Ivan Fatovic founded Modamily in 2011 to connect people who want to become parents in a variety of ways, whether via a romantic relationship, egg donation, surrogacy, or platonic co-parenting. He typically sees platonic co-parenting when the parties involved are of different sexual orientations, but says he sees platonic co-parenting becoming more common, “as millions around the world are putting off starting a family while they focus on career advancement and having life experiences.”

But what does platonic parenting look like in practice?

For Rachel Hope from Los Angeles, author of Family By Choice: Platonic Partnered Parenting, the decision to try platonic parenting came down to two things: avoiding the risk of divorce (which she describes as being the catalyst that lead to her “emotional, mental, and financial chaos”) and ensuring, as a queer woman, that her children didn’t have a “fatherless family.”