Surrogacy Explained, Facts, Feelings, and Family Building

The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Kids & Family, Health & Fitness, Parenting

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Surrogacy is often talked about in headlines or celebrity news, but rarely explained in a way that helps people truly understand the experience behind it. In this episode, I’m joined by surrogacy consultant Jessie Jaskulsky, founder of Surrogacy Simplified, to talk openly about what the surrogacy process actually looks like, the misconceptions that surround it, and the emotional reality many families face while trying to grow their family. Jessie shares her personal path through pregnancy loss, infertility, and ultimately two surrogacy journeys that helped her welcome her daughters. From navigating the logistics and cost to managing grief, uncertainty, and public judgment, this conversation brings compassion and clarity to a topic that is often misunderstood. In this episode, we discuss: What surrogacy actually means and the difference between gestational and traditional surrogacy Common misconceptions about why families pursue surrogacy Why public conversations about surrogacy can be filled with judgment and misinformation The emotional toll of infertility, pregnancy loss, and long fertility journeys How intended parents cope with uncertainty and lack of control during a surrogacy pregnancy What the financial reality of surrogacy can look like and ways families plan for it How to begin exploring surrogacy if it’s something you’re considering The bond between parents and babies born through surrogacy How friends and family can better support someone going through this process To connect with Jessie Jaskulksy follow her on Instagram @surrogacysimplified, check out all her resources at linktr.ee/surrogacysimplified You can also join her free Intended Parent Community: https://tally.so/r/mORv9A 00:00 Surrogacy, Stigma, and the Comments Families Shouldn’t Face 02:00 What Most People Get Wrong About Surrogacy 05:49 Gestational Carrier vs Surrogate Explained Simply 08:07 The Real Reasons Families Turn to Surrogacy 10:16 Why Celebrity Surrogacy Stories Spark So Much Judgment 13:07 Infertility, Anxiety, and the Emotional Side of This Process 15:34 What Surrogacy Really Costs, and Why 22:11 The First Steps for Families Considering Surrogacy 25:22 The Hardest Part, Letting Go of Control 30:06 Bonding, Love, and the Truth About Surrogacy Babies Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Many, many people of all different backgrounds are able to access surrogacy.
0:04.5	There's all different reasons that people come to surrogacy, secondary infertility, unexplained infertility.
0:12.3	I meet with a lot of cancer survivors.
0:14.7	I meet with people.
0:16.3	This is one that you might not even realize, but severe mental health issues where they don't want to
0:20.9	go off of a medication. So to keep the baby safe during pregnancy, same-sex couples, there's so many
0:27.2	reasons. And these babies are so longed for and so wanted. And they are just so desired and prayed for.
0:40.2	Hey, everyone, Dr. Mona here, your online pediatrician mom friend.
0:44.0	And welcome back to the show where we get to have honest conversations about parenting,
0:48.9	child health, and the many ways families are built.
0:52.0	And before we get started, if you really enjoy the show,
0:54.6	please subscribe, download all of your favorite episodes, just set up those automatic downloads.
0:59.3	It really matters so that I can continue producing the show. And tag Peds, Doc Talk,
1:04.2	the Peds, Doc Talk podcast whenever you listen. So over the past couple years, we've seen many
1:08.6	celebrities like Megan Trainor, Lily Collins,
1:15.7	Priyanka Chopra, just to name a few, share that they welcome their babies through a gestational carrier.
1:22.5	And while I was so happy to see them speak openly about their journeys and grow their families like they want to,
1:27.2	I was honestly struck by the backlash and harsh comments that followed. Comments questioning their
1:29.2	choices, assumptions about body image, money, convenience, and even questioning that you're not
1:34.7	the mother of that child. And I remember thinking, wow, we just still have a lot of work to do,
1:40.7	which makes this conversation especially timely because March is surrogacy awareness month.
1:46.1	Have you ever wondered why surrogacy still carries so much stigma? Why people feel comfortable
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr. Mona Amin, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dr. Mona Amin and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.