Stop. Sit. Surrogate.

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

• Kenedi & Ellen Smith • Season 5 • Episode 30

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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. 

If you found this helpful, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more families find us.

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome. We are a mother-daughter podcast about all things surrogacy. Together, we have brought eight beautiful babies into this world. And we would like to share through education and knowledge about surrogacy with those who want to educate themselves on the topic. This is Top Fit Surrogate. Have you ever thought about growing your family but aren't sure what your options are? Or maybe you're someone who wants to help others experience the joy of parenthood? That's where Northwest Surrogacy Center comes in. Northwest Surrogacy Center is a full-service surrogacy agency that guides intended parents and surrogates through every step of the journey with compassion, transparency, and personalized care. From matching to legal support to emotional wellness, they make what can feel overwhelming, feel deeply human and supported. Whether you're considering surrogacy to grow your family or you're ready to become a surrogate yourself, Northwest Surrogacy Center is there to walk beside you every step of the way. Visit Northwest SurrogacyCenter.com. That's NW at SurrogacyCenter.com to learn more and take the first step towards something truly life-changing. Northwest Surrogacy Center. Love makes families. Surrogacy makes babies. Hi everybody, welcome back to Stops at Surrogate with Kennedy and Ellen. Hey everyone. We are joined by a wonderful guest today. We have yet to talk to someone in this field. So I'm I'm very excited to pick your brain. Would you like to um introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_00:

Hey, thank you for having me. I'm Brie Town. Uh I am a nutritionist. So I have my master's in nutrition and half half of a PhD at this point in nutrition as well. Um and a lot of my work and focus in education um has been around maternal health. So pregnancy, fertility, postpartum. Um and yeah, just really, really, I mean, because I was pregnant when I went back to grad school and wanted more personally. Um, but I'm also a mom of four and on my first surrogate journey right now in my second trimester, thankfully. In the easy boring part. And uh yeah, yeah, that's pretty much me. Well, this is super cool.

SPEAKER_01:

I have two questions. One, how did you get into this field? And two, how did you get into surrogacy?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, so I was not the healthiest eater growing up, um, and as like a young adult. Um I just didn't really know how to eat. And then when I was pregnant with my second um with my daughter, she she just like wasn't growing enough. Um, unbeknownst to me and apparently the doctor who didn't care to check, the cord was wrapped around her a bunch, so she just like couldn't grow. So this was not my fault. But I was like, okay, well, I need to like eat more food. And the doctor told me to eat a candy bar or a milkshake every day to gain weight. And I was like, I'm not like the most healthy person, but like I feel like that is not the best option. Like I feel like there's gotta be a better way. So I like this was almost 12 years ago now. I guess, yeah, 12 years ago now. So I'm like deep diving into the internet and the early like blog stages of things and like how to eat for pregnancy and how to like gain weight in pregnancy. And there was like very little information or just very like questionable information, which there still is, um questionable information on the internet. But um, I was like, shoot, like I feel like I need, like, I don't have the information, I can't find it, and like I'm gonna go back to school and get a degree and figure this out for myself because the more people I would ask about it, like friends or neighbors and stuff, like they didn't really know either. So I went back um after she was born, I went back to school. I went and got my master's in nutrition and learned a whole lot. Um, and specifically like for like maternal health um in these stages. So yeah, it's not candy bars and milkshakes. I mean, it can't be that that will probably lead to weight gain, but there's there's some better ways to do it.

SPEAKER_01:

How funny, Mama, literally, all that popped in my head was when you carry triplets and she had like a milkshake, at least one milkshake a day.

SPEAKER_03:

Because it's one, possibly two, because I had to gain like 24 pounds by the 24th week. Had to.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03:

I was like, how do you do that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Back then, that was a quick and easy way.

SPEAKER_03:

That was the advice.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Like, what? Funny. Okay, so how would you gain it healthily? Like, would you just eat a bunch of protein?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I would, I would, I mean, so my everything's like there's always a balance with all of the like nutrients that you're consuming. So, like, yes, a milkshake would work, but maybe like a milkshake with like a scoop of protein powder and some bananas, and like turn it into you can have a scoop of like cocoa powder in there or chocolate syrup or whatever, but like round it out with some fruits or vegetables um to like make it not just sugar and fat.

SPEAKER_04:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so we're balancing out, we're balancing out like all of those nutrients. That or like increasing, you know, eating like fatty fish is a really great, like high calorie, high error calorie, but also a good amount of protein plus omegas and antioxidants. Like you're getting a ton in there for like, you know, a little bit. Like I eat currently eat like a thing of tinned fish like every other day with my toast because it's like so quick and easy just to get that like healthy fat and protein and like a good chunk of calories just to load up on. So like an extra snack here and there too can help just get a little more, a little more calories in your diet. And like, unless you're carrying triplets, like you don't need like that much extra. Yeah. Um, so it's like, yeah, you do need to gain weight at like a certain rate, but we're talking like by the end of your pregnancy, you know, 400 extra calories a day. It's like not that much, you know. Not yeah, that's not a lot at all.

SPEAKER_01:

That's not a lot, that's more than a milkshake.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah. Well, again, I think oh a lot of pregnant, well, I shouldn't say a lot. There's when you get pregnant, oh, I can eat anything I want, I can have all the calories I want, all the cravings I want. And people are just like, Yeah, but it's freaking hard to get that weight off when you're done. So, yeah, a gallon of ice cream every night might seem great, but delicious, and it's you know, filling a craving, but yikes, and baby may come out with chubby cheeks, but yowza, it's so hard to lose it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Not getting all the nutrients that baby should be getting calories as they call them, yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_03:

