From Transfer To Postpartum: A Dietitian’s Guide For Surrogates

 #surrogacy #ivf #surrogate 

Ginger’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gestational.diabetes.diet?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== 

What if one small change could tilt a surrogacy journey toward better energy, steadier blood sugar, and a smoother delivery? We sit down with Ginger Cochran—registered dietitian, board‑certified diabetes care and education specialist, and exercise physiologist—to unpack a realistic blueprint from pre‑transfer to postpartum. Ginger shares how targeted nutrition can reduce inflammation, support implantation, and shape fetal taste exposure after 14 weeks, while also boosting a surrogate’s confidence through evidence‑based, budget‑friendly choices.

We get candid about gestational diabetes. Ginger explains why GD can affect anyone, how risk changes with age and prior pregnancies, and which strategies—like Mediterranean‑style eating, pairing carbs with protein, and short walks after meals—make the biggest difference. She tackles myths head‑on, including the belief that GD becomes lifelong diabetes, and breaks down newborn hypoglycemia risk without fear or jargon. Her approach is hands‑on: fast scheduling, weekly follow‑ups until numbers are controlled, and steady education that calms intended parents as much as it equips surrogates.

Sleep and stress take center stage too. Less than seven hours of sleep can spike cravings and nudge blood sugar up, so Ginger offers simple sleep hygiene tactics that actually stick—dimming lights, keeping phones out of the bedroom, and using consistent routines to encourage melatonin. We round out the plan with sustainable movement, from prenatal‑aware yoga to ten‑minute post‑meal walks that open muscle cells to glucose and ease daily stress.

You’ll walk away with practical swaps—frozen veggies that rival fresh, BPA‑free canned options, choline‑rich eggs for brain development, and high‑fiber grains that steady energy—plus a grounded mindset: start with one change, build to two, and lean on an 80–20 approach for real life. Ready to design a safer, saner surrogacy journey with tools that last well past delivery? Follow, share with a friend who needs this, and leave a review to help more families find evidence‑based support.

https://stopsitsurrogate.com

Transcript

Meet Ginger: Credentials And Focus

SPEAKER_01 0:00

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 Stop Sit Surrogate.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Hey everybody, welcome back to StopSit Surrogate with Kennedy and Ellen. We have very unique and wonderful guests joining us today, and we're going to let her introduce herself. So go ahead and take it away.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Hi. Hi, I'm Ginger Cochran. I'm a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and also board-certified diabetes education specialist and also certified exercise physiologist. So I focus mostly on women's health and nutrition. And I've worked in a variety of different settings, including focusing on surrogate nutrition support. Oh my gosh. Wow. You've got a lot of schooling behind you. My heavens. I do. My goodness. I should have just when people call me doctor, I don't correct them because I was in school just as long. I bet you were.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

Yeah. And I'm probably going to diverse really fast here. What came first? Like when you went to school, you're like, I want to be a dietitian or I want to be a physical therapist. What came first?

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Um, you know, it went back and forth between physical therapy, nutrition, and being a nurse. Um my hands shake just naturally. Like I have my own blood sugar thing. And so because my hands shake frequently, I was like, maybe I shouldn't be a nurse because I wanted to be a surgical nurse. I'm like, oh maybe not okay. Not it's not gonna work out very well. Um and then um I, you know, I graduated undergrad in um 2008 when even the most qualified people had no work.

SPEAKER_03 1:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

So I kind of just stayed in school, um did got the exercise physiology master's degree, and then decided that I really liked the nutrition, what I got my undergrad on. Like I like both, they complement both of each other. Um, but I liked working with you know food and educating, and that was the most rewarding and pretty much the easiest for me. I mean, I still teach exercise classes and I teach yoga and uh, you know, and I help guide people, but yeah. Do you sleep? I I oh my heavens. That's that's a good question. I do sleep outside of that.

unknown 2:38

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Wow. Okay, um I know the first two that you stated really well, and maybe okay, so the exercise one. So is that just that's just like fitness, like health, health fitness?

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Yeah. So after I got my master's degree basically in exercise science and physiology, I was like, well, I need to do something. So I got the the certification through American College of Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology. Um, that's not like the main area that I focus on. It's like my fun part and like guiding people. Um, but it is, yeah, it goes hand in hand. They they do, they all intertwine. Yeah. What the condition is, like we need movement. Correct. Yes.

Path Into Perinatal And Surrogacy Care

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Yes. Yes we do. Okay, so what how did you I promise we're gonna dive more into all of them, but how did you get into the surrogacy field? Right.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

So it was kind of random, I guess, just like how life works. Like even me starting into working in pregnancy, um, I had and you know, I had been in charge of a whole nutrition department that had got shut, like shut down basically. And so then I had this period of time where I was like also helping um Joy Bauer on the Today Show, doing some media work. Um, did some stuff with Women's Day magazine, and then this position opened up in a perinatal center. I was like, I I need more like you know, stability. I don't live in New York City, I live on the central coast of California. So um, yeah, so I went towards my like working full-time in a perinatal center, and I found that I really loved working in pregnancy. And then I was hopeful for my own pregnancy at that time. Um and then as time went on, I got like taken to different OBGYN clinics, people like wanting me to go over to their practices, and then it was really just a couple years ago that someone, uh another Serious C agency, approached me, asked apparently they had followed me on Instagram for over a year and I had no idea. And they had approached me about working with their surrogates, and so it had been like a world I really didn't know much about at that time. Um, but it has become one of the most rewarding chapters um of my career, like, because not only do I look at it through um helping the gestational, you know, the surrogate like have feel their best, have the best pregnancy outcomes, um recover as you know, meeting their own health goals, postpartum, and so many different parts to this whole journey, but also as someone that had like more of a difficult time um like towards creating a family, um, having that rewarding part of being able to support the independent parent and knowing kind of like the struggles that they might be going through, the anxiety of not being there, you know, like there's so many different layers to both parties, and so really helping to have that compassion for both and like and safely guide um the surrogate to the obsession.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

You were sought after, you didn't see it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Yeah, and I've really loved like the agencies that I've worked with so far have been just incredible, gratible people. Yeah. Um, and so as someone that has come from many different areas, whether it's media or it's um, you know, working in traditional, you know, healthcare setting, it's such a different, unique spot to be in. Um that I've really, yeah, I've really enjoyed the work.

