A daughter remembers the rodeo comment. Amanda was nine when classmates, teachers, and even other parents struggled to understand why her mom was carrying a baby for someone else. That early clash with stigma sent her searching for answers—how embryos work, why genetics matter, and what safety really looks like—while her family navigated emergency deliveries, NICU visits, and a community learning on the fly.

Years later, the roles flipped. After a lifetime of “easy” pregnancies around her, Amanda faced irregular cycles and a PCOS diagnosis. She takes us inside the real cadence of IUI: dawn ultrasounds, letrozole and menopur, trigger timing, and the quiet choice to keep it private. You’ll feel the weight of a Black Friday clinic visit before hosting Thanksgiving, a Christmas Day beta drawn into the wrong vial, and the constant tug between hope and self-protection. Her second pregnancy arrived spontaneously eleven months postpartum—proof that fertility doesn’t follow neat rules—and it came with ER scares, a toddler at home, and the kind of fatigue most people don’t see.

We compare surrogacy then and now, from four-embryo transfers to today’s standards, and talk about how intended parents can transform the experience by acknowledging the surrogate’s kids. We also dig into what real support looks like when a sibling becomes a surrogate: legal caution, money anxiety, and the emotional work of staying steady in a tough delivery room. Amanda shares grounded advice for families, intended parents, and anyone facing infertility: seek facts, set boundaries, and let your plan fit your life, not the internet’s timeline.

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Brie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannatowne?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

What if the calm, practical path to a healthy surrogate pregnancy is simpler than you’ve been told? We sit down with maternal health nutritionist and current surrogate Brie Towne, who pairs evidence with empathy to demystify prenatal nutrition, implantation support, and postpartum recovery. No scare tactics, no perfectionism—just strategies that actually fit a full life.

Brie explains why early nutrient stores matter for implantation and first-trimester development, then walks through realistic weight gain targets, how to handle nausea with balanced meals, and a hydration approach that uses thirst and urine color instead of arbitrary quotas. We dig into the most overlooked prenatal nutrient—choline—and how to get it from eggs, fish, and thoughtful supplementation. We also talk through folate, iron, omega-3s, vitamin D, iodine, and antioxidants, clarifying when supplements help and when they’re unnecessary or even counterproductive.

One of the biggest surprises: organic isn’t automatically better. Brie unpacks the small nutritional differences, cost trade-offs, and what pesticide regulation really looks like, freeing you to buy what you’ll actually eat and afford. You’ll leave with simple routines—default breakfasts, snack prep, frozen and canned standbys, and a “40 plants a week” diversity goal—that make eating well easier than chasing trends. For postpartum and pumping, we cover calorie needs, gentle foods for early digestion, and how to protect milk supply without turning meals into math.

Whether you’re an intended parent seeking peace of mind, a first-time surrogate navigating expectations, or a returning carrier looking to fine-tune what works, this conversation equips you with grounded, judgment-free tools.

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Leslie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslie_kay_w?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Sammi’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammimichiko?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

The quiet after a delivery can be louder than labor. We sit with two retired, two-time surrogates who open up about the complicated relief of being “done,” the grief of being told no by doctors, and the surprising ways identity shifts when the calendar no longer revolves around monitoring, meds, and milk shipments. Their stories span identical twins born across the country from their dads during COVID, an emergency C-section at 30 weeks after placenta previa, and the tender joy of seeing intended parents finally hold their babies.

We move beyond the highlight reel to unpack what most guides gloss over: how to handle control when a mosaic transfer, failed cycle, or NICU stay rewrites your plan; why 90 percent of the work happens before the six-week heartbeat; and how patience becomes the most valuable skill a surrogate can learn. You’ll hear how kids, partners, and even nanny families became part of the village, why one surrogate wrote a children’s book to normalize the journey at home, and how LGBTQ family building shaped a daughter’s worldview around chosen family and acceptance.

We also map the industry’s evolution. Pre- and post-COVID journeys look different—contracts, screening, and insurance have changed—and newer models like a la carte journey management are widening access for intended parents while honoring surrogate autonomy. The takeaway is clear: do your homework, don’t chase the first offer, and remember it’s your journey too. Retired surrogates are not done; they’re essential—leading support groups, mentoring, and keeping the heart in a small, growing field.

If you’re starting, ending, or somewhere between, there’s hard-won wisdom here. Listen, share with a friend who needs real talk about surrogacy, and leave a review to help more curious, caring people find us.

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https://stopsitsurrogate.com