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PODCAST

Stop. Sit. Surrogate.

Kenedi & Ellen Smith

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

kids & family relationships

All Episodes

55:56

From Perinatal Anxiety To Empowered Surrogacy Support

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/11/02

Ever wonder how it really feels to carry someone else’s baby—and make tough medical calls when hopes and bodies collide? We sit down with Jana, a Portland-based psychologist and surrogate, to unpack the real emotional load of surrogacy: induction pressure without clear medical cause, a lightning-fast birth in triage, and the quiet, complicated moments after delivery when your body wants to feed a baby who isn’t coming home with you. We dive into perinatal mood and anxiety disorders—how anxie...

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61:16

Service, Sacrifice, And Building Families Beyond Blood

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/10/31

What happens when military life meets surrogacy? We welcome back Whitney, a two-time gestational surrogate and Coast Guard spouse, for a candid, practical, and heart-forward conversation about building families while navigating orders, insurance, and constant change. Whitney opens up about the moment a medical retirement notice landed the night before transfer, how she planned around potential moves, and why a supportive command and tight-knit base community made all the difference. We get r...

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88:34

How A Surrogate’s Instincts Saved Twins And Shaped A...

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/10/26

A calm first journey, a terrifying second, and a life-changing pivot into nursing—Lauren’s story reveals what surrogacy really asks of the body, the mind, and the heart. We welcome Lauren back to share how she chose agencies, navigated a Canada-to-U.S. match during COVID, and moved through a natural-cycle transfer that led to a smooth full-term birth. Then everything changed: a double embryo transfer, surging symptoms, a gut feeling something was wrong, and a hospital visit that exposed early...

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52:56

How Surrogacy Shapes Children’s Hearts And Minds

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/10/24

What happens when kids grow up watching their parent carry a baby for someone else? We open the door to our homes and hearts to explore how surrogacy shapes children’s understanding of empathy, science, and the many ways families are made. With Sarah—a labor and delivery nurse, twin mom, and second-time surrogate—we trade honest stories about timing the conversation, answering tough questions, and turning complex ideas into clear, age-appropriate truths. We share how we explained IVF and emb...

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84:14

The Traumatic Journey: A Mark Surrogacy Surrogate's...

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/10/12

A DM match, a parking‑lot handshake, and a transfer day “gift” in cash—then silence. Hallie joins us to share how a seemingly straightforward surrogacy journey morphed into a tangle of red flags: minimal medical clearance, a contract fight over termination language, a hard push to keep escrow with the intended parents’ attorney, and months with the agency acting as the only conduit to the family. When a July email warned that the matching entity was tied to an ongoing investigation and that a...

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67:53

What Happens When Science, Hope, and Heartbreak Collide?

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/09/28

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Liz’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzzlooobes?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Dive into the raw, unfiltered journey of Liz, a three-time surrogate who brings a unique perspective as both a surrogate mother and a fertility clinic medical assistant. Her story takes us through the highs of creating families for others and the lows of failed transfers and loss, all while maintaining remarkable positivity and resilience. Liz's path to surrogacy bega...

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67:36

Mark Surrogacy Scandal: New Developments

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/09/16

The harrowing journey of surrogates caught in the Mark surrogacy scandal continues to unfold with stunning new revelations. One surrogate, now 38 weeks pregnant and days away from delivery, finds herself navigating treacherous legal waters without proper representation after her attorney abruptly switched sides to represent the intended parents instead. What started as a beautiful journey of helping create families has transformed into a nightmare of legal manipulation, with the surrogate no...

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41:58

(Ashleigh Part 2) This Surrogate Mother Survived a...

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/09/15

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Ashleigh’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surro_ashleigh?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==://www.instagram.com/surrornsara?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== In this gripping continuation of Ashleigh's surrogate story, we witness a journey that defied medical odds and revealed the profound resilience of human connection. After two successful surrogate pregnancies, Ashleigh' embarks on a third journey with the same intended parents, carrying their final embryo and...

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63:14

(Ashleigh Part 1) Beyond the Womb: When Strangers...

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/09/14

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Ashleigh’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surro_ashleigh?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==://www.instagram.com/surrornsara?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Ashleigh’s path began with an unexpected source of inspiration – the TV show "Friends" – and quickly evolved into a calling that would change multiple lives forever. With remarkable candor, she shares how her first surrogate pregnancy unfolded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring creativity a...

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49:25

Paying It Forward: When Surrogacy Becomes Your Life's...

