The Most Beautiful Gift One Woman Can Give

Some stories stay with you forever... and this is one of them.

Jessica and Amanda from Little Seed Match join us to share an incredible journey that began as strangers and became something much deeper. After years of infertility and heartbreaking pregnancy losses, Jessica met Amanda—who would eventually become her surrogate.

What followed wasn't just the birth of a baby. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship and a completely different way of looking at surrogacy.

In this heartfelt conversation, we discuss:
• Infertility and pregnancy loss
• The emotional side of surrogacy
• Common myths about becoming a surrogate
• Why human connection matters more than contracts
• How Little Seed Match is changing the surrogacy experience
• What intended parents and potential surrogates should know

Whether you've experienced infertility, know someone who has, or simply love stories about hope, family, and resilience, this episode is one you won't forget.

 If this conversation touched your heart, please Like, Comment, and Subscribe to Mama's Playground for more real conversations about motherhood, parenting, relationships, and life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to Mama's Playground. Welcome. We're so excited. We have a beautiful, two beautiful guests from Little Seed Match, Jessica and Amanda.

SPEAKER_04 0:19

So Little Seed Match is an independent surrogacy match program. For those of us that don't know what independence surrogacy is, can you help us with that?

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So independent matching is really where you take out the middleman. So the traditional model in surrogacy and what is kind of been out there for a while is where an agency would coordinate, would be in the middle, they would choose your match. Um, they would create, they would be the coordinator through it all. So they would be kind of semi-choosing for you. And what we have done is allowed the people who are walking the journey to be in charge of who they're choosing and to be able to connect directly and create that like human connection again when it's something so beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 1:05

Um, so you're the founders. What made you open Little Seed Match? I know you have a story.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

I just can't wait to Yeah, the the journey was long. Um, I was the intended parent and Amanda was my surrogate. So I had dealt with infertility for three and a half years, and I had three miscarriages and one misscarriage. Um, it truly rocked my world. I would say at that point, I realized I had become the statistic of one in six women deal with infertility after my fourth loss. And we had spent probably over 15,000 on test after test of figuring out like why, why wasn't I able to carry full term, what was going on? And we we never got answers.

SPEAKER_04 1:51

Oh, you never.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

No, never. And so at that point, the fertility clinic was like, if you would like a biological child, like Sarrogacy is the way to go. So at that point, I had interviewed over probably at least 10 agencies, and it felt like the care was constantly being dangled of like, how much are you willing to spend to get this child? What does this look like? It was so transactional. I remember being like, oh my gosh, 50, 70,000 just to join. This was not paying the surrogate. And for me, it just was like, is it is it possible? And I felt like I was buying something. It just felt so out of character for me and out of place, and especially when I was grieving. And so when I met Amanda the non-traditional way, um, and we connected, it was instant. It was so nice. And it felt like a weight had been lifted off of me. And so from that point, when we started our journey, we're like, we have to share what we had. Like there's it's it's beyond us. There's so many who are feeling the same. And how can we do that?

SPEAKER_00 2:59

How did you going into your story? How did you meet her? Like, how was the non-traditional way of meeting her?

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Well, for for me, for us, I would really say God's timing. I had three losses. And at that point, I was stepping out from patient care because it was just constantly having to take time off when I was losing. And so they were like, Well, you have to fill your position. And I'm like, Okay. So I kind of like reached out in the in our kind of world of dental world. And they were like, Well, there's somebody she's not really looking, but you could try. So I literally texted her and was like, Hey, are you looking for a job? She's like, nah. I'm like, come on, just just come in. Just come in and try it. So she tried for the day and she's like, I love it. Um, and I was naive. I was still trying to get pregnant again. So she came in, took the position. I got pregnant with my fourth. Um, and that's when I had that miss miscarriage. Um, it took about for me with the miss miscarriage, it for those that don't know what that is. So it's where your body still thinks it's pregnant, still holds onto the baby, and you continue. So I saw heartbeat, I saw everything. And then a couple weeks later, we went in for ultrasound and they were like, there's no more heartbeat, but baby's still there. So my body didn't let go of the baby.

SPEAKER_04 4:08

How many weeks was that?