So then how'd you get into surrogacy? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's funny, about like 10 years ago, my sister-in-law was um not able to carry her own baby and was looking for surrogacy. And I was like, oh, this is interesting, like, didn't really know, like this is interesting, cool, like maybe I could do this. Like at that point, I had already had two beautiful, healthy babies and was like, okay, and it didn't work out um to where I would be able to carry hers. We, I think we moved and then like, I don't know, we were all over the place at that point. So just like life timing wasn't right. Um, and then last year I was looking for, I was like digging around on LinkedIn, like looking for like connections and like who can I talk to and like marketing, marketing, advertising, whatever, like my own practice and like who can I help? You know, who what women out there? I mostly work with women, but you know, what women out there can I help? And like what connections can I make to like get into other pockets of communities? Um, and I met this woman who is like a matchmaker basically for surrogates and parents. And we started chatting, and I was like, wait, like I could, I could do this too. Like, I don't need I like me, I love to work with surrogates on their nutrition, but also like I could do this. Like I'm actually in a place now where like I'm not moving anymore. I'm 1000% never having my own child again. And like I this is like a really good, like the timing just works. And she was like, I think you'd be a great candidate. Like, I think I already have some parents in mind for you. Like, let's let's get this ball rolling and see what happens. And that was December 1st of last year. So like I feel like I've been pregnant for a year already, but um you're already in your second trimester, yes, wow, everything must have moved fast. Yeah, it just yeah, I mean by February we had the match meeting, and the longest part was the legal, obviously, and that just yeah, and then by August was the transfer. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow, that's impressive. And first transfer took, yes? I'm thinking, yeah, yeah, yeah. Drinks good for you guys, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's great. Straightforward, very very smooth there.

SPEAKER_01:

So did you so gearing up for, I mean, gearing up for pregnancy of your own and for surrogacy, did you change? I mean, you're already you already know what you should be eating daily, but like, did you change anything or like did you up any type of foods for nutrition?

SPEAKER_00:

Not like specifically. I was thinking about this leading up to this conversation and was like, I didn't really I mean, besides like not eating any more sushi and like drinking wine. Right. Um, like not doing those things. Um, what I did do was um towards like as we started, because I did a mock cycle first. So like as I started that, I was like, let me track my food for a few days. Cause I don't do that. I don't generally do that because I feel like at this point I just know what I need to eat. It's like let me just track for a few days and like see where I'm at, see if there's anything that needs to adjust. Um and like I wasn't I wasn't like exercising as much because the hormones and all the shots made me crazy um and hurt to exercise like on my own. Um so I was like, let's let's just see where I'm at. And really like there wasn't anything to change or adjust, like as I'm looking at what I'm doing and what like should be done um in this like season of life. So no. But I will say, like, there's not that much different, like specifically from like a healthy, well-balanced diet in general to like pregnancy diet, like it really is very transferable, but most people aren't doing it either way. So like there's definitely ways to like change it for most people, but I mean, not to like brag, but no, I didn't know.

SPEAKER_01:

You're not bragging. You already because you already, you already know, like, hey, these are my these are the portions that I need to eat each day. This is like, this is how I'm gonna get my omega-3s, this is how I'm gonna get my proteins, how I'm gonna get my my vegetables, you know, like it's I have a lot of like me personally, I have a lot of dietary restrictions. Can't have dairy, can't have gluten. Just found out I have ulcerative colitis, so I have like I'm on an anti-inflammatory diet. Like my life has always been like, what food should we not be eating? And it's basically I was forced into a healthy diet. So like it's not like I really have a choice, but it is a very hard thing to keep up on, just like, and not give in to cravings. Like, I want chocolate like all the time. And it's like, well, I guess I'll have a date almond milk, cocoa powder smoothie, because that's the closest thing I'll get to a milkshake in my life. So it's but you know, the dates they play a role in something like, and it's just very interesting learning about oh wow, having salmon for dinner or salmon, smoked salmon for breakfast is incredibly healthy and delicious. Like it's very interesting to learn how important food plays into your body.

SPEAKER_03:

Very interesting. I just think we're a big fast food culture and it's easy, especially if you're raising kids and you're having sports and all kinds of activities. You're running through the drive-through, you're ordering a pizza, you know, and you're not thinking about all that. They just their bellies are full. Okay, yay, did my job. Now they can go to bed with their bellies full. Like it's it's it's really a uh concerted effort, I think. I I feel to get on that healthy diet plan. It's not impossible. It's almost like working out. It's it's you have to be committed, you have to do the work, you have to put in the time, and you have to know, and you have to grab when you go to grab something to eat, the correct choice. Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I think something like 70% of our food environment is like ultra-processed. Yeah. So like you go in a grocery store, 70% of that is ultra-processed. So like most people are consuming, and like I you can eat ice cream and you can eat pizza and you can swing through McDonald's. And honestly, like my last pregnancy before this one, like the only thing that I could eat in my first trimester was a McDonald's cheeseburger. And that was the healthiest option because the other option for me was nothing, or else I would vomit. So, like, yes, McDonald's was an incredibly healthy option for me. It was the best option because otherwise I wasn't eating. So, like, something is better than nothing. Yeah. And like if you have the knowledge and the access and like the wherewithal to like, and time to like choose better, it's better. Like it's always gonna be, there's always, you know, better choices that can be made like within within your environment and like what you have access to. So like I'm a big fan of frozen foods, I'm a big fan of like canned foods, like canned beans, tinned fish every day. Like it's great, it's convenient, it's quick, it's easy, it's cheap, it's it's right there. Um, and it's packed with nutrients. Like, it's great. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm gonna kind of spin off just a little. One of the main things that I get from people who aren't surrogates or who are going to be surrogates for the first time is oh my gosh, you're gonna have to like have like a really strict diet and like eat super, super clean and like super organic. And it's like, no, not necessarily. Like, oftentimes the IPs, not oftentimes, sometimes IPs will be like, hey, I'll like we'll give you more of like grocery money in a sense for you to like pick up the organic broccoli, the organic whatever it is. Does that is there a big difference between organic and just picking up like normal broccoli?

SPEAKER_00:

The difference is the difference is the price. I actually have a whole blog post about this that I wrote a couple years ago that's like incredibly well researched in there. But um, this is a great topic. Wow, I could go for days on this. No, I mean, not to be like super glib about it, but organic's like kind of a scam. Um like, no, like you're getting more bang for your buck. I mean, the conventional produce is gonna be bigger and cheaper. So you're gonna be able to feed yourself more for less. Um, and nutritionally, there's a negligible difference in nutrition quality. And again, you're getting more, usually, like more volume. So chances are you're gonna eat the whole apple either way. So, like the conventional one's gonna be bigger, you're actually gonna get like more of the benefits, like the nutrients from that apple. Um but yeah, there's, I mean, there's this thing like, oh, organic, no pesticides. Like organic has pesticides, they're just organic pesticides, which actually are less regulated than conventional pesticides, which means you can be getting a whole lot more volume of these pesticides when you don't even know. And it could be like much more detrimental than like these heavily regulated pesticides that are on the conventional produce. Really?

