A Victorian man has made history by becoming the first single biological father of a child under the state’s surrogacy laws.
Shaun Resnik fathered his newborn through his friend and surrogate mother, Carla Pincombe, with the entire process taking longer than three years.
Though non-traditional families are becoming the norm, it’s still difficult for potential single parents to gain approval for surrogacy.
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However, Resnik was elated with his newborn son Eli and told 7News: “It’s a love like I’ve never experienced before.”
Resnik, who is openly gay, always knew starting a family would be more challenging than any other straight couple.
He told ABC radio: “Roundabout my thirties, I realised guys can have kids but I was waiting for Mr Right to come along.
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"But, you know, nothing scares a guy off more on a first date than saying, ‘Hey, do you want to have kids?’”
He added: “I knew I was going to have a family one day. I’ve worked my entire life to get to this point.”
According to 7News, Resnik and Pincome first met at a surrogacy support program while she was pregnant with a same-sex couple’s child.
Although Pincome never planned to be Resnik’s surrogate mother, the pair instantly ‘hit it off’.
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She even watched her friend face three surrogacy setbacks.
The first surrogate pulled out after reentering into a relationship with an ex, and the second and third options were unable to go through the process due to personal issues.
Eventually, Pincome offered to carry Resnik’s baby after he went travelling to overcome the pain of the multiple failed surrogacy experiences.
Resnik said he was taken aback by his close friend’s kind gesture and instantly knew she was ‘the one’ to carry his child.
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Resnik also met a mother of two, Bree, who agreed to donate her eggs to him.
The two also immediately developed a close connection, forever bonded by parenthood.
He said: “When I play with her boys I get so excited because I am hanging out with my baby’s future brothers."
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And despite his tumultuous journey, Resnik has one piece of advice for single parents wishing to go through the same surrogacy process.
“I just want single people to give it a go - don’t wait to get your ducks in a line, there are no ducks! The ducks are usually all over the shop," he said.
“Make your own magic, make your own magic ducks!”
Topics: Australia