Erasing the Stigma attached to Surrogacy with Newborn Photography

Natalia Deren

Instructor’s Introduction

Family Snaps and Stories offers students the chance to write about their own family histories, photographic archives, and curation practices. Natalia Deren began her project with some of the most moving personal exhibits that I have ever had the privilege to see. Natalia was both the photographer and supporter of her mother Sandi Shimchick, on the day that she gave birth to the daughter of Kenneth and Zach Corallo. Natalia’s photographs formed the basis of her essay “Erasing the Stigma Attached to Surrogacy with Newborn Photography.” She began her project by interviewing her mother and the fathers to understand their personal and professional relationship before, during, and after the birth of baby Alexandra. To create a strong context for her claims, Natalia researched biomedical and legal studies of surrogacy and found data that supported the positive outcomes for children born from this process. On social media, she also found a parallel surrogacy story with birth photos that were intended to celebrate the collaboration between surrogate and parents but elicited a negative public reaction because the rhetorical situation of the photographs was misunderstood. In her discussion of both cases, Natalia structured “Erasing the Stigma” to affirm the agency of the surrogate mothers, who were paid for their labor and treated with familial respect and affection afterwards. Natalia’s essay makes visible the compassionate relationship between surrogate and parents, which is so often hidden from a wider public view. As a resource for teaching, the essay models how to deploy sources from different disciplines on the same subject and exemplifies the power of visual literacy.

Michele Martinez

From the Writer

In the United States, surrogate pregnancy is not a well-known topic, and public commentary sometimes conveys harmful misinformation and homophobic sentiment. My personal experience with surrogacy has been nothing but beautiful and positive. “Erasing the Stigma Attached to Surrogacy with Newborn Photography” challenges these negative views in several ways. My argument addresses the conventions of newborn photography and includes the voices of the parents and the surrogate as a way to understand the emotions reflected in the exhibit. Further, my research reinforces the benefits of surrogacy and the positive outcomes for children born through surrogacy.

Erasing the Stigma attached to Surrogacy with Newborn Photography

On October 21, 2018, at approximately 6:37 p.m., my mother, Sandi Shimchick, gave birth to the beautiful baby girl of dads, Kenneth and Zachary Corallo. Fig. 1, titled “New Parents,” shows a photograph taken by me, Natalia Deren, of the Corallos with their new baby, Alexandra, when she was only one hour old. This process, of a woman carrying and birthing the child of another who is unable to give birth, is given the term surrogacy. While some are still unfamiliar with this phenomenon, it is growing in popularity in the United States. In 2015, 2,807 babies were born by surrogacy, which is a 380% increase since 2004 (Gonzalez). The main factor in the increase of surrogacy has been the advancement of technology which allows for gestational surrogacy, instead of traditional surrogacy. Traditional surrogacy is the process of a surrogate using her own biological material to conceive a child, while gestational surrogacy is done through the use of the parents’ biological material or through donors. Since the surrogate is not genetically connected to the child in any way, the legal and ethical side of surrogacy is more clear and usually more favorable. My mother was a gestational surrogate; she carried a donor egg fertilized in a laboratory by one of the father’s genetic materials. 

Although surrogacy is a miracle for those who are unable to conceive but deeply wish to, much of society is against this process, most likely because it is most common for same-sex couples to utilize surrogacy. While there is a stigma attached to surrogacy, as well as same-sex parenthood, I believe Fig. 1 should not be regarded with any less admiration than a photograph of a newly born child with a heterosexual couple. By analyzing newborn birth photography and comparing and contrasting “New Parents” to photographs of other families with their newborns, I argue that “New Parents” is not only as touching as a nuclear, heterosexual family’s newborn photograph, but its level of iconicity effectively destigmatizes same-sex parents’ journey to surrogacy. 

When trying to picture a family shortly after the birth of their new baby, many would picture something similar to Fig. 2—a heterosexual couple, gazing at their newborn with love and admiration. This photograph, taken by professional photographer Christina Hudgens, may be considered a standard for birth photography, but this should not cause other, less conventional, birth photographs to be considered any less special. Hudgens utilizes framing and visual cues to draw attention to the parents’ facial expressions towards the baby, instead of just the baby itself, by centering the parents and leaving their child just barely in the frame (Jerving 213). The natural lighting gives the photograph an intimate feel, which is further exaggerated by the editing of the vignette onto the image. This way of documenting the moments soon after birth is also a growing phenomenon in the United States and has begun intensifying in the past five to 10 years, with newborn photographers costing anywhere from a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars (Ruiz). Although this photo is as sweet as Fig. 1, the reality is that it would be met with significantly less criticism from society than a photograph featuring a same-sex couple with their newborn.