SPEAKER_03:

Do you buy organic, Ken? I don't talk to her about what she buys. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01:

Do I? Um no, like every now and then I would buy like organic vegetables. Like my son only eats broccoli, so like I was like, cool, I'll buy the organic. Because like if that's what I'll get him to eat, I'll buy all the organic. Or if it's miraculously on sale cheaper than like the normal one, then I'm like, sure, why not? It's cheaper. But I don't like I'm not like strict on like organic, but I just hear about it all the time. Like, you should eat organic, especially me looking into my anti-inflammatory diet. Oh, you should do organic.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'm like, I only buy organic if it looks better and it's not like so much more expensive. Yeah. I we eat a lot of leeks. I don't know why. I have a lot of recipes with leeks, and the organic leeks just look better and they're like a better size for what all my recipes need.

SPEAKER_01:

So I like generally always buy the organic leeks, but otherwise, like you're not buying out, you're not buying it because of the nutrition factor. You're just buying it because it's just it better for your recipe. Like it's I think that's just gonna be mind-blowing for people who hear that.

SPEAKER_00:

Like, seriously. And then you hate. I know people love their organic.

SPEAKER_03:

No, it's okay, but for those who feel bad about not buying the organic because it's more expensive and they're trying to get more bang for their buck, especially in this economy. Like, that's a revelation. That's really because I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01:

Going to Costco or Sam's Club or whatever your, you know, your big bulk store is. I I haven't noticed that there's big bulk organic. Maybe there is. I just haven't like looked that hard, but it's also probably way more expensive. Yeah, yeah. It's so that's that's a fascinating little little thing.

SPEAKER_00:

I'll share, I'll share my blog my research with you. Yes, yeah, because I think people would like to read that blog. Yeah, it's got a lot, it's got a lot of good stuff in there, it like really breaks it down.

SPEAKER_01:

Um that wasn't even one of my questions. That just popped into my head.

SPEAKER_03:

That's really cool.

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, I was like, it's not on the list, but I'm happy to talk about it.

SPEAKER_03:

But I'm the one who usually veers, not her.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but that's just so I'm literally so mind blown right now. But you're fed for so long. Do the organic, do the organic, do the organic. I we should get off this topic, but like I'm just mesmerized.

SPEAKER_03:

And we all know water is important. I see you drinking, right? I get it. Yeah, uh, for a healthy pregnancy, what's the good amount of water to drink?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, honestly, drink when you're thirsty is like the best advice. Otherwise, we get into this like chasing this number that's like everybody is very different. Yeah, and for example, like I have a very small bladder, so like I do drink probably more water than what's like recommended or whatever, but I'm also like I'm peeing all the time. Um, but also pregnant. So yeah, true, true. But but basically drink when you're thirsty. Okay. Drink water when you're thirsty, and like look at your urine. It should be that like light yellow color. If it's darker than that, you need more water. If it's clear, then you can probably like ease up a little bit and drink a little less. But I think that's a better gauge than like you need a gallon of water a day, or you need this, because that puts a lot of pressure on you. And we don't need more stress. Um, we don't need more pressure. So I like to like look at look at your pea. Yeah, no, and like not right after you take your prenatal vitamins because that's gonna be all messed up, it's gonna be neon. Um, but you know, look at your urine, like gauge it. What's what's the color? Is it light yellow? Cool, I'm probably good. Um, and then if you're a thirsty, drink. Like I when I talk, I get very thirsty, and I'm like, so I always have a giant jug of water when I'm like talking or like in sessions with clients and stuff. So um I drink a ton of water, but yeah, it's it's important, yes. You don't want to be dehydrated, absolutely. Um so like if you want to like start with, okay, let's start with 60 ounces, like fill up your water bottle twice in a day and see how that goes and then kind of adjust from there and um again gauge your your urine and your thirst.

SPEAKER_01:

We'll be right back. But first, I want to take a quick moment to talk about something close to my heart, helping families grow through surrogacy. If you've ever thought about becoming a surrogate or if you're an intended parent ready to start your journey, Paying It Forward Surrogacy is here to guide you every step of the way. At Paying It Forward Surrogacy, you're not just a number. You're supported, celebrated, and connected with real people who've walked this path before. Whether you're just starting to explore or ready to take the next step, they'll make sure you feel informed, empowered, and cared for from day one. Visit Payingit Forward Surrogacy.com to learn more. That's Payingit Forward Surrogacy.com. Because every journey to parenthood deserves heart, honesty, and the right support. Now let's get back to the episode.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Literally, the only thing I drink is water.

SPEAKER_03:

So I'm just like, I must have I don't drink enough. So that's always been the issue with that.

SPEAKER_01:

How funny. No, I know, Mom. If you could hook up coke in an IV.

SPEAKER_03:

And you know what? It's not even that anymore. I'm into tea. I'm into tea now.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I'm happy for you.

SPEAKER_03:

Which I dilute with water, so I am getting a little extra. Yeah, that's fine.

SPEAKER_01:

There you go.

SPEAKER_03:

Don't need to know about me. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, okay, so how does diet support a healthy uterine environment and improve implantation success? Or does it not play a role?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, so it's interesting. So when I am typically thinking about like pre-conception, pre whatever the language is here in this case, um transfer. Like I'm always thinking, like, okay, egg quality, sperm quality, but like that doesn't have like nothing to do with me. Like that's right, that's not not an issue. So I mean, sperm quality plays a huge role in like health of baby going forward and all that. So does egg quality, but sperm gets like nobody talks about the men for some reason. Um in this situation, everyone likes in every other situation. But um, so so I was like, okay, like it's totally different. It's just just the body and just like the vessel, for lack of a better word, um, without the egg or the sperm quality, like being my problem for lack of like, you know, yeah. So I mean, there is definitely still things that impact it. Like you want to be having you want to be having like a good environment. And also that little embryo grows like and develops so quickly, so much, right, at the beginning. Like so many things happen. Um, and that's where that's like the time frame where the bad things can happen too. So you want to make sure that like your environment, like your body, your environment is nourishing for that little embryo because it is really really in the first few months in that first trimester, it's really like feeding off of stores, like pre-pregnancy stores of nutrients. So making sure that what it has to feed off of, what you've been storing, is nutritionally optimal, is gonna be like helpful for a successful transfer, for you know, successful growth of that tiny human. So making sure that I'm gonna repeat myself a thousand times, but like making sure that you're totally fine. Like balanced, it's so dark in here, I can't like look at myself. Um, a balanced, about like balanced diet, balanced carbs, protein, fat, um, lots of like whole foods, lean proteins, plant proteins, whole grains, legumes, lots of fruits and veggies, and like reducing that ultra-processed food as much as you can. Um, and then taking a prenatal um with folic acid. Like, I think like three months is generally what like three months before is like generally the advice. Um, and that like that feels like a good if you're doing surrogacy, like you know, you know by three months. So like I don't think I knew with any of my own children three months before um that I was going to be pregnant. But with this, like, okay, three months before like transfer date, like let's start to clean things up, let's start to balance things out, let's start to make sure that most of our foods are whole foods and we start taking like a high quality prenatal vitamin.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and kind of what you were saying, because you you named a bunch of them that I have in my next question. So, like you like the omega-3s, vitamin D's, the folate, the antioxidants. Are these and other things like key nutrients that can help balance hormones as well?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, it's less about like what specifically, like I actually just posted on Instagram today, like how to eat for your menstrual cycle. It's a load of crap. Um, my mind You can't spot treat things. You can't spot treat your entire hormonal system with a sweet potato, you can't spot treat it with with uh uh eggs, right? Like it's about what you eat in your entire diet over the course of a day, a week, a month, you know, it all like adds up and builds up. So um, yeah, it's really more about like what that overall diet looks like. And again, like tracking for a couple days, if it's like safe and effective for you, um, I know it's very triggering for a lot of my clients. So, like, we don't track with them. I just look at their food and make sure they're doing, they're doing well. But like tracking for a few days and putting in some, like a lot of those apps you can be like, okay, I want to get this much of omega-3s, and I'm gonna get this much of chlorine and like Earth choline, and like where where do I land on those nutrients? And you can kind of see where you can like eat a little more um of foods that contain those contain those nutrients. Um but yeah, like key nutrients, I mean, there's a lot because all of them are important, right? But it played a big role. Yeah, like everything comes together, but like, you know, your dietary folate, uh, iron, omega-3s, um, antioxidants, vitamin D, um choline, iodine.

SPEAKER_01:

I've never heard of that one.

SPEAKER_00:

What's called choline is is kind of like um a friend of like folate. Um I'm gonna flip the slide show it on. I'm so dark. Okay. Um that was actually I think you asked what is like one underrated thing, and I wrote about choline.

SPEAKER_01:

Did you really oh my gosh, I just need to stock your blogs.

SPEAKER_00:

No, so yeah, I think choline it, so we talk about folic acid a lot in terms of like fetal brain development, right? Like neural tube defects, you need to take folic acid to like prevent neural tube defects. Great. Um, but choline also plays a part in that, plays a part in um neural tube defects, cognitive defects in infants, and also maternal health complications um or surrogate health complications. So um your body doesn't make its own choline. Some nutrients your body can like synthesize on its own, but other ones you need to actually consume from food. So choline is one of those. Eggs are a big source. So eggs have like 125 milligrams each. Um, and then like meat and poultry, fish, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, bok choy, brussels sprouts. Um, and then Legumes and nuts kind of like moving down the list, all have some choline. Um, but like ideal into I mean looking at like super specific numbers, like like I early pregnancy, like 450 milligrams. So if you're thinking like, okay, that's four eggs, like you don't need to eat four eggs a day, but it's like okay, this is how much is in there. But that's a big one that like people don't necessarily talk about a lot, um, that can kind of get can kind of get lost, can get lost in there. And if you're not consuming like animal products, especially, um, it can be a lot harder to get. So, like my prenatal has like a little extra choline in it. Um because I don't eat a ton of animal products, they eat fish and like some dairy and stuff, but I'm not out there like eating a steak and chicken and all that very often. So I'm like, okay, I'm gonna, you know, use a prenatal with a little more. Wow.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, interesting.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so it can be in prenatals, probably not like the amount that you need, but like it definitely can be supplement with what you're eating.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh wow. Very interesting. I'm now gonna like go stock all of your blogs rather than like Dr. Google. Dr. Google is not helpful.

SPEAKER_03:

No, rabbit hole.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I don't want any of those questions. Hold on. Well, I kind of went over them. It was like dehydration. I'm like, she just went over that. Um gosh.

SPEAKER_03:

Are we missing anything?

SPEAKER_01:

I do. Well, I am curious. Um again, Dr. Google. So, like when you do have nausea or you know, all that sickness that comes in the beginning of pregnancy, I've always been told white soda, right? Or like ginger. Ginger is gonna be your best friend. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not, or crackers. But it's like I and like you said earlier, like McDonald's was the healthiest choice for you because it was that or like nothing, right? And that's totally fair because a lot of women have some type of thing that they can only tolerate. But is there a way to help maybe kick the nausea like with nutrition?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, so there's it can work in different ways. Like maybe it's just there and you're just gonna be nauseous and like sick and uncomfortable, um, no matter what you do, and crackers are your best friend, and that's that's all that's gonna work. Um, but if you can kind of head it off with like a balanced breakfast right away to like get something in your system that like kind of hold holds it all together, you know? Um, so like something that something that especially balances like carbs and protein, um, like all that advice for like crackers or bread or whatever, it's like that's great because it's easily digestible, it's not gonna like upset your stomach, but also there's not a lot of heft to it.

SPEAKER_04:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Um and like there's I don't know if there's like actual like research to support this or evidence to support this, but like having protein with something else in the beginning of the day, at least for me and a lot of women I know is like a really great way to like offset some of the nausea and like discomfort. Um, and having something in your system, yeah, it's gonna be, I mean, if you can get it's gonna be better. Yeah. Um so like having like a bowl of oatmeal with some seeds and nuts and berries on top, like that's a decent amount of protein and carbs, and it's like easy to digest, it's warm, it's like gentle on your system, and it gets you, you know, that's pretty much my go-to breakfast anyway, but it gets you like a good amount of nutrients, put some seeds and nuts and berries on there, you're getting like antioxidants and fats and fiber, and um, it can be a good like starting point to help offset some of the like oncoming nausea. I was really, really nauseous for a few weeks there towards the end of my first trimester, and I was like, okay, I'm eating as soon as I get up because otherwise it's like too late and I've already like already ruined it. So something like that, or like you know, just balance, like trying to balance out the snacks or whatever you can eat. Like if you're eating crackers, like you try a piece of cheese with it, like a slice of cheese or two, like balance that out. Um and you know is the best.

