Stop. Sit. Surrogate.

Kenedi & Ellen Smith
  • 4.9 (13)
  • KIDS & FAMILY
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

A mother and daughter podcast educating others on surrogacy from a surrogates point of view. And the point of view from the intended parents, children born from surrogacy, the agency, legal professionals and IVF doctors for the science behind it all. Together we have brought 8 beautiful children into this world and it’s been an insane rollercoaster ride! Good and bad, the sweet and the sour, all coming to light about the truths behind the best and worst surrogacy journeys. Stop. Sit. Surrogate. Is a podcast that is able to give well rounded information about surrogacy from every point of view. We hope to give as much education as we can provide, to those who want to learn and know more about surrogacy. 

  1. 3D AGO

    How One Surrogate Turned Setbacks, GD, And A Tough Birth Into Purpose And A New Journey

    The story starts with curiosity in a small town and unfolds into a hard-won lesson about what truly makes a surrogacy journey work: fit, trust, and closure. Amber joins us to share how she went from a first match that felt distant and clinical to a second match that clicked immediately—and why a simpler, well-explained protocol helped her achieve a healthy pregnancy after months of waiting. She opens her notebook to compare two clinics’ approaches, spotlighting the difference between piling on meds and choosing minimal, evidence-aligned treatment that respects the surrogate’s body and sanity. We walk through the emotional terrain of pregnancy after a failed transfer: a gestational diabetes diagnosis, the discipline of diet and nightly exercise to stay off insulin, and how medical anxiety can strain communication with intended parents. Amber shows how she rebuilt trust by inviting direct conversations with her doctors, turning fear into clarity. Then labor tested everything—days of stalled dilation, a face-up baby, heart rate decelerations, shoulder dystocia, and an episiotomy. The baby was healthy, but the moments after birth brought a different kind of pain: silence, missed gratitude, and no space for the private, grounding “first hour” she’d hoped for with her family. We unpack why that brief, unobserved time matters for many surrogates—not to claim the baby, but to complete the story their body has lived. Amber didn’t stop at survival—she changed direction. Now a surrogacy coordinator at a small, hands-on agency, she offers crisp, practical advice for first-time surrogates: research deeply, expect a slower timeline, ask clinics to explain every medication, and be explicit about boundaries for communication and postpartum plans. She’s already matched with new intended parents whose values align, ready for what she calls a redemption journey built on respect and transparency. Subscribe, share this episode with someone exploring surrogacy, and leave a review with the one boundary you think every surrogate should set. Your insights help more families find the right match and the right kind of support. Send us a text https://stopsitsurrogate.com

    1h 26m

  2. FEB 1

    Australian Surrogacy, Explained Through One Journey

    #surrogacy  #ivf  #surrogate Kayla’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayla_rees85?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== A midwife from Adelaide joins us to unpack what Australian surrogacy really looks like when there are no agencies, no compensation, and a culture grounded in trust. Kayla walks us through how “teams” form through communities and friendships, why counseling and non-enforceable contracts still matter, and how parentage transfers after birth. We compare systems with the U.S., from single-embryo policies and no sex selection to the three-month embryo quarantine that surprised her—and the fully unmedicated transfer that worked on the first try. The heart of this story beats in the details: choosing private care within a universal system to pursue a VBAC after two C-sections; a brief parvovirus scare that prompted careful monitoring; and the day labor went from calm to critical with a half-hour dash to the hospital. Kayla delivered standing by the bed, welcomed the intended parents moments before birth, and chose immediate skin-to-skin for closure and physiology. She offered early breastfeeding, then pumped until it began crowding family life. Postpartum, the dads stayed nearby for weeks, helping “wean” contact thoughtfully so her body and heart could settle while real friendships deepened. We also get honest about money, ethics, and reform. Kayla once feared compensation would undercut connection. Now she notices who gets paid—clinics, lawyers, counselors—while the surrogate does the heavy lifting. She supports a fair, modest compensation model that respects the work without pricing out families, and she’s watching Australia’s push toward federal harmonization with hope. If you’re curious about how autonomy, informed consent, and genuine relationships can shape a modern surrogacy journey, this conversation offers rare clarity and warmth. If this story moved you or challenged your assumptions, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find it. Got a question or a story to share? Reach out—we’d love to hear from you. Send us a text https://stopsitsurrogate.com

    1h 33m

  3. 12/28/2025

    Inside The Surrogacy Journey With A Clinical Case Manager

    What if one case manager guided both the surrogate and the intended parents—from the first profile exchange to baby photos years later? We sit down with Nina Simmons, case manager and clinical support manager at Northwest Surrogacy Center, to explore how a unified model reduces miscommunication, deepens trust, and creates a steadier surrogacy journey. Nina pulls back the curtain on the real work behind the scenes: coordinating clinics and legal timelines, keeping everyone informed, and offering trauma-informed support when emotions run high. We talk about the head-and-heart balance that keeps a match on track: the administrative structure that provides safety and the relational care that builds confidence. Nina shares practical ways to set expectations early, from communication preferences to boundary setting, and explains how transparent group conversations help resolve friction before it grows. She also addresses common challenges—loss of control for intended parents, boundary fatigue for surrogates—and shows how predictability and clear options restore a sense of agency. IVF is powerful but not absolute; offering choice, clarity, and steady presence helps everyone breathe through the unknowns. You’ll also hear how the pandemic reshaped matching and support—Zoom meetings, online groups, and a renewed desire for in-person connection—and why ethical guardrails matter when choosing an agency. Nina’s guidance on vetting compensation packages, reading the fine print on lost wages and insurance, and understanding state-by-state legal pathways is essential listening for anyone considering surrogacy. If you’re searching for a model that honors both people and process, this conversation delivers practical insights and real hope. If the conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review to help others find honest, human-centered surrogacy stories. Send us a text https://stopsitsurrogate.com