How Agencies Provide Nutrition Support

SPEAKER_02 6:49

Um so does I'm just jumping again. Does so your work look hypothetically, and it's see if I got it right, you're working with like an agency or agencies, they have surrogates. Is is it something that they provide to the surrogate, or is it something that intended parents have to kind of get on board with and then you provide resources for both?

SPEAKER_00 7:11

So far, I have one agency that they have for a long time um included nutrition as part of their package, and every surrogate is required to meet with the dietitian pre-transfer in each trimester and post-partment for pumping, which I think is very unique and very special about this agency.

SPEAKER_03 7:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:38

As I've been like talking to other agencies, it's kind of been slow, but more interest in providing that service to having them maybe choose as part of their package in the beginning. So maybe not require it, but if they can choose in the beginning when they're making their, you know, their package and going through legal and all the different things. Right. Um so that's been fun to see. Yeah. Um, and hopefully that that continues because I think, you know, maybe I'm biased, but it's such like a valuable thing to support the surrogate. I have had yeah, I have had intended parents or um surrogates reach out to me. Um, and that's not as, you know, that has been happening more and more. Uh, and then it's you know, then it's a special discussion between the intended parent and them to see like what they're willing to, you know, fund or what's right, you know, expectations on each piece. So, but yeah, ideally it's included in the package in the beginning, and just it, yeah. Yeah, no, I hope that becomes the norm for all age.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

I really do. I it needs to.

Why Prenatal Nutrition Matters For Baby

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Yeah, because I noticed when I went to like what is it, like the seeds conference, there's a lot on mental health, but I didn't hear, which is so important. So important. Everyone needs it, whether you're pregnant, not pregnant, right? Right, right. Right. I like doing that preventative and service when it comes to like nutrition exercise is just as important because they're all all feeding each other. I mean, they make 95% of our serotonin in the gut that makes us feel good, you know. Like, so there's there's a lot, you know, on top of everything that can really and then good nutrition leads to a healthy baby or part of it. Exactly. That's the most important thing. Yeah. So yeah, I mean, it decreases like having proper nutrition can improve like their IQ, baby's IQ, um, their lifelong like expression of certain genes, you know, whether they're overweight in their lifetime, whether there's an increased risk of diabetes. Really? They're more likely to have like a vaginal delivery. And baby actually tastes um what they're eating after like in the amniotic fluid after 14 weeks.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Really? So I'm gonna ask I'm gonna ask a weirdish kind of question, but going off of what you just said, because if baby can taste, that's the first time I've ever heard that. That is fascinating. So when you're craving, right? Like, especially when you're pregnant, you're you cr you crave all these sometimes weird things. Yeah, but is it the nutrients from that that you're craving? Is it baby likes the taste because you had it before? Now that you said that, I'm like, wait, so can this baby taste like waffles or something?

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Like I mean, it can be so many different things, yeah. Um, it's more likely you're depleted in something, but yeah, you could not might be able to tell baby's personality after having something, you know.

SPEAKER_03 10:53

Right.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Um, but yeah, lots of times cravings have to do with like, yeah, some kind of nutrient you might be craving, or you just have food aversions and like nothing sounds good, and that's kind of more hormone related.

Cravings, Taste Development, And Myths

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Okay, that's very interesting. And also, I mean, this is the big topic in in pregnancy is gestational diabetes. So you had said that, you know, if you if you're eating right, you know, and things like that, you depending on how you eat, it can determine like diabetes in the genetics, kind of, right? Like maybe outside outside of pregnancy. But is there is there something that is helpful in possibly preventing gestational diabetes?

Gestational Diabetes Risks And Reality

SPEAKER_00 11:39

I mean gestational diabetes is can happen to anyone. I can still remember, at least in the current one of the clinics I'm in now, like the person that has been on the most insulin I've ever had to put someone on was like a marathon runner that like had very little body fat and ate pretty well, you know, like so like it doesn't discriminate, but there are certain things, yeah. I mean, there's some research that show like a Mediterranean diet can reduce someone's risk up to like 25%. Um but a lot of it can be just like, you know, if someone has already been pregnant three times and they've been gaining, not losing all the pregnancy weight in between. Um, it can be, you know, like so there's things that can increase your risk a little bit more, but also it could just be like, you know, that's what just happened, and it's nothing they did.

SPEAKER_03 12:39

Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:39

Um, some people like, you know, there is some thought, but you know, if you've had multiple pregnancies, what's many times surrogates have already had their own pregnancies and now they're being getting pregnant, you know, again, that that might increase their risk a little bit, um, depending on how other, you know, how healthy they are going into it. And also your age, every year over the age of 25, your risk goes up. Over the age of 25? Yeah, didn't know that. Yeah. So it's like just that alone like knocks a lot about when you were like 27 and now you want to be a surrogate and you're 32. Well, you might not have had it in the past, but maybe you're at increased risk.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Oh my gosh. Very awesome.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Does gestational diabetes, because I've heard that sometimes when if you have gestational diabetes, you then have diabetes for life. Is that an accurate or is that a myth?