SPEAKER_03:

Does the eat frequent small meals a day still a good thing?

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, yeah, for for nausea, because you're not gonna be eating a 500,000 calorie meal when you are feeling like you're gonna vomit. Like that's it's just realistically like that's a lot to like get down in one sitting, and like you're probably not gonna be doing that. So stretching it, like not stretching it out, but like having smaller, more frequent meals, like eating every few hours, again, like eating when you're hungry, um, and not trying to like force so much heft down at once, right, can help just keep your keep the nausea at bay, but also like keep your blood sugars level and keep getting nutrients into your body and like calories into your body that you need to like grow and nourish this tiny human.

SPEAKER_01:

So when it comes to like the we've kind of covered like the development, right, of like baby in the beginning, but is what about placenta? And I again Dr. Google's like, oh, that's coming from the sperm, like you know, the sperm kind of dictates the health of the placenta, so like great that I can't do anything about that. But is there is there stuff that like you can help with that? Like, I don't even know, I don't even know what that would be.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, not like again, not like specific foods or nutrients that are gonna, I mean, everything's playing a part here. Like everything is gonna contribute to to everything in your body. It's like I have the most boring answers for this.

SPEAKER_01:

But no, but it makes sense. It's like a work of art, right? Like you have all your little paints over here, but like in order to make the pretty picture. I mean, this is like the weirdest analogy, but it's where my brain went. But like in order to make like the pretty picture, you gotta put it all together. Cause if you just throw one color in there, okay, like it's not gonna be. That's why they say I get it. You you need to eat the rainbow, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, truly. Like, I and this is difficult with like nausea and stuff, but like eating a wide variety of foods, really, really helpful. Like a wide variety of whole foods, it just means that you're gonna touch on all the colors which have different nutrients in them. So, like it allows you to like cover your bases basically without like getting so bogged down and like, wait, what food is high in lycopene? And like, do I need to eat more of that? Or like, what food is high in iron? Like, just eat a wide variety of colorful foods. Um, I have this challenge with um most of my clients that I like have them eat 40 different plants a week, um, which sounds insane, but like seeds, nuts, and a green bell pepper is different from a red bell pepper and like cilantro counts and basil and all that. Um, so it sounds crazy, but like once you get into it, it's like, oh, actually, I did eat, you know, 20, 30, 40. But it's a really great way to just be like, okay, these are all good plant foods that I'm filling my body up with, like a bunch of different, you know, different beans, different nuts, different seeds, different grains, um, fruits, vegetables, all these things. So you're getting a variety of foods that are gonna all impact, you know, fetal development, placental development, your health while you're carrying, like, and lead to like an easier recovery after, too, because everything's related. Um, so it's just like variety is the spice of life, yeah, and just a really effective way to like make sure you're getting all of the nutrients that your body and this tiny human's body needs, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Makes sense. They always tell you growing up, eat the rainbow. And it's not Skittles though. That's a different type of rainbow. I just saw a commercial for that, and that's where my brain went. Um, oh shoot, I just saw a great question on here. Where's it? Oh, okay. So, how should either surrogate or people who are having children for themselves? Um, how should they think about weight gain? Like what's healthy and like realistic? Because again, as I I think as my mom said in the beginning, every time I was pregnant, I was like, Oh, cool, I'm eating for two, I'm gonna eat everything. And it is really hard to knock that baby weight off. Like, I gained a lot with my son.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, so like the general recommendations are if you from like ACOG is first trimester, you're gaining like four to five pounds. And like if you're well, surrogacy or not, you probably don't even know until like month two. You get like a bonus month for surrogates, and then you don't really know until at least six weeks. So um, four to five pounds in the first trimester. There's no like additional caloric needs in the first trimester, because again, that baby's that embryo is like feeding off of your stores. So, like the weight you gain in that first trimester is probably just like normal embryo development. You're you know, everything's developing down there to like get ready for baby. It's not like actual, the embryo doesn't weigh anything, you know. Um so so it's all the other parts getting ready. Um, and then second and third trimesters, you're looking at like a pound, half pound to a pound per week is like the general healthy recommended weight gain. So if you're if I can do math, yeah, that's like 24, like 25 to 35 pounds total for like a singleton pregnancy. Like for twins, you want um, I just I just looked this up because I truly did not know. Um, for twins, you want about 37 to 54 pounds total, is what that kind of like comes out to. Um, apparently for triplets you need a lot more, but that's outside my my knowledge. Um, but yeah, it's really like not a ton. Um yeah, and that can be difficult to to it can be difficult to hear because you're like, oh, I'm eating for two. I have to grow this human, but it's like right the human that weighs seven to nine pounds when it comes out of you, like it really I mean, the most of the extra weight comes from the placenta and your blood volume. Um, that's like what carries most of that. Um, and it is important, like you definitely don't want to fall under that. Over that, you might run into some issues too, but also it's gonna be a lot harder on the back end to to lose that. And like personally, I don't know, I don't necessarily want that like reminder hanging around when like I don't also have a baby. You know what I mean? Like, I want like my body back once once the the process is over, and it's like if I'm still holding on to like 20, 30, 40 pounds, it's like, oh wait, like I thought I was done with this process, but I still have to like get this off of me too. Um, so yeah, it can be it can be a lot harder, but really like a pound a week after after the first trimester is a kind of a good place to look.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, that's not crazy out there as as I would have hoped to have heard, because then it'd be easier to gain the weight, but it's fine. It's fine. Um okay, so then when when it when it is postpartum, right? When you are, when it is time like, okay, now now it's time to get my body back, right? Is there a specific nutrition diet that you should go on? I mean, I mean, especially if you're pumping, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, if you're pumping, you definitely need like another, so like 300 to 500 calories on top of like your pre-pregnancy intakes, um, which is why it can be really helpful to like track for a couple days to see like what you're actually getting in the beginning. Um so it's very similar to the amount of like extra calories you're supposed to have in your third trimester, too. So pretty much you keep eating that same amount if you're pumping, um, to make sure that the quality is there and the quantity is there. Because there's also that, like, you know, if if you dip too low in your calories, like your milk supply is gonna dwindle for sure. But also there's not that, like, there's not a tiny baby there that you have that like emotional connection to that's like gonna help also produce milk. Like those hormones play a part in that. So you're missing that. So, like making sure that you're getting enough calories overall, like baseline is like super essential. Even if you're not pumping, um, your body just went through like a massive trauma. Like this, like childbirth is trauma. Like, yeah, even if it's the easiest thing in the world, like it is a huge deal on your body. And even if you don't have this baby in your bed screaming at night, and even if like even if you're sleeping well every night, like you're still recovering from a huge physical and probably emotional, in some capacity, trauma, right? Um, again, even if it's still like the most beautiful thing in the world, it's still like a really big deal. Um, and so you want to be like, I don't have not experienced this, but this is my guess is that when you like finish, you like give birth to this surrogate baby, it's like, oh, I can go back to whatever I was doing before. Like, I'm not I'm not pregnant anymore, I don't have a baby, like I'm just back to normal, but like you still need to recover. Like, and it I I'm like trying to piece this together in my mind to like prepare myself for like, no, you can't just go back to whatever because your body needs to heal. 100%. And that's I think I mean it's difficult either way, but I think like I imagine it's gonna be more difficult.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because you don't have a baby to remind you to slow down.

