They are now encouraged their children to learn Spanish to join their heritage.
Thomas also offers other potential parents to navigate the complications of international surrogacy through their website and counseling service, surrogacy father.
He and Brainon initially found the UK surrogacy system challenging, especially the legal landscape and financial burden, and revealed that many others turn to private online groups in search of surrogates. His visit saw him to consider various countries including the US, Cyprus and Canada before settling in Colombia in 2022.
Shaun told PA Real Life: “You have to be very careful (using Facebook groups), it is almost like an underground operation.
“It is not regulated and may be very misinterpreted.
“You see other people looking for your surrogates there and it questions you to think of yourself to think ‘Why have we not been raised?”.
“This can be a very cute thing for other people, but trying to find a surrogate is a very difficult task.”
During the epidemic, Sean and Paul decided to start research on “revaluation (his) life” and to become parents.
He chose the surrogacy route because he loved the idea of having “biological relations” for his children.
However, after consulting friends with surrogate children and lawyers and conducting their own research, he realized that surrogacy in the UK would be a challenging and long process.
According to the Surrogacy System Act 1985, it is illegal to advertise for surrogate in the UK or to arrange a surrogacy agreement for commercial benefits.
Non-profit organizations can support intended parents and surrogates but no agreement made is legally applicable.
Sean explained: “To join one of the not-for-profit organizations, you will pay around 1,000 pounds as a joining fee and they do not match you with potential surrogates.
“We, like many people, were expecting to meet a best friend who would also agree to be a surrogate, but we thought that when we wanted more than one child, it would take two to four years to find a surrogate.”
These issues have given rise to the popularity of Facebook groups where parents expect to meet a surrogate.
Sean joined one of these groups and revealed that it hosted contingent meat-ups between surrogates and intended parents, but found that it “felt a little artificial”.
Because of the law, while posting there, members should not be very clear on what they are looking to avoid themselves.
If a surrogate is found, in the UK, potential obstacles do not stop there.
At birth, surrogate is the legal parents of the child, and if the surrogate is married or a civilian partnership, his spouse usually has another legal parent until he gives consent.
Legal paternity can only be transferred through the order or adoption of the parents, if disputes arise to interfere with the courts, depending on the best interests of the child.
He said: “In an ideal world we will have a surrogate journey of Britain for several reasons – a long bond with language, logistics, and surrogate.”
He discovered other options such as the US, but found that it would be between £ 145,000 and £ 200,000 for a child.
A friend also suggested Kenya, but he felt that it was “not suitable for (they) as the same-linga couple”.
Continuing their discovery online, the couple discovered Colombia as a possible surrogacy option, which cost around 50,000 pounds per child, and both were motivated to visit the country on leave.
His lawyer confirmed that it was a regulated and “reception” destination for the same-lingo couples, joining with agencies, lawyers and parents, finding that it meets all their norms with inexpensive, moral services and “high-quality eggs”.
In 2022, he decided to go ahead.
Shaun and Paul used the same egg donor, in which half the eggs were fertilized by Sean and the other half to make fetus by Paul.
Each set of the fetus was transferred to a separate surrogate, synchronized to enable transfer in a single day with their menstrual cycles.
The purpose of this method is “repeating a twin pregnancy”, and both transfer were successful.
Shaun said: “We just felt so lucky that it was taken for the first time, we could not believe it and were very excited.”
During pregnancy, “only opposition” Shaun and Paul suffered, there was a time difference and language barrier between him and the surrogates.
Shaun said he was informed about all scans and appointments and he again flew to a 20 -week scan to complete surrogates before birth.
Both children were scheduled to be at the same date, but Margot had imagined using Shaun’s sperm, born six days ago compared to Tomas, which was conceived using Paul’s sperm.
“It was a eccentric experience and no matter how much you read about becoming a parent, it is still completely new to you,” Shaun said.
“This is a magical thing.”
Paul took a six -week paternity leave, while Sean took a year off to “take care of children”.
In 2023, Sean and Paul had three embryos remaining and felt they outstanding themselves to try to move it further.
The first transfer failed, the second ended in the abortion, but the third, using Paul’s sperm, was successful.
His son, Ryan was born in July 2024.
Shaun said: “We felt like the luckiest people in the world and we just feel very happy with our children.”
Since then, they have been in touch with surrogates and are books that explain to their children that they were born through surrogacy.
Sean said: “We see surrogates as Colombian fairy Godmors, but they will always be a part of our life, because if it was not for them, we will not have children.”
As their egg donor was Colombian, children are half Colombians, and Margot and Tomas are bilingual in Spanish and English, when they grow up their roots when they grow up “.
Shaun has also launched a website and social channel, surrogacy father and is an independent international surrogacy advisor to support others.
To help the future parents, Sean will speak at the UK/European Union surrogacy and donor conception conference on May 10 in London. For more information, go: www.growingfamilies.org/london-Event-2025.