SPEAKER_00 13:43

That's a myth. Okay. Most of the time, if I have someone that had diabetes afterwards, it's because they didn't realize they had diabetes. Okay. And then they just got all these blood tests because they were pregnant, but it was actually already going on before they were even pregnant. I rarely have people still um have just diabetes afterwards, um unless that was the situation. Like I can probably count them on one hand, and I've been doing gestational diabetes almost at least like almost full time, but gosh, since 2017. Oh wow, almost low. Then that's yeah, that myth can be more than possible, but no. And then there's also that like I hear a lot about the myth of like if you were on insulin, then you'll still have to take insulin and you have diabetes, and that's not the case at all.

SPEAKER_03 14:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

They just weren't making enough insulin, so they had to use insulin, but it doesn't keep them from making their own insulin. Got it. And because pregnancy is a lot to change in your body, so there's a lot going on. I like to say if there's any like weakness anywhere, it's just gonna get amplified. Amplified back pain, whether it's like whatever it was. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:11

So how does it work? Uh surrogate and a nintend parent they match with the agency technically that you're with right now, because it sounds like you're with one that gives it to everybody. Um how does it work? For do you do you support the intended parents and the surrogate? And do they both meet like in separate times?

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Well, in that particular um agency, I just meet with the surrogate. I never interact with the intended parent. Okay. Um, I recently with a different agency did have a situation where I was interacting with a parent, which was totally fine.

SPEAKER_03 15:44

Okay.

Working With Surrogates And Parents

SPEAKER_00 15:44

Um, I was more calming their nerves and educating them about gestational diabetes. Okay, okay. Because it was something that was very new and I could understand how that's very scary. Yeah. So that was just like some time I spent on the phone with them just to explain like yeah. Um, I am open to seeing intended parents. I've like told people that, but no one has taken me on yet. I mean, I see people outside of pregnancy all the time. So like I only see people who are pregnant. Um, but yeah, I have openly shared, like, if someone like, you know, you're bringing this new baby into, you know, into your life, if you too have whole health goals and want to work on yourself because they're going it through a lot, yeah, you know, um, I'm happy to meet with them too. But it wouldn't be through the agency. Okay. It would always be like the intended parent reaches out to me, they want to schedule something. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:43

So how does it work then for a surrogate through the agency? Do they meet with you before transfer when they're matched, and then how many times they're after?

Structuring Care: Pre‑Transfer To Postpartum

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Yeah. So it kind of depends um by what the agency wants. Um usually what my preference is is that they I see them pre-transfer for about an hour. We work on like diet that like what they eat like they are pregnant, but also foods to help reduce inflammation and help with transfer because there are certain things that you can do just diet-wise. You know, up the likelihood of a successful transfer. And then we do each trimester, um, focusing on nutrition just for that trimester. And that appointment's about 30 minutes. Well, the first one we're doing all the a big bulk of stuff is about 60 minutes. So that um, and then, you know, each trimester like that, and then postpartum, um, focusing on breast milk quality and you know, them healing and stuff. But I go over a lot of stuff in that third trimester appointment on um healing and what foods help with hormone rebalance and you know, a lot of stuff focusing on the their self-care as well. Yeah. Um, but yeah, and then if someone reaches out to me because their surrogate got gestational diabetes, well, then I would meet with them, do the initial like whole big gestational diabetes education for an hour, and then I usually meet with them weekly until I know that their blood sugar is 100% controlled, and then I might go to bi-weekly.

SPEAKER_02 18:23

Okay. Wow. Yeah, that's very hands-on. Yeah, very hands-on, but it came comforting. Yeah, like especially in the intended parents, if there's surrogates of gestational diabetes, you're not going to the doctor every week to make sure your blood sugars are under control. You're doing it at home and hoping you're doing it correctly. This may be very, very new to that individual. So that's a huge help.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Yeah. And so some of the feedback I've been getting from some of the clinics is that like I really try to make myself as available as I can. And so, like other clinics, you know, in standard healthcare, which I come from too, there can be long waits to be the dietitian. So then they're like waiting, you know, two weeks, four weeks to get in while I could I try to get them in within the week, unless I am on vacation, which is would be lovely, but not on vacation as much as I don't like.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

That's very nice of you because that is scary to have to get the news and then have to wait like possibly like a month to get help with it in you know, in a comfortable way.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

Yeah. And so because I do also work in a clinic, I offer evening um daytime appointments on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. So like the hope is like even if they're working and juggling things that they can still find a time that like works with them because they're juggling a lot.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Right.

Access, Availability, And Support Between Visits

SPEAKER_00 19:51

You know, and I imagine many times if they're working a standard like nine to five, eight to five job, they're taking time off from work. And I'm my hope is that I don't make them take take time off for work to that's very very understanding lady. That's just someone who works and has to take time off from work, right?

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Right, right. Right. No, you you get it. Um because you had mentioned something. So I I also wanted to ask, I don't know if this is considered a myth, but I do hear this, right? Because this is why alarm bells go off when people get gestational diabetes, that they're afraid the baby's gonna be born with diabetes. Is this if you get it under control, right? I know that it's not gonna possibly be a hundred percent guarantee that baby might be born without diabetes, but if is the likelihood that if you do get it under control and you and you do eat right and you do it, you know, you catch it early or whatever it is, like that, is does it bring down the percentage rate of baby being born?

SPEAKER_00 20:56

So babies and like typically unless they had like type one diabetes or something, they're not born with diabetes. Okay, they might have an increased list like sometime in their lifetime. Um they're not gonna be born unless like there's something else that's going on that's unrelated to the gestational diabetes um with diabetes. But what the risk is if baby was um exposed to a lot of extra sugar, and then they were making their little like using their tiny little pancreas to release insulin to bring their blood sugar down because they were getting too much, then you deliver that baby, and then baby's blood sugar gets too low because they're making that insulin. So um there is that increased risk of maybe having hypoglycemia and low blood sugar delivery. And it, you know, it's not a if your someone's blood sugars are controlled, it's less likely.

