When Paige Kennedy-Winston and Danielle Winston met in 2018, sparks flew and things moved fast. Married in 2022, they had their son in 2023 and daughter in late 2025. To have their children, they did in vitro fertilization (IVF) with a known donor and Danielle carrying the babies. Their children, Lucas (3) and Madison (7 months), are biological half siblings. Paige, who works as a pediatrician and Danielle, who calls herself a “recovered attorney,” started a company called The Seed Scout, which helps couples match with a sperm donor who meets their particular needs. They live in Arlington, Virginia.
Can you talk a little bit about how you started the process to become parents?
Danielle: We looked into sperm banks, because that’s where everyone starts. And we’re basically looking at a catalog of people and having to choose the second most important person genetically to our kid.
Paige: I, as a pediatrician, was looking into their medical histories, and they were all crystal clear. I was like, “Why [does] every single donor have no diagnoses in their family?” I collect medical histories every single day and I’ve never seen this many crystal clear.
What other factors led you toward the known donor route?
Danielle: We looked into it, and there’s no regulation in the U.S. as to how many kids can be born from one donor at all. We found out there [are] usually between 200 and 600 kids from each donor, at least when people have been donating in the past 10 to 15 years. … We want[ed] to be more intentional about it. We want to make sure … our kids have access to their donor, that they’re not going to be the 200th in line to reach out, that they know their medical history.
How did you decide to not use someone whom you’d previously not known?
Paige: We asked friends and family … We almost had one of [Danielle’s] good friends from law school donate to us, who is the most amazing human ever, but there was a genetic overlap.
Danielle: [After] our fifth donor that we tested, we realized didn’t really want a friend. We found our donor; he lives in Italy. He is the kindest human. His family is so wonderful … We flew to Italy when our son was 9 months old, and they were the most wonderful.
What has most surprised you about being moms?
Danielle: My God, how hard boys are.
Paige: Never having a single break.
Danielle: I think it’s how much our hearts can expand … And [then] how do I have one kid I love so much and then another kid you’re also going to love so much. It doesn’t seem possible, and then you do.
Paige:
Even though I’m not biologically related to our son, I was like “How will we ever love a second [child] this much, and then she comes along and it’s like, “How were you ever not a part of our family?”
Family Favorites
Favorite meal: Pasta with vodka sauce
Favorite Bedtime Story: Any of the Llama Llama books
Favorite Restaurant: Millie’s DC
Favorite Vacation Spot: Rehoboth
Favorite Family Activity: Petting farms
