Episode 7 — Our Team: Taking This Journey With You: Inside Case Management with Liz

Kayla is joined by Liz, one of Reproductive Options' case managers, who brings a rare dual perspective: she's not only managed dozens of surrogacy journeys professionally, she lived four of her own, carrying five babies total (including a set of twins she jokes she wouldn't recommend). Liz walks through what case management actually covers at RO — everything from the moment a surrogate is matched through about a month postpartum, including scheduling medical screening travel, psychological evaluations, monitoring appointments, medication orders, and escrow, all so the surrogate never has to chase down logistics herself the way Liz had to during her own under-supported first journey.

The conversation dives deep into RO's birth planning process — detailed questionnaires covering who's in the delivery room, whether photos are welcome, cord banking, feeding plans, and even small details like whether the baby gets a pacifier or bath before the parents arrive — all coordinated directly with the hospital ahead of time so nobody's improvising on delivery day. Liz also opens up about her own first surrogacy experience — no hospital check-in, no follow-up for weeks, and eventually a call from her old agency asking her to help chase down a bill — and how that shaped the case manager she became. The two also talk through RO's manageable caseloads, the always-reachable phone tree, and RO's newer independent case management option for surrogates who matched outside of an agency.

In this episode:

• What case management actually covers, from match through postpartum
• Why RO's birth planning questionnaires exist, and the details most people forget to plan for
• Liz's own surrogacy story, and the unsupported delivery that shaped how she cares for her surrogates now
• Why caseload size matters, and how RO keeps case managers proactive instead of stretched thin
• Advice for surrogates: it's your journey too, and it's always okay to advocate for what you need