SPEAKER_03 21:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

But it does happen occasionally. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 22:01

And typically Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

So typically what happens is like it depends on the standard of the the hospital, but they usually check baby's blood sugar like three or four times. And if it's low, they might give them like either breast milk or donor milk or sugar water, depending on what's going on.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:21

And then a lot of times with a gestational diabetic, um baby a risk is baby b uh birth weight for babies is higher.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:32

So they get extra ultrasounds, um measuring the baby's like belly and um their fluid too. So if they're getting too much sugar, then their fluid will will go up too. Okay. Yeah. And sometimes our numbers can be perfect and babies. Yeah. Um that could be genetic, it could be babies, there could be so many other reasons, but anyway.

Exercise, Yoga, And Blood Sugar Control

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Okay. Well, thank you for clearing that up.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:07

Um, okay, so you you also work with exercise and and physical wellness. So obviously the importance of that is because we need to get our bodies moving, we need the blood pumping, we we need to stay somewhat fit. I mean, we don't have to be like marathon runners fit, but like, you know, good good heart rate, good all the things. But um, I know that like an this seems to be a new hot topic is pelvic health care.

SPEAKER_00 23:38

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Right?

unknown 23:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

Well, I don't specialize in pelvic health care. So I would like if someone's looking for their pelvic like floor health, I would send them to like therapist.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

So you are just like body, just like body health.

SPEAKER_00 23:58

Yeah, yeah. So um, you know, in the clinic on our one-on-ones, I don't go through like a workout or anything, but I can make general recommendations. And it is important, like, you know, like if someone has just stational diabetes, you know, walking after each meal or making sure they're including physical activity is gonna lower their blood sugar because if our blood sugar is high, those when we're exercising, those cells open up and let sugar in. So it's gonna lower their blood sugar. Also, I remind you know them like deliveries like a marathon. You wouldn't just go do a marathon. Right. Walking or, you know, doing kind of training. And so, you know, to keep that physical strength, strength up is very, very important. Um, and also like when I, you know, I I study yoga, I teach yoga as much as I can with my schedule, and then um I practice yoga um a lot. And so I like to really encourage that too, as part of the, you know, the journey if they have access to prenatal um yoga, but also if you just go to a trained yoga teacher, like we're all taught adjustments for someone that's pregnant, so it's like they don't, you know, have to necessarily go to be in a prenatal yoga program if they're going to a class that they are very highly qualified, you know, and there's a difference between, you know, you would just have to talk with the instruction, instructors and the owners and things like that before going in.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

Right.

SPEAKER_00 25:38

But you know, physical activity, like it's gonna help your pelvic floor, it's gonna help reduce the stress that it can come with any kind of journey in any in any chapter of life. Um, and um, but it's it's yeah, it's gonna be good for physical and mental health as well.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 26:00

And then it can help with recovery, I would think too, because you're already used to you're you're more in tone or more in shape, and your bodies might not bounce back easier, but it might be easier for you to get back into it to help your body get bounce back, right? It's not something, oh now I'm gonna train for the marathon after I've gone through nine months of the yeah, no.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

Maybe not, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

Right.

SPEAKER_00 26:22

Not sure people have done that, but yeah, just sleep giving your your you know, your body time and yeah, whatever.

Sleep, Stress, And Carb Cravings

SPEAKER_01 26:31

But yeah, you're just saying so and I guess tacking on to that, um, because you know, you need you need sleep, you need right, you need your blood pressure at like a certain thing. So, how does stress, sleep, and emotional wellness intersect with nutrition and blood sugar control during pregnancy?

SPEAKER_00 26:51

So anything less than seven hours of sleep can make blood sugars high. It can also make us crave carbohydrates, so it's harder to like won't say no to pretzels or chips or whatever it might be. Really? Less than seven. Okay. Seven hours is oh, shame on me. I'm never getting seven.

SPEAKER_02 27:13

I never get seven.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

Yeah. So I really try to educate people because people beat themselves up. Um, and just letting them know it's like our innate survival is like we want energy, and energy comes from carbs, like carbs turn into sugar, and we use that as energy to move around. So your body's gonna crave it more because it's tired. Yeah. Um, so sleep and sleep hygiene is really important. Um, whether we talk about taking like magnesium, glycine before bed, or watching their sleep routine, not scrolling in bed, like just being, you know, the bed for sleeping, you know, not watching TV at night. So like really focusing on the that sleep hygiene. Like, I don't even keep my phone in the bedroom anymore. Um, to keep myself from temptate to looking at it, the noises, the yeah, I mean, I could still hear it if it went off and someone hated me. Um because it's like right outside the door. But um, but yeah, so there's certain things that yeah, you could do to help your sleep hygiene.

SPEAKER_01 28:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:28

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

That's incredibly enlightening.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

Yeah. Very important. Because yeah, if you're not getting a lot of sleep, they might someone might gain more weight in pregnancy because they're eating more carbs, so it can affect their mood. It can, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:42

And then you want to sleep in the middle of the day. You're just like not even if you're pregnant. I want to sleep in the middle of the day all the time. All the time. Give me an app. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

Uh-huh. Yeah. So yeah. So then it can interrupt whatever you're trying to do, you know. Yeah. Right. And there's only, you know, if you have, you know, you know, little ones at home that are waking you up or an elderly dog, or you know, like there's other reasons that we might not be sleeping, but just doing the best that we can. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

But like setting a if you know you have to wake up at a certain time, like, you know, I wake up early for work. So it's like you, yeah, like a routine. Like, you need to go bedtime. This is your bedtime. You gotta go. You can't push it. Like it's like going back to like a kid era where it's like, no, you don't have bedtime, you gotta go.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

Yeah, yeah. And you'll notice, like, you know, once people have a schedule, like your body's very good at like starting to release melatonin. But if someone's keeping their like lots of lights on in their room, or you know, like it's like daytime, right? You're you won't start releasing as much melatonin. So you really start it need to start dipping the lights down, how much like screen time you're having. That is trying to approach that time that's I should know that that's been formative. Yeah, help your body release the melatonin. Right, yeah. Um yeah, that's fine. Like what like Las Vegas, like it's been a long time since I've been to Las Vegas. I they bring it very bright in there, like you wouldn't even know what time it is. No, they do.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

They do, they do. Oh, how funny. You're no clocks in there either, so you don't even you don't even know. You don't know funny.