SPEAKER_03:

And you don't give yourself that pause to say, oh wait, I did just go through trauma giving birth to a baby. I do need to get myself back. I I need to slow down. I I didn't do that. I write back in and I suffered the consequences.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. So, like, just there's no like specific diet that's gonna get you like the perfect postpartum experience. Um, again, it's like okay, like getting the right amount of food. Um you know, you get to sleep, so that's a huge bonus. That's gonna help a lot with recovery. Um, you know, you're not waking up every three hours with baby. Um but yeah, like healing, there's a lot of like ancient wisdom out there with like after you have a baby, like warm, nourishing, like easily digestible foods, which I definitely agree with um for the most part, because you're I mean, having given birth previously as well, like your digestion's gonna be trash, like it's gonna be real messed up. Um, so like easily digestible foods, especially until that first bowel movement, um, and probably like the first three are gonna be like super important. So, like not nothing too fatty, nothing like too spicy, um, or like not a lot of like saturated fats, um, just like really gentle foods. Again, oatmeal, it's great. I love oatmeal. Um, what about iron? Yeah, iron's a big one. So that was I was that was my next thing is like making sure you're getting enough iron because of the blood loss, obviously. Yeah. Um, to begin with, like most women are either deficient or like on the cusp of iron um and vitamin D. So like I don't know if it's standard, I think it's standard with like most surrogacy medical screenings to like test for that and like first trimesters to test for those. I would not supplement with either of those unless you know you need it. Okay, um, too much iron is gonna also mess up your digestion a whole lot. So that's one that even like like a lot of most prenatal vitamins come with iron in them. And I'm like, okay, like maybe we don't necessarily need this much. I would prefer if they were separate. Um, so you can you can adjust your iron needs like as needed. Um, a lot of people go go into to pregnancy and like post-product and be like, okay, I need to take iron pill, I need to take vitamin D, I need to take it. I'm like, whoa, if you don't need it, one, it could cause a lot of problems, toxicity issues, like liver stuff too, in your body. Two, if it's water soluble and you don't need it, you're just gonna pee it out and you're literally flushing your money down the toilet. So, like, really make sure that you actually need these extra nutrients before you start supplementing for sure. Like, if you think you might be low on iron, if you're postpartum, like you probably do need a little extra iron. So, like, yeah, eat some more beans, like have an extra slice of chicken, like something like that versus like I'm gonna go out and take another iron supplement. Because if you're if you're pumping too, you're probably still taking your prenatals just to round things out. So that's likely, you know, like I said, most have iron in them anyway. But again, where like tracking for a couple days can help, just see where you are and like actually looking at those labs and those blood markers of like, okay, where actually is my my iron levels.

SPEAKER_01:

Brie, when you say tracking, I you've said it several times, and I'm like, okay, so is this like a diet? Like, am I having like a food diary? Like breakfast, I did this. Like, what goes to my head, and you can totally comment on it, I'm sure you will, weight watchers. Like, that's what that's how I used to track was like not even necessarily like lose weight. It was more so just like, what is what does this mean and what does that mean? Is is that what you mean by tracking?

SPEAKER_00:

So, yeah, so basically food diary, like what exactly am I eating in the day? There's a lot of better like apps out there now. Um, the one I use and recommend is chronometer. Chrometer C-R-O-N-O-M-E-T-E-R. Because it's like less judgy than some of the other ones. Some of the other ones are like, oh my god, anyone over your calories, you're so fat. Like, I don't love that. I don't love those. Oh that's horrible. So chronometer is great, and you can like you put in, you know, all the food you eat and all the amounts. It's very tedious if you cook from home with 40 different plants every week. So you put it all in. And you can also put in like, okay, what's my current weight? What's my goal weight? So you can put in like, okay, if I'm starting at 130 pounds and I need to gain another 30 during pregnancy, you know, my end weight is 160. So you can put that in there. So it like helps you track it out, and you're like, the rate I want to gain is one per week. And you can like put that in there. And then you can put in like amounts for certain nutrients too. You can be like, okay, I'm aiming for you know 80 grams of protein a day, I'm aiming for um what it like 450 milligrams of choline a day. Like you can put in those numbers and then it spits out at the end of the day once you enter all your stuff, like how much you've gotten of each, and it tells you throughout the day too, like as you enter things. It'll tell you like how much of each you've gotten, um, and like where where any deficits are. You can add like exercise in there to like, okay, well, I also, you know, went for a two-mile walk, so take away some of those calories. So I need to eat a little more, um, that kind of thing. So yeah, I I find it helpful for a few days here and there. Like I would never, I would not recommend like daily tracking all the time. Um, that's so tedious and just like pretty unnecessary. Um, but like once I mean pregnancy is kind of nice to be like, okay, pre pre-transfer, middle of my first trimester, where am I at? You know, second trimester, where am I at? Okay, I'm entering my third trimester, where am I at? And like like good way to gauge like what's going on and like where any adjustments need to be need to be made.