SPEAKER_01 4:10

So I should have been at 12 weeks. The baby had stopped growing for several weeks, and then it took another several weeks for me to pass the baby at home. So at that point, it just rocked my world. I literally took off for a month. I went to Europe. Um, I came back, and Amanda was like, What are they saying? And I was like, Sarrogacy, I can't I can't wrap my head around it. And she's like, I've always felt called and led to do it. So a month from there, I started egg repeal and we went.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah, you just gave me goosebumps. So you guys didn't know you didn't know each other at all. She just came in to fill a position basically that you needed help with, and then she ends up becoming your surrogate.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

Yeah, surrogate. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Well, that is definitely God's timing. I'm super, I believe in that a hundred percent. And how did you feel? Like, what was your calling for? Like, what made you say, okay, I really want to do this? Because you have your kids already, no? You have kids, your own kids.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

Yes, for me, yes. So I have um, yes, I have three boys, and my husband and I, I remember we were driving and looked at each other, and I was just like, I can I can do this for somebody else. We can do this for somebody else. And I really think where that calling comes from is I don't think I'll ever feel done having children.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Yeah, you gave me goosebumps, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

Where it's like, I think I could always say one more. Now, when you start to look at like the logistical side of things, one more is not where I was in the position to have one more. And so I looked at surrogacy and started doing some research for it, started the process of going into looking at agencies, and it felt, like Jessica said, very transactional. It felt like I was compromising my core, my main non-negotiables, in order to be marketed or to be able to be showcased more to intended parents. So I really felt like the human connection was lost, and that's not where that didn't resonate with me to do this. No matter how much money somebody wanted to compensate me for, I still needed to know that child was going to somewhere safe, somewhere loved, somewhere where I would be like, yes, I would love for my children to hang out with my intended parent, knowing that that relationship is there.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Can I ask you a question? How long did you guys know each other by the time that you said yes to, you know, to being her surrogate? Like was it already months in advance?

SPEAKER_01 6:31

Or I mean not months in advance, was it months of knowing each other, or was this like an instant thing that, you know, she saw you struggling and then you decided to step in and say, So from the time that Amanda said I felt called and led when I told her that day, literally she talked to her husband. I talked to mine because we were like, yeah. And they were like, oh wait, we gotta go back to our families and talk about this. Um, probably a month, a month I started egg retrieval. So we were rocking and rolling.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Wow. So it was a short time. Yes. Oh my God. So that's definitely it's not like a friend that you had for like two years that you were working, and then this was like an instant thing.

SPEAKER_04 7:04

And how long had you been looking into becoming a surrogate before you met?

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Uh three years.

SPEAKER_04 7:10

Three years.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

Just shy of three years. I remember I started looking at it when my youngest was um turning six months.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Oh my god. How is the experience with that though?

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Because I can't imagine Darlene and I were talking about this and we were like, how do you not get attached to Yeah, you know, that is one of the biggest like myths that go on in Saragacy and where it where it really comes down to is the match, is the alignment. It's almost like I I gained a sister with Jessica because our relationship, our bond is so intertwined and strong with our core values, and then even branching out of lifestyle diet. And so it was beautiful to want to help her have what I'm so fortunate to have.

SPEAKER_04 8:02

This is I love this story.

SPEAKER_00 8:03

Darlene could tell you because Darlene's had her own issues with uh with you know conceiving and all that.

SPEAKER_04 8:08

Yeah, I've had my own issues. I had my first one at 41, and then I had two miscarriages in 2020. And my situation was more, you know, with age. I just got checked, they were like, Your uterus is beautiful, it's perfect, you can carry whatever you want to carry there. But you know, my ex say something else, and um, but I have been struggling with that, and I lost my second one at uh it was 10 weeks, and yeah, he she it was a she, she was there. I don't know. I they told me the same thing when I went to get an ultrasound. Um I stopped hearing the heartbeat. I've never talked about this. And so when you were saying it, I yeah, and I remember for two days I'm like I have my dead baby, you know, inside of me. Yeah, and then I got yeah, and it was COVID, so when I went to get the the NC, um my husband couldn't quit be there. He just dropped me off and I went in, and everybody was it was like robots and all this gear and and things, and so when I heard you your story on that miscarriage at 12 weeks, yeah, I felt it.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