SPEAKER_01 30:22

I didn't realize that. Um so also with that, the what mind stuff mind stuff, what mindset shifts do you encourage in surrogates who may feel overwhelmed by dietary changes or health tracking?

Mindset, Tracking, And Realistic Changes

SPEAKER_00 30:39

Do you have them track? Like, do you have them track in a book? I mean, it depends. If they have gestational diabetes, yes. Okay, track what they're eating and their blood sugars. Um, if it's like the majority of my my surrogates that um were just not really, I don't add that stress to them. Okay. Um, but yeah, I mean, I like to focus on when I do an intake with someone, I try to make it a lot more realistic than just like handing a meal plan. Um I think that's the difference of like, you know, the nutrition you get at the OB office. They like, here's your handout, right? You know, versus making with a dietitian like myself, where we like sit down with someone when we talk about like, okay, well, you're eating pasta, let's switch to like the anomame pasta, you know, like these little like things that can boost your their fiber, boost their protein without making a huge like inconvenient that might work with their lifestyle and their budget or whatever you know their contract is, or you know, if they're kind of you know groceries or whatever it might be. So um, but yeah, I might I try to shift it so it's realistic changes. Like we do the education, but then I get to know them their lifestyle so that we can see like where can we, you know, make an adjustment. Like I met with someone earlier today that was like um had was doing great. Um, but there was like it was her first trimester follow-up, and like she probably wasn't getting enough choline, which is really important for baby brain development. But she was so we just like added on an extra like protein snack at night of like a hard-boiled egg to help her meet her goal. Oh she was already eating eggs in the morning, but just that she wasn't eating enough to meet her choline goal. So, like just like little things that aren't like that fit in their lifestyle, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:42

Very nice, because like you said, you have way too much on your plate when you're trying to work or be a mom and and work and be a surrogate and be everything to everybody all the time. It's it's tough.

SPEAKER_03 32:55

It's yeah, huge pressure, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:58

Carrying someone else's children. And you want to just go through the drive-thru and get the quick food just to fin it just because you're hungry and you're starving, and that in the long run is not the best plan.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And also when you think of eating healthy, you think of like, okay, I have to buy the organics, I have to buy the fish, I have to buy, you know, I have to buy all these high-end expensive things. I mean, that's when people put it out there, like, oh, like the when you like see them on like Instagram and stuff, a lot of people are like, I got this and I got that. And it's like, that all looks expensive. Like, so it's nice that you work with people's budgets to make it very realistic and also helpful at the same time.

unknown 33:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

Yeah. Because a lot of the most nutritious, like, like I call them pregnancy superfoods, aren't those packaged fancy items that you know you see people promoting. Like, I mean, I'm about to go to a conference and it's gonna be a full thing of all these like products, but um, but really like just going back to the basics can be just as nutritious and not as hard on the on the budget to do you recommend meal prepping for surrogates who are trying to make certain goals or just know what's in their wheelhouse that they have to eat to meet those goals, not necessarily putting it all in little boxes and then just, you know, grabbing it. It really depends on what works for them. Yeah, you know, there have been a handful of people that like they love their Sunday or Monday like meal prep, and this is what they're gonna do. Um and I have like one person right now that's like we're working on not even in surrogate, we're working on weight loss so they qualify to be a surrogate. Oh, great. Cool. Yeah, so I've been yeah, so in my other life before doing a lot of like I also do a lot of just weight management outside of pregnancy. And so um she has been, you know, working on like at least like breakfast and lunch has maybe been like planned out a little bit, but then dinners with the family, you know, kind of being a different. So like that's a case that like that's just works as what's working for her to stay on track, and that's perfectly fine. And then there's other people that you know that's not realistic, but they have their certain thing. Like, I'm gonna always have this like certain yogurt and this, you know, and this particular granola or fruit, you know, however, like easy package together. Okay, okay. That makes sense.

Budget Eating: Organic, Frozen, And Canned

SPEAKER_02 35:33

You know, that makes it because it doesn't have to be overwhelming and it doesn't have to be a ton of work, it you just have to have the tools and the knowledge. And I think a registered dietitian is gonna give you that. Yeah, because honestly, I never had that ever. Me either. It would have been like phenomenal to be able to get that, yeah, because you're gonna take that and it's gonna the rest of your life. Like if you're really watching, you that's a tool that is just I don't giving you health.

SPEAKER_00 36:05

I don't I yeah, I have quite a few like patients that I started working with them in pregnancy, and then we've continued after, and they're like, you know, at their best weight, they feel their best, you know, because they like learned how important it was because they were forced to. Most of these were because they got gestational diabetes, and they're like, wow, I felt better eating this way on top of like, you know, but they were kind of pushed into it all of a sudden, but then now they're like leading much healthier lives, like you know, deliver lighter than when they even were got pregnant, you know. So wow, yeah, there's a lot of things to like, yeah, if they're open to receiving and doing you know, doing the education throughout that they can really take on much beyond, and it helps their, you know, of course, I get the like the husbands are like, I'm down 20 pounds.

SPEAKER_01 37:00

Oh, cute because they do it together. That's cute.

SPEAKER_02 37:05

Do you do you get much pushback from surrogates when this is let's just say this is in the package that it at the agency you're working with and it's something they have to do? Do you get any pushback or do you get like, wow, this is phenomenal?