SPEAKER_01:

When it comes to like busy, I mean, surrogates are already moms, so like they're already busy. We've got however many children you got, plus their activities, plus you're pregnant, plus you got family, like it's all these things. So, does meal prepping help in that? Like, do you recommend like to your clients, yeah, meal prep, it'll make it easier. Then you also don't really have to track every day because it's technically the same food over and over.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, if it's like if it's accessible, and like I don't meal prep. Let me just say that now because I don't like it. Because I like to wake up in the morning and say, What do I want to have for dinner? And then go make that. Um, but I also love to cook and I love to like be spontaneous with my food. So like that's that's me. But yeah, I mean, meal prepping can be a really great way to just like ensure that you're getting all the nutrients you need. You can have a plan, you can have a handful of recipes and meals that you rotate through. Um, personally, like I pretty much eat the same breakfast and lunch every day. I switch up like the toppings in my oatmeal or like the toppings on my toast and like get variety that way with like toppings, but the base is pretty much always the same. So I'm like never thinking, oh, what am I gonna have for breakfast? Like, no, I I'm already making my oatmeal, I know what I'm gonna have. Um, or like snacks are a really good one. I pre-make snacks, I like recommend pre-making snacks to clients, like because it's really easy to just grab like a bar from the pantry, which is fine, great, but like maybe we could like get those little packs and stick them in the fridge, and they've got you know, you put some cheese cubes in there and some grapes and some pretzel crisps, and that's like a really great, easy, well-balanced snack that you can just like reach in and grab when you're having like one of those super busy days, right? Um, so pre-making snacks is like my my meal prepping because I find it's like a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable for me. Um, but that's where like you want to be, you don't want to be like obsessive about it, but you do want to be like mindful of your nutrition and like what you're putting into your body, especially. I mean, not especially, like I want my own babies as I grow them to be healthy too. But like, I don't know, there's a lot of pressure to like build a baby for someone else. Like, I want it to be as healthy as possible. I want to like nourish it as well as I can. So I like want to make extra sure that this, you know, I'm I'm making sure I'm feeding myself the right nutrients and like everything I need to then like set this baby up for success. Cause it's not just it's not just like how your nutrition while you're pregnant isn't just how the baby grows while it's inside you. Like it also impacts like how that baby and child continues to grow and develop after it's outside of you, right? So it doesn't feel like that.

SPEAKER_01:

That's a lot of pressure.

SPEAKER_00:

They're keepers or not. Genetics and like other lifestyle factors, what they eat after they're outside of you, like those play a huge role too, right? But it's not nothing. It's not nothing.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. Oh my gosh, that's yeah, it's fair. I always just thought, like, okay, however, I eat is like that's that's that while the baby's growing, and then you come out, and then I shove all these new foods in your mouth, and you're fine with it. But that has not been the case with my son either. So that does make sense. How funny. Um, I have a funky question. I'm curious. I'm curious if the whole dates before birth is like a real thing or if that's a myth.

SPEAKER_00:

Like for dates and for like ripening your surface or whatever. Yeah. I think it's one of those like traditional ancient wisdom things. Um I think there's a little bit of modern scientific truth to it. Um, but I don't think like it could go either way. Like it's not a magical fix, right? It's not like, okay, I ate 15 dates, so it's really ripe down there, right? Like it may not be, you know, it's not like I don't know, what something that would work right now.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's not like a for sure thing that'll happen.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it might not. Dates are great. So like some of these, like I spend a lot of time like debunking like myths and like misinformation. Like my PhD research is like in like how misinformation affects our fueling strategies. So it's like spend a lot of time debunking this, but at the end of the like sometimes the myth is harmless. So, like, okay, eat some dates. Like, what's the worst that could happen is you don't like dates and it's uncomfortable, or like you eat too much and you get constipated. Like, that's like really all that's gonna happen for the most part. Um, so yeah, like eat some dates. Um, that's a pretty, a pretty harmless one, and it might it might help move things along.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

I was always just curious about that. Because, you know, the wives' tales that you hear.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, there's there's a grain of truth in all of in all of them, like and like anecdotes aren't evidence, you know, like just because it worked for someone or handful of someone's doesn't mean it's actually doing anything.

SPEAKER_05:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Um but something like this, like harmless. Something like, oh, you should take an iron supplement as soon as you get pregnant, not harmless. Like, let's let's make sure we actually need that first. Um, so there's you know, there's variables, but if it's like okay, I'm eating some extra dates, like not an issue.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. And then I have one more question. Have you done a have you done research on McDonald's fries after transfer?

SPEAKER_00:

I have not, but funnily enough, I don't think I did it with this pregnancy because I like I knew, I guess. But so all of my children were well, not my fourth. So my first three kids were surprises. Um and like to the point, like my first one, I was on birth control. Like I got pregnant on birth control. Wow. Um so truly a surprise. And I, with each of those pregnancies, I would have a craving for McDonald's French fries. Like before I knew I was pregnant, I was like, I don't eat fast food. Why am I at McDonald's right now? What is happening? And by the third one, I was like, oh my god, I'm pregnant. How funny. So I haven't done research outside of my own consumption, but I did eat a lot of them, and my babies are all healthy and great.

SPEAKER_01:

So I know that's a funny one. I'd be interested to ever read that if you do research on that. Um, Ray, you are so amazing if people want to. Work with you, like where can they get in touch with you?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so um my website is called Burdear House, means green in French, lush, um, V-E-R-D-U-R-E-house.com. Um, and then you can find me on Instagram at Brianna Town. Um, currently private while I'm pregnant. My Instagram. Um, but I'll like approve most requests if you look like a real person.

SPEAKER_01:

That's fair.

SPEAKER_00:

But yeah, having some just just wanting a little more privacy while I'm while I'm doing this, yeah, this journey. But uh yeah, yeah. Still still taking clients, still educating on the internet.

SPEAKER_01:

So my gosh. Well, you educated the leaks out of us. Geez. Yeah, that was my gosh. Do you have any parting wisdom for anyone out there that's pregnant or going to be pregnant soon?