You're making me feel it. I'm and that's what Jessica was saying, that this is so much bigger than Jessica and I, and our journey and how amazing it is, and the taboo subject of infertility and surrogacy. There are so many women in families that want to have a child and grow, and that it's it's a hard pill to swallow when it it gets to that point. But that's why really we created Little Seed Match was to offer another path, another option, another way that brings the human connection back because we want heart-led surrogates, we want them to see the intended parents for not just where they're going, but where they've been, and then really just having that connection, it it makes the journey light for both sides of it.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

What do you think are the misconceptions though? Like I think people probably maybe have a lot of misconceptions about this, and even though they probably don't even think about it as an option, you know. I don't I don't know what what in in your guys' journey, what would you say are are or what you've seen now that you started, you know, uh little seed match. What are the misconceptions that you see people have about being a surrogate? Or what are the hesitations that make them say, I'm not too sure if this is it if this is for me? Is it more so finding that I I I don't know, I I don't know how to say because I've never been in that position, but I do feel like when Darlene talks about it and I imagine the whole situation, it has to be very hard. And then I don't know, maybe what what would be something that I don't know what I'm trying to say, excuse me.

SPEAKER_04 11:07

Um I guess one of them, like you were saying earlier, is probably the getting emotionally attached. You said that that's a myth.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

Yeah, yeah. Because I believe I think it happens. And now I definitely think it happens because I think the main the core of the the journey should be the match. If I didn't know, and that's where I was saying earlier that it did not resonate with me because the human connection wasn't there with the intended parent, why I originally didn't pursue surrogacy, is because I think I would. I would be worried because there's a child at a playground that's struggling on the monkey bars. I'm not gonna look around for those parents, I'm gonna go help that child. And so, not knowing the intended parent for me, I knew I would have had a problem. So I think that's where when we do traditional routes or we don't have that human connection in the match, it makes it very hard to detach because it is something huge. You're not selling a car. Yeah, the core is that this baby goes to a loving family that want that they're so wanted and that I'm so honored to be a part of that journey to help them get there.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

In in this, in your business right now, have you guys seen matches where they're like you guys that people are are connected and they've become friends and now it's more like family. It's like, oh, that's my my niece, you know, which you know. Do you see that?

SPEAKER_01 12:28

Yeah, we're having, I mean, so far our matches have been happening under five days, which is unheard of in the industry. Normally it's about eight to 12 months on a good day with somebody that you don't align with at all. And so we are having these matches where they're like, oh my gosh, we have so much in common. This is great. We're texting every day, and I get the messages and get them, and we just like we're so happy. It's yeah, beautiful to be disturbing the industry in a way that is benefiting the people on the journey in the best way, you know? And so to see these relationships develop, to see how happy they are after going through grief, to see how happy the surrogates are to connect and build that like relationship right from out the gate. Yes is how it should be.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

Oh my God. I'm like picturing you guys, you guys go out together and and the families like bond, like your boys with with uh Olivia's your daughter's name, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:20

Yeah, yeah. Olivia's my daughter, she wasn't born in February, so she's five months. So we laugh. We we say that the boys are her future husbands, she's gonna have to pick one. So um, you know, we laugh about that. She's so little now, but yes, we me and Amanda are constantly out and about in families and intertwined, and it's it's so beautiful, truly. It it just is an extension of our family, and it's like you're just forever grateful, like you know, she brought me life.

SPEAKER_04 13:45

And Amanda, and how was it when you were carrying the baby? Um, how was it? Your what were the questions that the kids were asking you? You said that the youngest one was he's three, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

So he turned three a month before, a month and a half or a month. No, actually 15, 16 days before Olivia came. Yeah, and so um, you know, going through the process, we talked about how are we gonna tell our children what does that look like? And for us, and what made sense based off my children's age, my oldest is six, my youngest is three, and then I have a five-year-old. Oh my god. Um was was they're not gonna understand, you know, the scientific aspect of it. But what they're gonna understand is that our family is so lucky to help Jessica and Frank, um, they know them, to have a family like ours. And me, mommy's body, it has a purpose. God gave mommy a purpose to help grow that family because mommy's body is really, really good at growing babies. So it was just kind of putting it at that level. And it was honestly so sweet. They would kiss my belly, they would talk to Olivia, so much so involved in it that when we would FaceTime after Olivia was born, she literally would open her eyes and look because she recognized my boy's voices.