An example of the unfair response towards birth photography featuring same-sex parents includes Fig. 3, which shows the beautiful moment fathers Frankie Nelson and BJ Barone met their new baby, photographed by a professional photographer and a friend of the surrogate, Lindsay Foster. After being posted online by the fathers and soon going viral, this image was praised and awed over; however, it was also ridiculed—despite the raw emotion and depth within the frame. Several different historically homophobic organizations and political figures used this image for their own agendas, without the permission of Nelson or Barone. Some of the negative attention stemmed from politicians in both Ireland and Italy who used the image in their campaigns against both same-sex parenthood and surrogacy for same-sex parents (Goffin). The bulk of the public’s backlash has revolved around the two men being shirtless. While a child resting on a mother’s bare chest would evoke no such outcry, fathers holding their children to their own chest is an experience both gay and straight dads are encouraged to do. Studies have shown that this skin-to-skin contact between father and child enhances infant growth and development as well as the parent-child relationship, effectively raising parental confidence (Chen, Er-Mei, et al.) It is hard to imagine anyone using this photograph to petition against gay rights. Many people have negative opinions towards surrogacy and believe that couples who choose to have a child through this process are selfish for not adopting and, instead, making a surrogate mother do all of the hard work—and in the end have to give away a child in the process. These are simply misconceptions.  

In reality, families who choose surrogacy have plenty of valid reasons for it. One reason may be wanting to be biologically connected to their child in some way, which is a given for most couples looking to expand their families and should not be frowned upon by those who are naturally free to do so. Further, surrogates choose to be surrogates, and are typically compensated somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000 for all of their hard work, which is somewhat comparable to adoption fee totals (Jolt). The trauma that opposers of surrogacy believe the surrogates to suffer after “giving up” the child is a common misunderstanding of the surrogacy process. Surrogates must go through a psychological evaluation before beginning the surrogacy journey to make sure they are mentally fit enough for such an experience. In fact, a study found that women applying to become surrogates actually had lower levels of anxiety and tension and higher levels of resilience to stress compared to non-surrogate females who were evaluated. In the same study, of the almost 100 surrogates interviewed, 77% reported keeping in touch and visiting with the family they helped (Imrie 425). Obviously, families who decide to use surrogates are not in the wrong, whatsoever, and those who oppose surrogacy probably do so simply because they oppose same-sex families. Although Fig. 3 did garner some negative press ultimately for this reason, they managed to put this attention to good use and began a website to share their story and spread positivity. 

It is even harder to imagine the hate “Our Birth Photo” received when taking into account that its composition is actually fairly similar to that of Fig. 2 in a few ways. The natural lighting bounces off of the fathers and their baby, with the vignette perfectly framing and drawing all of the attention to the new family, despite the noise of the moment surrounding them. The inclusion of the other figures in the photograph—the surrogate, her husband, and the midwives—gives a broader view of the rhetorical situation and gives credit to those who were there to help with the birth and play extremely important parts in providing these couples with the family they desire. I believe this adds an extra layer of depth to the photograph that Fig. 2 is missing. 

In contrast, although Fig. 1 also focuses only on the parents and their child—similarly to Fig. 2—the rhetorical situation is felt in the tone of the photo. After being by my mother’s side while she gave birth to baby Alexandra, I recall her shoving her camera at me and telling me to go take pictures of the new family since she was unable to. Although I had taken plenty of photos of everyone while she was in labor, the moments after the birth were a special moment meant only for the new family. Fig. 1 is just one of many photographs I took during those moments, and the Corallos have a photograph very similar to Fig. 1 framed in their home while the rest of the birth photographs exist in a digital photo album. Ryan Jerving summarizes the photography tool, cropping, as “how the photograph’s reality is framed” (213). Although Fig. 2 was cropped in a similar fashion to Fig. 1, its cropping does not allude to any reality besides what is being presented. For Fig. 1, I wanted to focus on the moment being shared between Kenneth and Zach as they looked down at Alexandra. The cropping centers the family and excludes the surrogate; however, her presence is still felt in the photograph. The viewer can feel the mark she made on the lives of the three figures in the image and can see how extremely grateful they are for this.

