Is “Surrogate Mother” the Proper Terminology?

This topic comes up frequently when I read blogs or websites related to surrogacy.  Surrogate Mom? Surrogate Mother? Gestational Carrier?  Host? Substitute Mother?  What is the proper terminology?

I looked up the word “surrogate” on dictionary.com and found the meaning to be “a person appointed to act for another or a substitute”.  I acted in a gestational sense, but never did I plan to parent the children I carried.  So, the reference of Surrogate or Substitute Mother would not apply to me.  I am a Mom, Mother and Parent to two beautiful girls, Jaycie & Brandi.

I emphatically state that I disagree with references such as Womb for Rent or Mother for Rent, so I won’t even ask for your thoughts on this as I am sure our readers will agree with this.  But I would like to know your thoughts on what the woman who carries a baby for someone else be called.  And does the choice in terminology matter if she carries for a woman or a man, single or LGBT? – Tracy