SPEAKER_00 15:01

Oh, that's so there's always gonna be that bond. Would you say, like, technically, I know that they would maybe think like, oh, that's like I don't know, that's not like your stepsister or whatever, but you know, it's like, oh, that's family, you know, or no, it was never brought like that.

SPEAKER_02 15:15

I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Go ahead, Jess. I mean, I think it's just by fluke, you kind of it it overflows into this like extended people that just care about each other, just like I would care about Amanda's family. Yeah. So I think in that way, I would say a big myth as like kind of one of the things that you guys were asking is that they're like, oh, she's super bonded to the baby. And I'm like, I think really where the bond comes from is like me and her. We were like so bonded with during the whole journey, and just I always say on the same side of the fence, advocating for each other, and that's where that bond really came. So people always think it's naturally like the surrogate and baby, and in reality, not really.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Yeah, no, well, you guys are creating that platform to make it different, which is beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 15:58

What is one of the main things that you one of the most important things when you're pairing couples to the surrogate?

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Well, I mean, they they pick, they see each other, so they see each other's profiles, so we don't like pair per se. They get to see each other, they get to see each other's profiles about them, their religion, their dietary, all the details that you would see want to know, and then they can connect directly in the platform.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

This is a matchtop. I was just gonna say that. Match top match seed, you know, like for you know, I love the name. I love the name, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 16:33

Yes. So yeah, it is the platform. If you want to like kind of think about it, it is like a dating app. But this is so much think about like, oh my goodness, it is just equivalent to your spouse. You have non-negotiables when you're selecting your spouse. You guys have to be on another level. You have to know that they would be your best friend that turns into someone that you can lean on a rock. And that's exactly this is like the second most intimate relationship besides your partner, your spouse that you're gonna have.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Yeah. No, I think that's that's beautiful. I I could definitely see it, and I'm sure there's so many people out there that are struggling. They've never even thought about this. And the way that you guys are doing it, I think obviously, like you said, you're taking the middleman out, you're making the connection between you know two families, and it's it's much bigger than just like a transactional thing, which is a I think it's a beautiful thing. I mean, I don't know, did you ever think of that, Darlene, in your particular case of maybe doing surrogacy? Did you ever look into that?

SPEAKER_04 17:33

No.

SPEAKER_00 17:34

But it never crossed your mind.

SPEAKER_04 17:42

Uh, and it's another way to become my mom finding a surrogate and I saw so many, I mean, I've seen, like, you know, obviously we're in our forties.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

I there's and people are starting later now, and it's sometimes harder to to conceive. And I've seen a lot of people try and then they can't, and I've never, I'll be honest with you, sometimes that that discussion of surrogate doesn't even come up. It's like, oh, I can't, I can't. And I don't think sometimes people even go far beyond that to give that an opportunity. I don't think you know what I mean. This is maybe because of that, because it's always been like, oh, that's kind of weird, it's transactional. So I feel like what you ladies are doing is something beautiful, and that you two are friends now, like family, let's say.

SPEAKER_04 18:20

Your bondage and your life. I went onto your website and I love that you have those QAs and you provide so much support to the families, and it's not like one of the big companies that could, you know, here you get to talk to the owners, you get to talk to two people that went through it.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

Yeah, that's the most important.

SPEAKER_04 18:42

Exactly. So, I mean, if I ever were to think about it, I know where to go. I definitely know where to go because it's beautiful hearing your story. I see it. It's more like a boutique, a one-to-one consultation and guidance throughout the process. Uh, how is the process? Somebody that wants to go right now and say, I want to sign up.

