Embryo Adoption Story: Matthew and Kati

Today I'm thrilled to share a first. This past Spring. Christian Adoption Consultants welcomed our first-ever baby through embryo adoption! I was blessed to work with his parents, Matthew and Kati, as they walked through the process of adopting sweet Josiah as an embryo, going through the frozen embryo transfer, and carrying his pregnancy. I was in awe watching them prayerfully and thoughtfully go through each step so intentionally and today Kati shares a bit about their journey.

Matthew and I adopted Josiah when he was a 5-day-old embryo in August of 2023. He was placed in the care of a medical facility anonymously, which means that his genetic parents did not want to disclose identifying information or have a relationship with his adoptive parents. Many such embryos are placed alongside their genetic siblings, also in frozen, embryonic state. Josiah, however, was on his own. It is not uncommon for singletons like him to be adopted with less frequency than genetic sibling groups. According to the paperwork, he was truly alone.

And yet nothing could be further from the truth. Josiah has always had, and will always have, the best of fathers: Jehovah himself. The Father who says to each of us, “I have called you by name; you are mine”. No amount of genetic assurance or nuclear family members could ever assuage the longing in our hearts to be truly known and loved. Only our Creator can do that. One day, Jesus will call us to our true home in Heaven.

In the meantime, we rejoice daily that God brought each of us together. He united Matthew and me eight years ago. He has also entrusted us, despite all our shortcomings, with three precious kiddos. Josiah’s older siblings Isla (just 6) and Callum (almost 4) tend to him with unrivaled tenderness and zeal. Since the moment he was born, Matthew and I find ourselves saying to each other, “He may have only joined us a few months ago, but it feels like he has always been a part of us.”

CAC's New Embryo Adoption Program

I'm thrilled to announce CAC is offering a brand new service. In addition to our Domestic Infant Adoption Program, we are now walking with couples adopting embryos.

Did you know there are more than one million embryos currently in frozen storage in the U.S. alone ? 

In response to these babies needing homes, Christian Adoption Consultants has launched an Embryo Adoption Program as a life-affirming solution.

What is Embryo Adoption?

Embryo adoption is the term most often used when describing the legal process of adopting donated embryos that have been frozen during in vitro fertilization (IVF). Embryo adoption allows the adoptive parents to carry their baby through pregnancy and give birth to their adopted child. (If you have embryos in storage and would like to know more, visit CAC’s Embryo Donation Program page.)

Why are adoptive families needed?

For over 50 years, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproduction technologies have helped build many families. However, the success of these programs has created a surplus of frozen embryos. When a couple goes through the IVF process, there are often remaining embryos. Those embryos are stored for future use, destroyed, donated to science, or can be donated to an adoptive family. 

How can working with an Adoption Consultant help?

Our Embryo Adoption Consulting Program offers all-inclusive consulting and adoption support services. Your personal CAC Adoption Consultant will advise you through your adoption journey from start to finish: including finding a reputable home study agency and prepping for the process, creating a unique and creative profile and donor letter, selecting an embryo adoption program and clinic, information to finance your adoption, and advising you through the donor match and openness agreements. We can advise you through the process of adoption and serve as your “adoption coach,” saving you time and money.

Why choose Christian Adoption Consultants?

As one of the oldest, largest, and most experienced consulting teams, Christian Adoption Consultants can offer a lot of added benefits. We've helped with over 3,700 adoptions and have a support team of 20+ adoption professionals. We place a high value on all voices of the adoption constellation and our staff includes birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adoptees. CAC is founded on Christian principles and standards, and we believe in ethical adoption practices and the highest level of care for all parties in the adoption triad.

Want to learn more?

I would love to help! Feel free to email me at susan@christianadoptionconsultants.com and I'll get you more details to see if our Embryo Adoption Program is a good fit for you! 

(And as always, if you're interested in how I can help with Domestic Infant Adoption, I'm happy to send you information on that as well. Just let me know which program you're interested in learning more about!)