SPEAKER_00:

I guess like nutrition and your diet is really important. And also it can be really stressful to try to be perfect. And that's not helpful either, and that's not healthy either. So finding a good balance of okay, I'm doing the best I can, and that's that's the best I can do, and I'm okay with that is gonna be like the best place to land. If it's perfect, great. If the only thing that you can keep down is cheeseburgers, like great. Put some extra lettuce on it if you can. Like, just do the best you can um because this is already a really stressful and like heavy and life-changing experience. So, like, yes, nutrition is important and don't stress out about it too much.

SPEAKER_05:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

That's perfect advice because you could easily stress out, especially when you're carrying a baby for somebody else. It's like, uh right. Sorry, I ate the cheeseburger.

SPEAKER_03:

And when those IPs sometimes want you to show them all the food you're eating or want to go to the grocery store with you and buy all of the food, like that's a lot of pressure too. You have kids who want the chocolate chip cookie for, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but who's going to the store? Have you heard of stories?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, how sad.

SPEAKER_03:

I had it. I had it.

SPEAKER_01:

I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. And maybe it's a different time too. I I get that too. Things have changed wildly. They've changed wildly, but you will have those that this is their baby.

SPEAKER_00:

At the end of the day, it's their baby, right? So I think it's a lot easier for maybe for the IPs to say, like, oh, you have to eat this certain way, and this, this, and this, and expect you to do it perfectly. Because it's like, it's removed, right? Like, it's like you do this, but then you know, reality sets in and you're nauseous and you're sick, and your kids need to get to soccer practice, and you have five minutes, and like the reality is that you can't be perfect every time, and like they have to trust, yeah. They have to they have to have some have some trust there that you're you're doing your best.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

And just the best for this baby too, right? Like, exactly. Is that yes, a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01:

And side note, I had a couple like that, and my agency just told me, just tell them you did it. And I was like, I don't, I don't want to lie. And they're like, it'll just ease their mind. And I'm like, that's great advice, but okay, sure. That wasn't a great journey. So, but but still, it was just I mean, we've all had to go through all of these screenings in order to get to where we are to be able to match, to be like, oh yeah, like I'm a healthy person and I know what I'm doing. And you know, it's I'm I'm not gonna go eat raw fish. Like it's I'm not gonna have alcohol. Like it's gonna be fine. Like, I and but I do understand the the worry that sits behind some of them. Cause again, that is that is something that you have to give up control. Like, I I the longer I'm in this community, the longer my brain thinks in different ways. And I'm like, could could I could I be so calm and giving up control? Sure, if my girlfriends were did it for me that are in the community, I'd be like, Yeah, girl, do do whatever. But yeah, it's kind of like a stranger, but at the same time, you gotta have trust. So it's and you you're a very trustworthy person. Like you're yeah, you told us about organic food, which Dr. Google's been lying about for forever. Like, it's a lot. So, but yeah. This was awesome, Brie. Thank you so much. This was so fun. I I hope you have a I hope you have a beautiful journey and a healthy pregnancy. So far, so good. Yeah, good. Well, good, awesome. Well, thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Thanks for coming on. Yeah, have uh um have a great evening. Bye bye.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow, enlightening, right? That was so cool. Yeah. We really I can't I when you said it, this is the first nutritionist, like, really, four years, we've never that's crazy. I know. Yeah and look at all that information. Like, where we needed to grab her four years ago, but organics are a lie. One more time.

SPEAKER_01:

Organics are a lot, like that's um, that's like the most mind-blowing information I got from this.

SPEAKER_03:

That's insane.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm like, no, I'm no longer gonna kick myself for not buying organic food. Like, no, you don't need to, yeah, like the organic chicken or whatever it is. And I'm like, why are you organic? Like, I don't understand any of it.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

But this is this was very cool. This was very informative.

SPEAKER_03:

So informative, so informative. Thank you so much for your time, Brie. Really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01:

Are you gonna go out and buy all the healthy food now?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, no, I try to eat that way anyway. I mean, it's it's but but there's but there's that whole thing of likes and dislikes and and or intolerances, yeah. They for going to I'm not gonna sit down and eat a bowl of broccoli when I absolutely disdain it cooked, I'll eat it raw with some dressing, and I'm still getting the broccoli. Right, who cares? Right, and cauliflower, same way, despise it cooked, but I'll eat it raw. So like any of this about you, so and my apples have to be incredibly crisp, or I will not eat them. So I know that's like, oh gosh, so picky, but I'll eat it if it's that way, right? Yeah, so it makes sense, but the and I was gonna talk to her about and ask her the question, but I it might be a whole nother podcast. Like kids and their food aversions, like how do you get past that? And how do you and I'm sure she's always been into nutrition, probably, so she probably have that with her.

SPEAKER_01:

I would love to know that answer.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. That's that's a tough one, but it's not pregnancy, it's not pregnancy related. So it's like I can ask.

SPEAKER_01:

It's not, yeah, darn.

SPEAKER_03:

But that's a huge one.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, yeah, because I mean, with that, with that, right? Because I mean, I used to do bloom or whatever, because I'm like, oh, I I know I'm clearly not getting all the vegetables that I need in a day, but then I come come to find out bloom's not bloom's not it. That's not the way you should be going. So it's just and it's it's just interesting. Right.

SPEAKER_03:

And we all don't have access to a nutritionist all the time who's going to be able to in the right direction. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01:

I would love a nutritionist.

SPEAKER_03:

And I know somebody's gonna say for kids that they're gonna say, you know, set by example. They're gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna you lead by example.

SPEAKER_01:

I set the most amazing example. That's so false.

SPEAKER_03:

Right, agreed, agreed. It's so false, agreed, because they are gonna have their aversions, whether it's texture, color, smell, they're not gonna touch it.

SPEAKER_01:

Kids are gonna be kids. And when they grow up, they have caught me eating a salad when I was younger. Now I eat a salad four times a week. Love salads.

SPEAKER_03:

There you go.

SPEAKER_01:

Couldn't do it when I was younger.

SPEAKER_03:

And your taste buds change. Yes, they do.

SPEAKER_01:

And they probably change in pregnancy. Now we're just getting off on like the topics here. But it's but um, yeah, that was amazing. Thanks, Brie.

SPEAKER_03:

It was, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, if anybody has any questions or stories they would like to share, please feel free to reach out to us on Instagram at StopPeriod SitPiriod Surrogate or at our email at stop periodsitperiod surrogate at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_03:

Thanks, everyone. Bye.

SPEAKER_01:

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SPEAKER_02:

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