Studio Kinderwens
My name is Sjors Veenendaal (1987) and together with my partner Aart I am the proud father of our son Tom (2018) and daughter Suus (2022). As a specialized fertility counselor, social worker, relationship therapist and expert by experience, I help intended parents, co-parents, donors and surrogate mothers in shaping their own family structure in every phase of family formation today.
“When I realized that I would not have children in a traditional way, I saw many practical and emotional obstacles. With a lot of perseverance, trial and error, a search for information and having the right contacts, we eventually succeeded in forming a beautiful family. I would like to share the knowledge and experience that I have gained in order to offer others the help that I needed so much during our journey.”
Perhaps you also see obstacles, your family is not yet complete or you do not know where to start and you feel the need to exchange ideas with me.
Studio Kinderwens
Over the years I have gained various experiences. For example, I have completed the adoption course . In addition, I have completed a trajectory with three different surrogate mothers, both by means of self-insemination (low-tech surrogacy) and by means of IVF abroad with the help of an egg donor and a foreign surrogate mother (high-tech surrogacy). I have been actively involved in high-tech surrogacy in Canada and am aware of the procedures in the United States .
As a board member of the foundation Meer dan Gewenst – the Dutch foundation for rainbow families, I have a broad network of experts by experience and specialists in the field of surrogacy and non-traditional parenthood, including lawyers, medical specialists, other counselors and abroad as a contact person for Men Having Babies.
I also work as a counselor at the fertility center Nij Geerten in Elsendorp, Noord-Brabant. Here I speak to patients with fertility problems and with prospective parents and donors around donor conception.
As of July 1, 2024, I will start working as a fertility counselor for medical social work at the Center for Reproductive Medicine at the Amsterdam UMC, AMC location .
I am also a member of the editorial board of the national information point for surrogacy – www.draagmoederschap.nl .
With my knowledge, experience and education as a Social Worker (BSW) at the Hogeschool Utrecht and various courses and training, I started Studio Kinderwens in 2020 , aimed at helping people who want to start a family with the help of a surrogate mother and women who are considering carrying a child for someone else. I guide prospective parents, surrogate mothers and egg donors in every phase of surrogacy. Whether you are orienting yourself, trying to get pregnant, during pregnancy, but also afterwards, I am ready for you for counseling, guidance and relationship therapy.
I am a member of the BPSW – the professional association of social work professionals.
I am also on the FIOM social map
Books
During our personal journey, my partner and I kept a blog and diary. We bundled these separate texts and published them in a book. Our book is for sale on this website and serves as inspiration, acceptance and motivation for intended parents and surrogate mothers and their environment.
We have also made a picture book, which is for sale on this page. Teddy's Daddies tells the story of two daddy bears who would like to have a child. It doesn't work, when suddenly a mama bear appears with a very sweet offer...
I am also active in the political lobby and fight for well-regulated legislation and regulations to protect prospective parents, surrogate mothers, egg donors and especially children.
How do we help new families flourish?
More and more prospective parents can start a family thanks to surrogacy with egg donation, including male-male couples and transgender people. Guidance is important for all those involved in these new families, so that the families can develop well. A consortium of knowledge institutions and social organizations will develop guidelines for this guidance. For this purpose, the needs of a group of new families will be mapped out. The consortium received 1.1 million euros for this research from the National Science Agenda.
On behalf of the Meer dan Gewenst Foundation, I am affiliated with the consortium.