SPEAKER_00 37:17

Um, usually the people that seek me out, they're you know, they're excited and they they want to implement things. And even if like it, you know, it doesn't happen too often, um, but at least they're implementing some healthy behaviors and getting the message over and over again until they start implementing it. So I don't really get pushback. Okay. Um, but yeah, everyone's often something, whether they're jumping on all in and doing everything I told them to, or like at least doing like a couple of them, it's all gonna have a positive impact.

SPEAKER_02 37:55

Right. Okay, that's great. That is because it's only gonna be a win-win, like seriously.

SPEAKER_01 37:59

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 38:01

Yeah, and at least they'll have the materials if maybe they're ready like later.

SPEAKER_01 38:06

Right. Right. How funny. Um, I wanted to backtrack just a little bit because I brought up organic food. I'm curious, do you do you believe that organic food is like if I'm going to the store and I'm like, okay, I'm trying to eat better, like let me get the organic broccoli versus like the normal broccoli. Is that really gonna help me?

Meal Prep, Simplicity, And Family Life

SPEAKER_00 38:27

Um, it probably isn't gonna be the thing that makes or breaks breaks what's going on. Um, because in organic food, they're still using pesticides, they're just organic pesticides. You still need to really like wash them and be careful. It kind of depends on like where are you buying it? Like, is it organic from Trader Joe's? Is it organic from the farmer's market? Like those are gonna be really different. Um, the most important thing is like, yeah, they're eating vegetables and there's a variety of them. Yeah, and there's even a benefit of like, you know, like I have, for example, like I love this one, like farm stand, and I always go there, but I like going to other places too, because actually, like where we grow our plants, there's certain nutrients in those that soil. So we want diversity of eating plants in different areas too. So there's health benefits to that. So um we don't want to just be like, I can only buy, you know, this organic local, whatever it is, like it's still great, but we want to think of like the bigger picture and making sure that we're getting a variety of colors, a variety of vegetables, and a variety of different things. Like if yeah, if it's in your budget to do organic and organic that's local, then amazing. Like you might notice a difference, like just in the texture and the taste, but it's not gonna be the thing that like breaks it, totally like changes everything. Unless there's some other sensitivity someone who's going having going on. Um and the same thing goes with like there's a misconception with like frozen isn't good. Well, frozen sometimes is better, like especially like I mean, now we're approaching into spring and summer, but like winter months where like some stuff isn't as plentiful because like we they growers pick the vegetable and then they flash freeze it so it locks all the nutrients in. So it's just as nutritious as getting you know fresh vegetables.

SPEAKER_01 40:33

Huh. What about canned?

SPEAKER_00 40:36

Canned is good. I mean, it's kind of like a taste preference. Like you probably heard something in my voice just because I don't like yeah, I was like, I'm gonna go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:49

I like like canned, but yeah, I like canned corn.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

Um that's more like probably my own personal taste coming out. Okay. Yeah. I mean, and I like to make sure like the cans be PA free and all that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

But is there still neutr like there's still decent nutrients in cans? Yeah. Okay. I always wondered because there's it's packed with water or whatever it is. Like it's just like, you know, you gotta drain it and it does taste different, like canned peas versus like frozen peas or or I've never seen fresh peas, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

It's a lot of work to get fresh peas because you can take them a lot. Sure. But yeah, um, I mean you probably frozen and like as getting vegetables that have been picked close to that haven't haven't traveled very far is probably gonna be the best. But there's still lots of value in canned if that's what someone's like can afford, you know, like yeah, because canned is cheap. That's why I was yeah, and it has long shelf life. Like I I've used canned corn and a variety of different things. So it's just like what's available and what's easy, like different health benefits.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

I it makes it it makes it easy. I I do like it. Like you've repeated it several times, like whatever is whatever you can do, whatever's easiest for you, whatever, whatever works within your budget. And I think that that's like I think that takes like a lot of stress off of people when they're like, oh, I'm gonna, I'm nervous to go talk to a dietitian, or you know, I don't know what what they're gonna say when we meet. Like I think it takes a lot of stress away, like kind of knowing that like, no, no, no, I'm just here to like help you in your daily life, just to make a little bit of tweaks.

SPEAKER_00 42:47

Yeah, we want to just like help someone be like the best version of whatever their season is, like, you know, if it's in the surrogacy in their first trimester, if it's postpartum, if it's like outside, like we're just like helping support them. A lot of people beat themselves up, but it's not like what they see on Instagram or they see on TV, and it's you know, we want to kind of bring it back and just help them, help them grow.

SPEAKER_03 43:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:17

I love that. Um, I'm gonna transition it real quick to you have correct me if I'm wrong, but it is a business, correct? Surrogate wellness. Okay, so is so it does everything that we talked about that all falls under that?

SPEAKER_00 43:37

Um the surrogacy work does. Okay. Yeah. So it's kind of we call ourselves the collective. So myself and Dr. Chelsea, um, she's a physical therapist. We've kind of like teamed together to approach agencies to implement either exercise or nutrition or both.

SPEAKER_03 43:59

Um

Surrogate Wellness Collective And Services

SPEAKER_00 44:00

Um, so and sometimes an agency is just interested in her, so they want personal training for their surrogate, sometimes they're just interested in me, which is all fine. We're just kind of like working together to kind of spread this awareness of like, we help specialize, you know, working in this particular area. Um, we're very sensitive to the dynamic that's going on, and we're very both very well trained in our in our field and want to support your surrogates.

SPEAKER_01 44:28

Um yeah. So if I'm a surrogate not with an agency, can I reach out to you? You could. Because I know there's a lot of independent journeys, that's becoming like a very common thing these days.

SPEAKER_00 44:46

I didn't know that. But yeah, they could um they could reach out to me and then the intendant parent would just pay me directly. Yeah. Yeah. So everything I have, like I have an online portal, I can send invoices, I can do just like what we're doing, a video call, everything's like HIPAA compliant.