SPEAKER_02 19:05

First, we offer free consultations, and we it's you'll never get a coordinator with us or a middleman. We want to be uh boots on the ground. We want to know the intended parent and the surrogates. And so we do a consultation, kind of answer the questions because people are at different stages, whether wanting to carry for somebody or looking into having a surrogate to grow their family. So from there, um, we have the platform that you can go on, start creating your profile. We do identity and background checks, which include sex offender as well, because we want to make sure that we're creating a safe community. So once you're in, everybody that's in there has been vetted personally by Jessica and I. For surrogates, we do get their OB clearance as well. So, again, kind of getting that first step in through to know that it's possible for that surrogate, because some people don't realize they can be a surrogate or things that might, you know, disqualify them. And so Jessica and I have those conversations and dive in. We do very in-depth interviews because we want to know who you're looking for, what you're looking for, what brought you to surrogacy on both sides, because we really want that alignment because that match is huge, because then you're advocating together through the journey versus trying to convince each other of something. You guys already have that core. From there, once you have that core, you then go through the steps of the journey and it's doing it again with a partner instead of combating with somebody. And that's really what we're we're striving for. Um, but yeah, once on the platform, you have access to all the profiles and then you can reach out and make connections, and everything can be in the portal. When you're comfortable, you can step outside the portal, you know, FaceTime, um meetup, anything like that. We provide um sounding board of Jessica and I. We have vetted resources for pre, during, and post-journey, whether that's lactation, counseling, you know, lawyers, attorneys, anything, and we are constantly adding to that list.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Um, you filter, you you ladies are the ones that uh personally filter everybody that's coming through the platform. Have you ever had anybody come on and then you ladies say, I don't know of this person? Like, have you ever had to I don't know if you can deny, reject somebody, yeah, turn away somebody? Yes, we have. In any particular case, like why or what did you ladies feel?

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Or so from a surrogate standpoint, we've turned away surrogates if we felt like they were very money-driven as the forefront. If they were asking for a a very large, like over a hundred thousand dollars as a base compensation. We felt like really, again, our platform is for people who are heart led and it really overpours into what they're asking for. You can see it when they, you know, put in their base compensation. They're not asking for crazy numbers, they're not asking for bonuses, they're not asking for all these things that In a traditional model through an agency, they encourage those things. And so that's where we're seeing also a significant difference. Um, and then I would say the same thing for Nintendo parent. If they feel like they want more of a transactional experience, that probably would not be the best fit.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

It's mostly with the surrogates though, that you see, like, I don't, I don't think this person.

SPEAKER_01 22:20

I cannot tell you how many surrogates though come through that are truly hard-led. Like it has much more outpour. We really don't see very much of those that come through transactional-wise and wanting that high amount because they tend again to stick into the agency lane. Um, but for us, it's just yes, been such a huge outpour. Like what they say and how they speak about the journey, it's beautiful. We have ones that are first timers and season surrogates, you know, and it's amazing. So every once in a while, yeah, things come through and we're like, this probably isn't the best fit. Because again, when these people come into the platform, we want it to be that safe space where everybody has the mindset of healthy going through the journey, healthy for them, healthy for baby, and this connection. And so if we set that up for failure by allowing just anybody to come in, then we're kind of breaking what we're trying to build.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

And and can I tell you just from the story from talking to you ladies, I can definitely see, I don't know, this is something special that you're creating. And I think probably the reason why you get more good than bad uh surrogates coming in is because you ladies are portraying that the story behind it. You've already been there. Um, so it just kind of feeds, you know, the people that are coming to you, ladies. And as you continue growing, I could probably see this growing into something so beautiful. And you'll have like, I don't know, you'll you'll oh, they were through little seed and look at this one, and and then the connection of families. You guys have a reunion one day and everybody comes together. I could just see it. I picture it all.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Yeah, I we cannot wait. It's just it's amazing. It's amazing, it's needed. It's it's very much so.

SPEAKER_04 23:51

Have you done those let's yearly parties with the Little Seed family?

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Not yet, no.

SPEAKER_04 23:59

Did I give you an idea? Did I give you an idea though?

SPEAKER_00 24:01

I'm an idea person.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

Yeah, yeah. I mean, inside platform, we've already created like sisterhood, like the intended parents can talk in in chats together, and it's safe because they know everyone's background check. No one can write an anonymous post. And then same thing with the surrogates, creating a sisterhood, even when they're past their journey, they're always continued in the community and the platform to either mentor a surrogate, you know, and talk and just have that connection. It's something so special that they've helped. And you know, having others that can understand walking that journey is is beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Would you say any ages come in to be a surrogate? Like, do you receive uh different ages, or is it usually is a recommended so we follow ASRM guidelines, and that's kind of like that golden seal of like what it should be.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

So it's 21 to 45.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

I would say the average age range though is probably anywhere between 27 to 38. What we're seeing.

SPEAKER_04 24:56

And intended parents, what are the ages mostly?

SPEAKER_01 25:00

I would say mid-30s to early mid-50s.

SPEAKER_04 25:05

Darlene, I'm still there.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

I think you have somebody here that you know I can't be the surrogate though.