It is hard to remember exactly what story I was trying to tell when I took the photograph shown in Fig 1. It might be easy for me to say I was just doing as my mother told me to—documenting the moment. Nonetheless, photographers––more specifically photojournalists—have been referred to as “storytellers” (Good and Lowe 44). Whether I was consciously aware of it or not, my positionality as the photographer was what led to such an honest photograph. Given no instructions whatsoever and knowing not at all what regular birth photographs might look like, I stood slightly away from the family and began shooting. The emotions captured in that moment—Zach’s pure joy and Kenneth’s overwhelming emotion—are enhanced by the close framing of the three figures. When asked what stood out to the Corallos about the photograph, they replied, “Kenneth has been crying. We also love the look on Zach’s face. The photo was taken as he was talking to Alex, and Alex’s face in response is amazing” (Corallo). Similarly, my mother says while looking at the photograph, she knows “The rush of emotions they’re feeling. That moment when you look at your firstborn and your whole life changes […] It’s a truly magical moment” (Shimchick). While anyone who has children or has felt a similar type of love towards someone can surely relate to these quotes, the connection between the surrogate and the family she aids is something very unique, which is represented and can be explored just by gazing upon this photograph. Photographs that transcend the boundaries of the frame and represent the abstraction of a greater phenomenon are given the term iconicity (Good and Lowe 50). Though Fig. 1 only displays two men holding their newborn, the photograph represents the greater picture of parental love and surrogacy. It shows the viewer the true beauty behind same-sex parenthood through surrogacy, effectively combatting the stigma which surrounds it. 

The connections between each of the birth photographs presented thus far are clear. Each depicts a new family, happy as can be. Figures 1 and 3 have considerably more depth, more story to tell, yet would be negatively regarded significantly more than Fig. 2 if they were all to be displayed to the public together. Upon studying Fig. 1, however, the photograph’s level of iconicity is enough to show viewers a loving family, but also the complexity of the process that was taken to get there, all without seeing the surrogate herself. The power and beauty of this photograph alone is enough to prove those who oppose surrogacy wrong. 

Works Cited

Barone, BJ, and Frankie Nelson. “Our Story.” Family Is About Love, 23 May 2018, https://familyisaboutlove.com/our-story/. 

Chen, Er-Mei, et al. “Effects of Father-Neonate Skin-to-Skin Contact on Attachment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nursing Research and Practice, vol. 2017, 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5282438/ 

Corallo, Kenneth, and Zach Corallo. “Father Interview, Fig. 1.” 29 Mar. 2022. 

Deren, Natalia. “New Parents.” 21 October 2018. Sandi Shimchick Photography Archive. Digital Image. 

Hodgen, Christina. “Galleries.” Birth Year Book – Atlanta Birth Photography, http://www.birthyearbook.com/photography. 

Imrie, Susan, and Vasanti Jadva. “The Long-Term Experiences of Surrogates: Relationships and Contact with Surrogacy Families in Genetic and Gestational Surrogacy Arrangements.” Reproductive Biomedicine Online, vol. 29, no. 4, 2014, pp. 424–435.

Goffin, Peter, and Jackie Hong. “Photo of Same-Sex Toronto Dads Used in Anti-Gay Parenthood Ads.” The Star, Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., 29 Feb. 2016, https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/02/29/photo-of-same-sex-toronto-dads-used-in-anti-gay-parenthood-ads.html. 

Gonzalez, Alicia. “Commercial Surrogacy in the United States.” Georgetown Law. Georgetown University Law, 2019, https://www.law.georgetown.edu/gender-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/11/Alicia_Surrogacy-6.pdf. 

Good, Jennifer and Paul Lowe. “The Single Image and the Photostory,” Understanding Photojournalism, Routledge, 2017, pp. 43-60.

Jerving, Ryan. “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black and White Photograph,” Writing the Visual: A Practical Guide for Teachers of Composition and Communication, Eds. Carol David and Anne R. Richards, Parlor Press, 2008, pp. 201-220. 

Jolt. “America’s Overlooked Surrogate Mothers.” Richmond Journal of Law and Technology, University of Richmond, 9 Mar. 2019, https://jolt.richmond.edu/2018/01/24/americas-overlooked-surrogate-mothers/. 

Ruiz, Michelle. “Lights, Camera, Diaper! the Rise of the Newborn Photo Shoot.” Vogue, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2015, https://www.vogue.com/article/newborn-photo-shoot-trend. 

Shimchick, Sandi. “Surrogate Interview, Fig. 1.” 28 Mar. 2022. 

Natalia Deren is a sophomore from the cornfields of south-central Illinois and is studying Biology with a Specialization in Behavioral Biology on a pre-medical track in the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston University. She took Professor Martinez’s WR152: Family Snaps and Stories in the spring of 2022. Natalia is deeply thankful for her time in WR152, which allowed her to explore and write about many topics she is very passionate about with sincere encouragement and assistance from Professor Martinez.