SPEAKER_02 45:06

Um I I just I I you said you don't vacation a lot, but I just I don't even know how you you know eat how you said you're going to a conference, and I'm like so many balls up in the air. I mean, they all sound like they're so incredibly wonderful balls, like that just yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:32

It's been um I'm in the process of learning how to to balance it all. Thankfully, I'm only in the clinic at um in my OBG that the OBGYN that I work four days a week. So then that gives me Friday um to see a lot of surrogates. But for some reason, no one wants to see me during the Friday during my Friday day. Everyone else wants to see me at night. Oh yeah. But it's okay. I'm just I'm just learning. But um wow. But yeah, so and um, so yeah, I'm I'm I'm learning to to juggle it, juggle it all. But thankfully I do take care of myself, so I have a lot of energy. Yeah, I do get sleep. That's great, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:16

Over seven hours, I think. Over seven hours.

SPEAKER_00 46:18

Yeah, um yeah, so I really try to practice what I preach when it comes to any kind of health, health, and wellness. Um, so yeah, I will be taking a vacation soon. I'll be taking a vacation on the 15th. So you deserve it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:36

Good for you. Relax.

SPEAKER_00 46:38

I will I will try to uh do my best um to unplug then. But um so but yeah, it's it's fun. I mean, and then thankfully I live in an area where it's very beautiful, and I could just walk out my door and and and go to the beach. So it's like I have a lot of access to stuff that's self-care right right out. So I'm gonna go.

Boundaries, Balance, And Self‑Care

SPEAKER_01 47:01

It is it is nice. The West Coast is very good for movement. Oh, you are okay. Where are you guys? Yeah, we're we're or like Orange County and okay and stuff. Yeah. So okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:14

I'm driving down Anaheim on the way, seven miles away.

SPEAKER_01 47:18

Yeah, right now. So funny. Yeah, but it's funny because a lot of people don't take advantage of the sunshine. Like I'm one of them. I definitely don't. I'm like, no, I'll I have a treadmill in my house and I think I go on it never. Yeah. But you know, I have nice weather outside, and it's like just go outside. I have a dog, take her on a walk. It's not gonna 10 10 minutes, 15 minutes. One little change turns into two, turns into three, turns into four.

SPEAKER_00 47:45

So it's just you just gotta start. Dogs are good accountability partners.

SPEAKER_01 47:50

They are because they bug you because they want things, and then you're like, all right, all right, all right, I'll make you stop, so I'll take you out. So they are great for that. They're very supportive.

SPEAKER_00 48:01

Yes, yeah, yes.

SPEAKER_01 48:02

Oh how funny, Ginger. Do you have any advice for anyone? Doesn't even have like anyone that's in the pregnancy world or not, and they just want to start living a healthier life.

SPEAKER_00 48:19

Like, where's your first like start?

SPEAKER_01 48:24

Yeah, like like just like any advice for them, yeah.

Starter Habits And 80–20 Thinking

SPEAKER_00 48:28

I mean, just I mean, start with one thing that you think is the most realistic, whether it's like how we've been talking about sleep, trying to get seven or more hours of sleep, and that's what you're you want to focus on. So we want to like, I really try to do this with all my clients, whether no wonder, you know, like I see people with PC bus, I see people with weight loss, like I see a variety of people irritable bowel syndrome. And so um, I like to start with like a couple realistic behavioral goals, and then we kind of add on to that. So once we get like, let's say the sleep hygiene, because sleep and stress are like the main thing, right? If we're not, you know, managing our environmental stress and we're not sleeping, then it's hard to make all these other changes. So we really want to focus on this so that we can like if we're getting enough sleep, then it's easier to eat more protein and vegetables because our cravings are a little bit more controlled, and you know, so whatever's going on, trying to at least start with like one or two things and then try adding on to that. Um, because a lot of the yo-yo dieting and stuff like that is because they probably didn't get the right kind of education, and then they try to do 50 things all at once, and it's just realistic. So we want to focus on building a lifestyle, not just another diet.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

Okay, that's incredibly helpful because I can definitely attest to the yo-yo dieting. I mean, like I did it for three months when I was diagnosed with colitis, and I was like, Mediterranean diet, here I go, walking, here I go, and then job picked up. I got pregnant, all these things. So I'm like, all right, so uh I'm good. Like, you know, it all just kind of depletes. So because you just you do you throw everything all in at once because you're like, I want to be healthy, let's do it all. But it becomes overwhelming and not realistic to keep like keep it up. So it's if you just build upon it, it just seems make a base and just go from there. That's like I'm gonna start tonight. I'm like, okay, set my bedtime seven hours, here I go.

SPEAKER_00 50:34

Like we're gonna work on that. And I like like the 80-20 rule or 90-10, like 80% of the time you did that sleep schedule, like or you know, you did whatever it was your goal was, and then 20% of the time maybe someone woke you up, maybe you know, like yeah, so being realistic that it's not all or nothing, like if you don't do it one night, then you still have the next night, yeah. Right. Still time's still gonna go on. Yeah, don't beat yourself up about being kind to yourself, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:07

Yeah, don't do a lot.

SPEAKER_03 51:08

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 51:10

How do we how do people get a hold of you? Like, how do they reach out? I mean, uh, they can email me, is probably the easiest thing. Or I mean they could follow me on my Instagram, um, gestational period diabetes, period diet. Okay. Um, ginger cochrane. Um that's probably the easiest, easiest way. They can go through our website, sarrogetwellness.com, and there's a little like info sheet to fill out. Um, so whatever they feel comfortable with, whether it's an email, finding me on my Instagram or even my LinkedIn and sending me a message um or going to saragatewellness.com.

unknown 51:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 51:52

Okay, great. And I will put all that in the show notes so people can just go right over, copy, paste, or click whatever whatever works for them. So wow, this was yeah, this is very easy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:04

Yeah. Thank you so much for taking the time to help you walk away with some maybe some tools.

unknown 52:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 52:13

So many tools. Start with one. Start with one. Yeah, start with one. Start with one. But yes. Thank you. Thank you so much. This was great. We're look we're looking forward to talking with Jessica. We're we're talking with her tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 52:27

Oh, yay, awesome.

