Becoming Dads, by Josh and Jack

It is our true belief that family is the greatest gift of all. A gift that comes via many different and unique paths on the road to parenthood.

It is through listening to many unique stories that we find the strength to discover our own voice and tell our own story.

DockATot will be sharing a collection of pregnancy and parenting journeys to enlighten, inspire and encourage others to find their own path to parenthood.

For the final installment of our journey with Josh and Jack, they have put together this beautiful piece on becoming dads to their beautiful girl Ari.

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We’re Josh and Jack and we are @the_sydney_dads!

It’s been almost two months since we welcomed our daughter Ari into the world, and what an incredible start to parenthood it’s been. Nothing prepares you for the feeling when you become a parent - even with all the broken sleep, nappy changes and mountains of laundry!

Ari’s birth story isn’t the typical birth story. Fiona, our surrogate, lives in Newcastle with her daughters Ivy and Lana. It was important for us that Fiona gave birth to our baby in Newcastle (instead of in Sydney where we live), to ensure that there was minimal distruption to Ivy and Lana’s lives while Fiona was in hospital.

To support Fiona in the final weeks of pregnancy (and so we didn’t miss the birth) we temporarily relocated to Newcastle when we were 37 weeks pregnant. Our obstetrician gave Fiona the all clear at 37 weeks to try some ‘old wives tales’ to bring on labour, including eating dates, raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil, yoga, swimming, spicy foods and long walks. The weeks and days past with no signs of our little miracle arriving, so at 39 weeks and 4 days (31st March 2021) Fiona was induced at 6:00pm.

FAST is the only way to describe Ari’s entrance into the world, Fiona went into labour on 1st April 2021 at 5:40am and Ari was born at 6:11am. The swift 30 minute labour caught everyone by surprise, with Fiona giving birth to Ari on the bathroom floor of the birthing suite. Although we hadn’t envisaged welcoming our child on a hospital bathroom floor, we were together with Fiona and that’s all that mattered.

We chose not to find out the sex of the baby. We were huddled around Fiona on the bathroom floor and Josh pulled aside the umbilical cord and announced that it was a girl - a moment we will never forget!

Following a two night stay in hospital, we stayed for another 10 nights in Newcastle to assist Fiona with the post-birth detachment. This is an important part of the fourth trimester in a surrogacy pregnancy and it is crucial the detachment from the surrogate and baby is gentle and gradual. We were guided by Fiona throughout this process, and didn’t return to our home in Sydney until she was confident in her body and mind.

Ari has definitely settled into life at home in Sydney. We have been adjusting to life with a newborn and our fur babies, Alfie and Jules, are becoming use to having Ari in the house too. Ari has been sleeping and feeding well, and is growing way to fast!

With the assistance of our lawyer, Sarah Jefford, are currently in the process of completing our Parentage Order application. This tedious process will result in Ari being legally recognised by the Supreme Court of NSW as our child, and her birth certificate will be updated to reflect this.

Although we are no parenting experts, there is one piece of advice that we wish to impart on other new parents or couples expecting a baby - that is to be kind to yourself, particularly in the final weeks of pregnancy and the first few weeks of life with a newborn!

We started sharing our journey to parenthood online to create awareness and greater understanding that for couples like us, surrogacy is achievable. It doesn’t matter how hard it may seem physically, financially and emotionally, if you manifest and dedicate yourself to your dreams, they can come true!

We hope that you have enjoyed following along with our surrogacy journey and our journey with DockATot!

Josh, Jack & Ari x

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Read Josh and Jack's other blogs below!

Our Road to Surrogacy, by Josh and Jack

Our Surrogacy Journey, by Josh and Jack

Josh and Jack chose the beautiful 'Painted Spots' DockATot Deluxe+ for baby Ari Bowman-Pinnock.

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Simplifying life for new parents, DockATot is your extra set of hands.

The multi-functional DockATot is the perfect place for your baby to lounge, play, rest, cuddle, and enjoy  tummy time. The DockATot is here for you no matter where the day takes you! Created to mimic the womb and voted as a must-have baby product, parents and babies around the world love DockATot.

From parents who know:

"Life saver! No matter if we are home or out and about, we always take our DockATot with us. So easy for on the go and also easy to clean." - Alexia D.

"Best baby investment ever - worth every dollar! Extremely versatile and handy, it's like having an extra set of hands. My boy Quinton absolutely loves his DockAtot. Time to upgrade to the Grand soon." - Anna D.

"This has honestly been my lifesaver post c-section. The DockATot means I can have him next to me all the time and not move around too much." - Meagan L.