SPEAKER_04 25:11

I can because I passed the age limit. I do have a beautiful uterus.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

There you go. Yeah, yeah, there you go. Um, I think so many women and Amanda says this so beautifully that like they don't even realize that they could be a surrogate or how that is, or that they could help a family. And once they realize like they could qualify, you know, that they're they're not too old, or like, oh, I just have to have one healthy pregnancy. Like it's it's so amazing. I think that opens that door to help others.

SPEAKER_00 25:38

Would you do it again, Amanda? Would you, would you, would you do again? Like, would would you sign up again to be a surrogate?

SPEAKER_02 25:46

You know, I the short answer is yes, because I again feel like I won't ever be done having children. I feel like there's a purpose for me um is to bring life, help bring life into this world. And um so yes, but the short answer is like I probably would just just with Jessica and Frank. Um, but yeah, there's there's a lot that goes into it for sure, you know, seeing where my family's at, what this looks like for us and our growth and our path. And then really there's that pressure for sure for Jessica more than me, but really she has Olivia in embracing this moment. And so I'm really just like stepped back and letting them just enjoy without having this um expectation on them, yeah. Or expectation. But it's uh it was, it was like I said, it was an honor to do and you know what often.

SPEAKER_04 26:42

You're still bringing children to this world through your company, even if it's not you carrying this time, you are doing it for other couples. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Yeah, this is our second baby, yeah, yes, literally, yes, and who knows, two years from now or something, it'll be like you have thousands of babies.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Oh my gosh, that would be amazing. It would be amazing. I just got chills thinking about it.

SPEAKER_00 27:02

Yeah, yeah, that's the goal, you know. I think it's beautiful. It's beautiful. How do people, how are you uh going out there with your company to kind of uh get yourself out there so people know more about you? So where do people find you? Where um, you know, what's the best avenues, I guess, uh, to reach out to you?

SPEAKER_01 27:20

Yeah, they can go to our website, littleseedmatch.com. They can scroll through there, there's tons of information. But at the bottom is where they can book a free consultation. It would be with myself and Amanda. And then they can also find us on Instagram, our handle is LittleSeedmatch.

SPEAKER_04 27:36

What's one thing that you would tell that woman that's listening or or that man? What will you tell them about surrogacy that they might not know or that they might be understanding?

SPEAKER_01 27:46

It's beautiful, it can be non-transactional, it can be doable financially if you go a non-traditional way.

SPEAKER_02 27:53

Um, yeah. Yeah, that human connection can be the core, and it is something that if you're feeling a desire to grow a family, whether it's your own family or helping somebody, that that we've created this path and it might be the perfect path for you. So it it's doable. It's doable.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04 28:16

Talking to me, you're talking to me. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

I I think the biggest misconception and and myth with this is that everybody comes in and they're like, I want to find somebody really close by local. Oh, yes, good point. And I think that needs to be so talked about because then I always tell people, I'm like, you know, that neighbor, like two doors down that you can't stand. You're like, that's who you'd want to carry your baby because they're close. I'm like, but that friend that you pick up that states away, and you're like, you pick up right where you left off, and you're like, yeah, let's talk and connect, and that's what you need. So that is the biggest thing that I would say to hit home that look beyond, look for the connection, like Amanda said. But again, distance, like I don't I would say going through my personal experience, that didn't really matter at all. And we see in the community a lot where people have been seasoned intended parents or seasoned surrogates, they have learned that the hard way. And they're like, that's why we're getting this outpour coming into us. They're like, not again, because they were sold and told and felt that that's what I should have, that that's what it should look like. But that's the biggest myth I would say of it all.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

Yeah, you're opening up the doors to view it a different way. Yeah, yeah. You're making me see it a different way. I'll be honest, I never even you know thought about it. I had my I have my two boys as well. Darlene had told me her story about her, you know, her situation. And I I feel for her when you know she was going through as you saw, she it it still touches her, obviously. I'm I'm I'm sure. Yeah. Um and just to think that you can do this another way and that there is a beautiful way to go about it, like you said, not like a car dealership. You know, this is this is something more connecting and and beautiful. I think it's amazing what you ladies are doing. Really, I do.

