1) Please introduce yourselves and your baby
Hi there! We are Kfir and Yaniv Benisho-Weizman from Tel Aviv, Israel. We have a beautiful daughter named Shay, born in Portland in 2018 via surrogacy. We’ve been married for over a decade, and from the very beginning of our relationship we knew we wanted to have children. Shay is our biggest dream come to life and we are so happy with her. We can’t wait to have a sibling for her!
2) How would you describe your surrogacy experience?
We would describe surrogacy as a journey- mostly emotionally, but for us it was also a physical journey to the other side of the world. Emotionally, we would describe it as complex but magical. Going through the process brings up so many questions: How will we find a surrogate? How will our communication be with her? What will the pregnancy be like with us so far away? Not to mention all of the medical questions. Luckily, we had support every minute of the journey. AFS was there with us, for the whole journey. There was an open line of communication between us, AFS and our wonderful surrogate. Even though it wasn’t all roses and we had moments of hardship, we knew we were in the hands of people that cared about us, our surrogate and our daughter.
3) What is the best thing about parenthood?
Wow.. where to start! One of the best things is seeing Shay develop. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that she’s constantly growing and developing, and just when we feel like this is how she’ll be forever, she goes and does something new. All of a sudden she’s laughing and reacting, rolling over, eating solids, standing, walking.. It’s always a surprise.
4) How is/was your relationship with your surrogate?
Our relationship with our surrogate is exactly what we hoped for. She is sensitive, loving and kind, and our families are extremely bonded. She wanted to help us create and family and did everything that was asked of her and more in order to make sure her lifestyle was as needed for surrogacy. We’re still in touch and are constantly updating each other about our lives. We’re also planning on working together again to bring Shay’s sibling into the world!
5) What would you tell other parents considering surrogacy and working with AFS?
Your lives will change, but we hope you already know that if you’re starting this journey. You need lots of patience and to keep everything within perspective and proportion as to the entirety of the journey. We highly recommend doing your research and understanding the entire process and what everything entails, and if something isn’t clear, to ask questions. The agency is experienced and can answer any questions you have, from the technical to the interpersonal. From everything we wrote above, it’s clear that we feel the journey is worth it. We wish you much luck on your journey, and we highly recommend AFS as an agency.
