Workin' Mom's- surrogacy storyline

[LucysSkyDiamonds]

Spoiler if you haven't watched the 9th episode



I've just finished the newest season on Workin' Moms and in the second last episode there's a story about a character who "had a baby" for her sister who couldn't have her own. Just noting, they never use the term surrogacyin the episode, but it is essentially what they mean - a woman gestating and birthing a child specifically for another person. I thought Sloane's pain at not being the mother to her sister's child was really raw, and really unusual to see the painful side of so called altruistic surrogacy and how it caused the breakdown of the sisters' relationship. I'm very pleasantly surprised to see this side of surrogacy in a mainstream, Netflix show.

[Delphinium20]

I had always thought I could be a surrogate for my sister if needed. But now I'm a bit wiser and understand all the pitfalls, so glad it never came up. Good on this show for being realistic about it.

[OhHolyJesus]

I noticed that too OP, it was briefly covered and strange to see in what is basically a comedy show, but it was good how it was said it's not the same as giving you a kidney (as she did it because her sis gave her a kidney as a child) and how Sloane was covering her pain by being a workaholic and therefore very successful but still missing her daughter. She was also reckless and clearly struggling with her loss.

I'm interested to see how it develops in the next series if they cover it further.

[LucysSkyDiamonds]

Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing if/how the story line develops. The Jenny character was kind of sidelined in this season so I wonder if Sloane will be more prominent. I like the different views/types of mothering shown in the show and I think Catherine Reitmann (the creator and actor who plays Kate) is interesting.

I wonder if including it is opening conversations for women who have reservations about surrogacy. I think many women (obviously not all) would have had a similar thought process to yours, Delphinium and all we ever seem to be told is how good and generous altruistic surrogacy is. This jumped straight into the pain and brutality of it.

(Ps, completely irrelevant, but every time i see your username OhHolyJesus I start sining Oh Holy Night *which I love) and it gets stuck in my head for ages )

[OhHolyJesus]

I feel the same about your username Lucy
I will have the Beatles in my head now

I didn't know the creator played Kate, interesting. It's great the way it's lighthearted but also tackles serious issues, the misogynistic bullying Alice suffered in school in a previous series and in this series how she was brainwashed into believing climate change was fake news by a Conservative boyfriend...abortion, surrogacy. It's good, I like it. Good to have something vaguely mainstream tackling the heavy stuff.