    54 min

  4. 12/21/2025

    Surrogacy Through a Sister's Eyes: Love, Loss, and PCOS

    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. If this conversation moved you, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find clear, compassionate guidance on surrogacy and fertility. Send us a text https://stopsitsurrogate.com

    1h 15m

  5. 12/07/2025

    How Smart Eating Supports Implantation, Growth, And A Calmer Pregnancy

    #surrogacy  #ivf  #surrogate  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.  If you found this helpful, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more families find us. https://verdurehouse.com/ Send us a text https://stopsitsurrogate.com

    1h 9m

  6. 12/05/2025

    When The Journey Ends, Who Are You Next

    #surrogacy  #ivf  #surrogate 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. Send us a text https://stopsitsurrogate.com

    59 min

  7. 11/28/2025

    From Two Journeys To Building The Surrogacy Doula Program

    #surrogacy  #ivf  #surrogate  Kristen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenbellettmartinez?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Birth can be beautiful, messy, and intensely logistical—especially when you’re carrying for someone else. We sit down with Kristen, a multi-time surrogate and former agency intake coordinator, to trace her path from a pandemic C-section for placenta previa to a confident VBAC with international intended parents racing into the room as the baby crowned. Along the way, she shares what most guides skip: the fourth trimester after surrogacy, the emotional whiplash of shifting contact after delivery, and how hospital routines often ignore surrogacy preferences unless someone speaks up. Kristen also lifts the curtain on agency intake: why education beats pressure every time, how simple check-ins and care packages change the tone of a journey, and what she learned turning leads into engaged, informed applicants. After a tough year trying to rejoin the industry as staff, she created the Surrogacy Doula program—a virtual service built for surrogates and intended parents that blends monthly support, perinatal nutrition guidance, and real-time messaging with thoughtful mediation when tensions rise. She helps craft surrogacy-savvy birth plans, clarifies roles in the delivery room, and gives IPs practical ways to bond before birth, from shared playlists to mindful rituals that bridge the distance when they didn’t carry the baby themselves. If you’re weighing VBAC after C-section, navigating domestic vs international IP dynamics, or searching for a surrogacy doula who understands both the paperwork and the heart-work, this conversation is a blueprint. We talk closure language for contracts, setting hospital expectations for immediate skin-to-skin, and how to keep everyone informed without turning the surrogate into the project manager. Listen for grounded, human-tested strategies that make surrogacy safer, kinder, and more connected. Enjoyed the conversation? Follow, share with a friend who’s exploring surrogacy, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway so we can keep bringing real stories and practical guidance to your feed. http://www.wellsurro.com/ Emails: kristen@wellsurro.com info@wellsurro.com Send us a text https://stopsitsurrogate.com

    1h 9m

  8. 11/16/2025

    From Egg To Embryo: Truths, Myths, And Modern Fertility

    Want a clear, unvarnished guide to IVF that blends science, empathy, and practical advice? Lisa, an embryologist and lab director in Melbourne with over 15 years in the field, joins us to break down what truly shapes outcomes—from age and egg quality to lab standards, embryo grading, and the rise of AI in fertility care. No mystique, no scare tactics, just what works, what’s changing, and what still can’t be predicted. We start with a step‑by‑step tour: stimulation, retrieval, fertilization via IVF or ICSI, blastocyst growth, and the decision points around fresh transfers, freezing, and PGT. Lisa explains how PGT prioritizes embryos by chromosome balance, why it can reduce miscarriage risk, and where it still falls short when mosaics appear. If you’ve ever wondered why a 4AA isn’t a guarantee or how a “CC” can still lead to a healthy birth, this conversation reframes grading as probability, not destiny. Then we zoom out to the system that holds it all together: the lab. Not all IVF labs are equal. Culture media, incubators, quality control, and the experience of embryologists influence embryo viability more than most patients realize. Lisa shares how time‑lapse incubators and AI now analyze thousands of images to support consistent selection, and how robotics is beginning to automate ultra‑delicate procedures like ICSI—promising fewer variables and faster decisions. We also cover lifestyle levers that matter—smoking, alcohol, BMI, sleep, and stress—and why none of them outweigh the impact of age on egg quality. If you’re deciding between fresh and frozen, weighing PGT, or trying to decode grading, this episode will help you ask smarter questions and make calmer choices. Follow Dr. Lisa Lee on Instagram for more lab‑side insights, and tap follow on our show to get future deep dives into surrogacy and fertility. If this helped you or someone you love, share it, leave a review, and tell us the biggest IVF myth you want gone for good. Send us a text https://stopsitsurrogate.com

    1h 13m
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4.9
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

A mother and daughter podcast educating others on surrogacy from a surrogates point of view. And the point of view from the intended parents, children born from surrogacy, the agency, legal professionals and IVF doctors for the science behind it all. Together we have brought 8 beautiful children into this world and it’s been an insane rollercoaster ride! Good and bad, the sweet and the sour, all coming to light about the truths behind the best and worst surrogacy journeys. Stop. Sit. Surrogate. Is a podcast that is able to give well rounded information about surrogacy from every point of view. We hope to give as much education as we can provide, to those who want to learn and know more about surrogacy. 

Information

  • Creator
    Kenedi & Ellen Smith
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    154
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Stop. Sit. Surrogate.
  • Show Website
    Stop. Sit. Surrogate.

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