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When Jennifer Parson signed on to be a gestational surrogate in 2019, she thought she knew what to expect but after the coronavirus pandemic hit, she took on a lot more than she bargained for.

Traditionally, the undertaking includes a matching process with a compatible family, an embryo transfer, a pregnancy, a birth, and, just a few hours later, the rewarding moment when the newborn is placed in the arms of proud parents.

"You get matched in a way that's very similar to an online dating profile. And when I saw them, I loved everything about them," she recalled. "So we got on a Skype call, and it was an instant connection. We knew we wanted to move forward in the process."

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After a successful embryo transfer, a healthy pregnancy, and the birth of a baby girl on June 9, Parson was not able to pass the newborn along to ecstatic parents.

A post shared by Jennifer (@j3nnj3nn89)Aug 14, 2020 at 12:44pm PDT

"We eventually started saying, 'Okay, we have to think about the reality of what happens in the event that they can't be here.' Because at first, that's not where your mind wants to go," Parson said. "You're automatically trying to think of a more positive outcome. But it was out of our hands."

She was told she could place the newborn with a nanny provided by the agency until the parents arrived but when the couple asked about another option, Parson and her husband didn't hesitate.

After the baby was born and named Jennifer, in her surrogate's honor she went home to join Parson, her husband, and their four children.

The transition, Parson said, was smooth.

When baby Jennifer's parents arrived in the United States in late August, they stayed in an RV outside Parson's home for several weeks while they adjusted to their new roles as parents.

After three weeks of getting to know each other, the two families said their goodbyes and the new parents brought their baby girl home to Shenzhen.

Oct 3rd 2019 we were at the embryo transfer,now shes almost 4 mths ##surrogatemother ##surrobaby ##fyp ##ivfstory ##love ##positive ##fyp

To date, the video has racked over 730,000 views on TikTok and inspired thousands of comments from emotional viewers.

"How completely selfless," one commenter wrote. "I would have such a hard time letting go after taking care of her!"

Parson said she posted the video just after saying her goodbyes at the airport and was trying to process the emotions of the day.

"At that point, I told myself to just feel everything because it's important to process what you're going through," she explained. "And with everything we'd documented, I just wanted to put it out there. It just felt like an expression of everything we'd gone through."

Baby Jennifer and her parents, Parson reports, have made it through their mandated quarantine period post-travel and are adjusting to life back home.

Eventually, she hopes the two families can reunite in China for a visit.

When her daughter couldn't get pregnant, a 51-year-old mom volunteered to be her surrogate

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COVID-19 prevented new parents from meeting their baby born via surrogate. Then, the birth mother stepped in t - Business Insider India