SPEAKER_04 29:56

And that support that you're giving those moms because when I was thinking about that, again, I'm learning. Um, you think about this big corporations and big agencies, the owners, you know, nowhere to be seen, or yeah, and then it's just it loses that what you guys are offering, that connection.

SPEAKER_00 30:15

Yeah, yes, it's beautiful. And and and one last question that I wanted to ask you. You said your daughter is five months.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

Oh my goodness. So you just so you just did this. This was like, I thought, I don't know why I thought it was like five, five years. I was like, okay, it's been five years. Five months. How are you doing at home with the five-month-year-old? How are you adjusting? Oh, well, um you look very relaxed, by the way. Beautiful, glowing.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

You both. Oh, no, no, no. I think I think my husband's my rock. Like he just is so supportive and so helpful. Um, it's just, yeah, I I couldn't do without him. So I think it's it's a new learning, right? Like, I feel like I'm an older mom later in life because of like everything, the way it pushed. And all of a sudden, you know, you're like, oh, everything shifts, you know, because it's our first. And so it's just navigating all that in the in the best way. We're just relishing in all the new stuff.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

Do do you call Amanda and tell her, Oh my God, help me here? I don't know what to do here.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

I I've been asking Amanda for advice from the moment, probably even before we transferred, but truly when she was pregnant, um, I'd be like, Well, how did you what would you do? And you know, because again, we were so connected. I would, I always wanted, you know, her opinion on things because she she's done it and she did it in a way that I would do for my own. So I valued that opinion so much.

SPEAKER_00 31:37

That's amazing, ladies. Seriously. It gets me, I've I've had goosebumps like three times during the conversation. Goosebumps.

SPEAKER_04 31:44

And um, do you plan to open internationally? Where are your clients coming from the most? Uh right now everybody's in the US. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:54

Um, except for a few states that like surrogacy is not is not allowed. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's a few. Um will we go internationally? Possibly, yes. Maybe something along the lines of like Europe and and going in that route for um not for surrogates, but for intended parents. You know, surrogates would stay US bound.

unknown 32:16

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Nice, very nice.

SPEAKER_04 32:18

Yeah, that's the future of little scenes, Matt.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

Yeah. Anything you ladies would want to finish with and end with, and for those that are, you know, maybe listening and say, I either want to be an intended parent or I want to be a surrogate. Um right, intended parent or surrogate. Yes, I said that right, right? Yeah. I have to think about that for a second. Um, anything that you would tell them that are listening?

SPEAKER_01 32:43

Oh, that's a good one.

SPEAKER_02 32:45

Yeah, I would say that we're here. If you have questions or you're thinking about it, or you're just not quite sure, that's okay because it's very overwhelming, but we're here to help break it down, walk through it, get to know you personally so we can see if it's a great fit.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

Yeah, absolutely. And I would say an independent journey does not mean you're alone. Again, you're supported through it all with us.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

Beautiful. Absolutely. And I I just want to I want to end with one last thing because we are here on a Zoom call, but you ladies have a very beautiful energy on you. And I think Darlene and I all had like, I'm telling you, we had goosebumps, she cried a little bit. So it's it's nice because even though we're not physically in the same place together and we're seeing each other on screen, you know that you get a certain energies. And I think the energy that I feel is a bonding and it's a beautiful, it's really a beautiful story. And I'm congratulations to you. Seriously, with your five year old, you know, I was gonna say five-year-old, five months old. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:41

And and one last question are you do you have an office or is it mostly how does it work if somebody wants to go and meet you in person?

SPEAKER_01 33:50

Well, we do Zoom calls, okay. Yeah, we haven't had any that close by, like within like well, maybe one actually we have one that is close by, drivable. But yeah, yeah, we've talked with them and talked about like even RIPs that are close or surrogates to grab coffee or things like that. Again, it's just a community, a community that we we personally lived. So I always feel connected to all of our our members that are part of the community. Beautiful. Little seedmatch.com.

SPEAKER_04 34:21

Thank you so much for what you're doing. Thank you for being here for having us for like Monica said, your beautiful energy, and I wish you the best. And yeah, we're here for whatever you need. Mama's playground, mothers.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

This is all a community as well.

SPEAKER_02 34:37

So oh, yeah, we love the space that you guys are providing. We think it's amazing what you're doing. So thank you guys for yeah for having that.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

Yeah, thank you, Lady. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure. Bye bye, bye, guys.