SPEAKER_01 52:29

Also that'll be fun. Okay.

unknown 52:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:31

Awesome. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 52:32

Well, yeah, thanks for reaching out. And then, yeah, if you need anything else, just let me know. Okay, great. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 52:38

Have a great night. Thank you. Thank you.

unknown 52:42

Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_02 52:43

Hi. Very enlightening. That's super fun. I've been trying to get seven, but it just doesn't happen because it takes me like 40 minutes to get to sleep. But I think it takes me 40 minutes to get to sleep because the lights are on and I'm not releasing melatonin. Hello.

SPEAKER_01 52:58

Oh, but like the hall, the hall lights on.

SPEAKER_02 53:01

No, just like the lights in the house. Like I'm up watching TV and then I'm like, oh, it's bedtime, and I go. Like I don't have to.

SPEAKER_01 53:07

Oh, you're funny. Okay, see. And when I go to bed, I know it takes me a half hour. So I go, I lay down, you know, I pet cut, I do whatever. I am on my phone, but I dim the light and I just like I'm on there for maybe like 10 minutes, and then I'm like, okay, I'm tired now.

SPEAKER_03 53:22

And then I go to sleep.

SPEAKER_01 53:24

But it takes I know it takes me a half an hour, but I still don't get seven hours during the week. I get 10 hours on the weekend.

unknown 53:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:30

Well the idea is not to make up for it and go, oh, it counts for there. Yeah.

Hosts’ Takeaways And Closing CTA

SPEAKER_01 53:34

No, it's not. Right. No, that's not how it works. So that is that's a great little fact to know. Cause I I've definitely caught myself craving more carbs, not wanting, not getting the amount of sleep. And I was just like, oh, I'm pregnant. I'm craving, I'm craving things. No, like bread. Right. That's all I want. I'm like, oh, it's because I'm getting five hours of sleep a night. That would be that would be why. Wow. So that's just it. That's a that's the first time I ever heard that. So that's a very takeaway.

SPEAKER_02 54:05

Huge takeaway. I mean, they always say get sleep, get eight hours, get it, but no one's really ever told me why. Right. And what lacking that seven plus the the benefit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:17

Yeah. I mean, everything she said was great, but that's that's an easy one to start with. To try and start with, yes. Yeah, and then work off of it. Okay, cool, mom. I'm gonna we can hold each other to it. We'll try. We will try. We can we can hold each other to it. Okay, we wake up nearly the same time for work. I don't know. Do you think you wake up earlier? Yeah, I said nearly. Okay, all right. That's fair. Um no, thank you, Ginger. That was extremely informative and it's it it does, it does kind of like give you like a sigh of relief. Cause like I've like, I don't know, if you asked me like a year ago, I probably would have been really nervous to go speak to a dietitian. So I'm like, oh, they're gonna judge me. Right. They're gonna, you know, like they're gonna be like, okay, you have to spend like a thousand dollars a month on on groceries, and it's like what? Like I no, thank you. So it's great to know that like she'll work with you and she'll work around.

SPEAKER_02 55:10

And I hope all surrogate agencies or the majority of them start putting this in their packages, like it it just it's a win-win. Yeah, it really is. I can't, it's like the mental health benefit, like she was saying, that was never in, and now boom, look at it. It's a big deal to be in those packages. So hopefully this is coming. People are gonna see the benefits of it. Underlining in our heads, we all know the benefits of it, but when you really look at it on paper, you talk about it out loud, you really see the benefits. And then when you can maybe reduce the risks of gestational diabetes, you can have maybe a better pregnancy, a better delivery, a better recovery, yeah, healthier.

SPEAKER_01 55:51

Yeah, just like nothing. It's all it's all around wellness, yeah. I mean, it should be right, but it I mean it's it takes clearly, as we've seen with like you said, mental health and like it takes time to uh implement these.

SPEAKER_02 56:07

Uh-huh. Yeah, right, yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 56:09

But a heck, I didn't I I didn't have any nutrition people like around me when I was.

SPEAKER_02 56:15

Uh-uh. I know why I didn't because it was so long ago, but right, but mine was recent, basically, and like so that agency that's got her on board, lucky, lucky surrogates in that agency. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:28

Um, also, just last thing, I know we're kind of rambling, but like terrifying that she said after 25, like your chances go up. Don't like that. Right. So I thought it was 35.

SPEAKER_02 56:40

Well, because they always say your maternal age to have a baby and everything.

SPEAKER_01 56:45

So you kind of just think everything falls under that age. 25. Wow. I had all the babies before 25.

SPEAKER_02 56:55

You well, not this one.

SPEAKER_01 56:56

Okay, no. That's what I'm saying. Like all I had, you know, the majority of the babies I have had in my life will have been before 25. So but it's just that's another interesting fact.

SPEAKER_02 57:07

It's eye-opening stuff, eye-opening stuff, really. So I really appreciate her time. So thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 57:12

Thank you so much, Ginger. If anybody has any questions or stories they would like to share, please feel free to reach out to us on Instagram at StopPeriodsit Period Surrogate or at our email at StopPeriodsitPiriod Surrogate at gmail.com. And this has been another episode of Stop Sit Surrogate with Kennedy and Ellen. Hi, everyone.

SPEAKER_02 57:28

Hi, guys. If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to give us a like and subscribe. Also, check out the link to our YouTube channel in the description. And be sure to also check out our children's book, My Mom Has Superpowers, sold on Amazon and Etsy.