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/08/31

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Paying It Forward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/payingitforward_surrogacy?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Beth Moskowicz journey through surrogacy began over a decade ago when she and her husband faced fertility challenges. After failed IVF transfers and a heartbreaking miscarriage, they turned to surrogacy—a path that would not only build their family but eventually shape Beth's career and life purpose. What started as her personal quest for parenthoo...

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114:06

The Marks Surrogacy Fraud: A Surrogate's Story

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/08/24

What happens when the dream of helping create a family through surrogacy turns into a nightmare? In this powerful and deeply troubling episode, we speak with a brave surrogate who finds herself caught in what's become one of the most shocking surrogacy scandals in recent memory. At 34 weeks pregnant, our anonymous guest reveals how she carefully researched surrogacy for a year before matching with what seemed like a legitimate couple. What began as a journey to help create a family has trans...

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63:31

Beyond Compensation: The Soul of Surrogacy Work

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/08/03

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate US Surrogacy’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/us_surrogacy?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== What happens when personal struggle transforms into professional purpose? Dawn Baker, founder and CEO of US Surrogacy LLC, takes us behind the scenes of her remarkable journey from experiencing secondary infertility in her twenties to building an ethical surrogacy agency that has helped create nearly 400 families from 21 different countries. Dawn's perspective is u...

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64:47

Building Bonds Before Birth: How Joint Sessions...

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/07/20

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Rachel’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelgoldbergtherapy?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Step into the emotional landscape of surrogacy with licensed therapist Rachel Goldberg as she pulls back the curtain on the psychological aspects of gestational carrier journeys. What many surrogates fear as judgment—psychological evaluations—are actually thoughtful assessments designed to ensure everyone's wellbeing throughout this profound experience. Rachel rev...

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91:03

They Don't Know We Know, They Know, We Know

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/07/13

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Sara’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surrornsara?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== This week we spoke with Sara, a first time surrogate! Sara is also a registered labor and delivery nurse who first found out about surrogacy when she was 10 years old watching Phoebe Buffay become a surrogate for her brother on the famous 90's show "Friends". She details her beautiful first journey and the long road to to getting it started. Also, how her labor and de...

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48:06

My Bumps, My Bumps, My Lovely Baby Bumps

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/06/22

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Baby Bumps Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hello_babybumps?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== This week we have a lovely returning guest, Victoria, an intended mother on her journey and founder of Baby Bumps. Victoria is giving us an update on where Bump Bumps, originally an app for matching, has now landed. Also, how you can find your perfect match and compensation that you are looking for. Baby Bumps is a unique and new way to meet your perfect match! Vict...

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63:42

Friday Facts: All Things Postpartum

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/06/13

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Sara’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surrornsara?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Brittany’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pavinourway?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== The 4th trimester, also known as postpartum, is a very untalked about thing??? Why!?!? It seems almost taboo to talk about postpartum, or at least it use to. This week we are speaking with 2 surrogates who had very different postpartum journeys. One is an L&D nurse and one who is a ...

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64:54

Pelvic Floor Momma

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/06/01

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Pelvic Floor Momma’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pelvicfloormomma?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== This week we had the lovely honor of speaking with Becca Boeving, a Pelvic Floor Coach. Being a mama herself and having had some hiccups in her own journey, she realized she wasn’t alone and that pelvic floor therapy IS NOT talked about! She quickly started the conversation and built a beautiful community of ladies. Helping them get rid of pregnancy pains...

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47:22

Sophia’s Surrogacy Journey: Part 2

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/05/25

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Sophia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiaawohl?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Sophia’s Surrogacy Journey Continued: Part 1 of Sophia’s story was about her journey of being pregnant with Surro babe. Part 2 of Sophia’s story is about breast milk and pumping after Surro babe is born and intended parents no longer need the supply. Pumping has no light switch to turn it off the next day. It’s a whole process to stop producing, and Sophia wasn’t r...

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45:44

Sophia’s Surrogacy Story

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/05/18

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Sophia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiaawohl?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== This week we spoke with Sophia, a first time surrogate! She details her amazing journey and how that actually led her to help people even after her journey ended with her IPs. This podcast is an our first two part podcast and that is because there is a lot of good and informative information that we couldn’t Jam Pack it all into an hour. This part 1 is about Sophia...

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58:59

Friday Facts: Pumping & Milk Supply as a Surrogate

Stop. Sit. Surrogate. ·

2025/05/02

#surrogacy #ivf #surrogate Grace’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graces_surro_journey?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Kari’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karihernandez82?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Leslie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslie_kay_w?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== What does it mean to pump after you delivery a surrogacy baby? We cover that and how to help donate or pump for another family, ways to help stop your milk supply, and the benefits pumping has, not jus...

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147 results

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