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

Surrogacy is often talked about in headlines or celebrity news, but rarely explained in a way that helps people truly understand the experience behind it. In this episode, I’m joined by surrogacy consultant Jessie Jaskulsky, founder of Surrogacy Simplified, to talk openly about what the surrogacy process actually looks like, the misconceptions that surround it, and the emotional reality many families face while trying to grow their family.

Jessie shares her personal path through pregnancy loss, infertility, and ultimately two surrogacy journeys that helped her welcome her daughters. From navigating the logistics and cost to managing grief, uncertainty, and public judgment, this conversation brings compassion and clarity to a topic that is often misunderstood.

In this episode, we discuss:


What surrogacy actually means and the difference between gestational and traditional surrogacy


Common misconceptions about why families pursue surrogacy


Why public conversations about surrogacy can be filled with judgment and misinformation


The emotional toll of infertility, pregnancy loss, and long fertility journeys


How intended parents cope with uncertainty and lack of control during a surrogacy pregnancy


What the financial reality of surrogacy can look like and ways families plan for it


How to begin exploring surrogacy if it’s something you’re considering


The bond between parents and babies born through surrogacy


How friends and family can better support someone going through this process

To connect with Jessie Jaskulksy follow her on Instagram @surrogacysimplified, check out all her resources at linktr.ee/surrogacysimplified 

You can also join her free Intended Parent Community: https://tally.so/r/mORv9A

00:00 Surrogacy, Stigma, and the Comments Families Shouldn’t Face

02:00 What Most People Get Wrong About Surrogacy

05:49 Gestational Carrier vs Surrogate Explained Simply

08:07 The Real Reasons Families Turn to Surrogacy

10:16 Why Celebrity Surrogacy Stories Spark So Much Judgment

13:07 Infertility, Anxiety, and the Emotional Side of This Process

15:34 What Surrogacy Really Costs, and Why

22:11 The First Steps for Families Considering Surrogacy

25:22 The Hardest Part, Letting Go of Control

30:06 Bonding, Love, and the Truth About Surrogacy Babies

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special follow-up episode, Dr. Mona shares the full live conversation recorded at Children’s Hospital Colorado in front of more than 100 clinicians. The discussion centers on a reality many pediatricians and parents are facing every day: families are no longer walking into the exam room with just their child, they are also bringing TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, viral clips, and online comment sections with them.

In this episode, we discuss:


How social media is reshaping the pediatric exam room


Why misinformation spreads so effectively among parents


Common mistakes clinicians make when responding to hesitant families


How validation can lower defensiveness without validating false claims


Vaccine conversations, trust-building, and shared decision-making


Why pediatricians need to understand the digital world parents live in


How AI, telehealth, and online education may shape the future of care

Check out the video of this episode on Charting Pediatrics YouTube page.

Want more episodes of Charting Pediatrics?

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it look like to balance Olympic competition, motherhood, and the unexpected realities of parenting? In this episode, I sit down with Olympic gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor to talk about raising two children with disabilities, leaning on support, and how motherhood changed the way she thinks about success, identity, and resilience.

We also talk about representation in sport, using ASL as a family, and the mental health side of chasing big goals. It is an honest conversation about what it takes to keep showing up as both an elite athlete and a mom.

In this episode, we cover:


What it felt like to finally win Olympic gold after years of coming close


Why the right village matters in motherhood and elite sport


Parenting two children with disabilities and using ASL as a family


How representation can help other families feel less alone


What sport taught her about parenting through uncertainty


How motherhood changed her identity, perspective, and relationship to winning


The realities of being a Black athlete in winter sports


Why access and inclusion in sports still matter


What she hopes her children take away from watching her story


How she prepares for the post-Olympics emotional crash and protects her mental health

To connect with Elana Meyers Taylor follow her on Instagram @elanameyerstaylor, check out all her resources at https://www.elanameyersusa.com. 

Purchase the shirt Dr. Mona is wearing here.

00:00 Intro: Elana Meyers Taylor on Gold, Motherhood, and Perspective

02:58 The Gold Medal Moment After a Fifth Olympics

07:50 Why Success in Motherhood Takes a Village

10:43 Building the Right Support System as a Mom and Athlete

14:13 Raising Deaf Children, Disability Advocacy, and Representation

18:09 How Sports Prepared Her for Medical Parenting

20:49 How Motherhood Changed Her Identity as an Athlete

24:38 Breaking Barriers in Winter Sports as a Black Olympian

29:17 What She Hopes Her Children Learn from Her Story

31:02 Finding Joy in Ordinary Mom Life After Olympic Gold

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re talking about independent sleep for older babies and kids, why it often gets harder with age, and how to approach it in a way that supports both your child and your family. This is not about shutting the door and ignoring your child. It’s about teaching a skill gradually, consistently, and in a way that fits your child’s temperament.

We discuss why earlier can be easier when it comes to removing sleep associations, but also why there is no hard deadline. Independent sleep is not about emotional distance. It is about helping your child fall asleep without needing a specific person, place, or condition that can make life harder later, especially during travel, sleepovers, camp, or when caregivers change.

In this episode, we cover:

✔️ Why sleep associations can become more challenging as kids grow
✔️ How language and mobility make older kids more persistent at bedtime
✔️ When to consider anxiety or separation issues before starting sleep changes
✔️ Why location matters, especially transitioning from your bed to theirs
✔️ The “camping out” method and how to gradually reduce your presence
✔️ Why consistency beats intensity every time
✔️ How middle of the night wake-ups often improve after bedtime changes

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parenting changes everything, including your relationship. In this episode, I sit down with therapist and author Eli Weinstein to talk honestly about why couples feel so disconnected after kids, what actually fuels resentment, and the small shifts that bring you back to each other. We cover expectations, invisible labor, communication traps, and why the first year with a new baby can shake even the strongest partnership. Eli also walks through practical tools like the five-minute check in, full communication, and his favorite phrase for opening up hard conversations without them turning into fights.

This episode is real, relatable, and grounding. If you’ve ever thought, “We love each other, so why does this feel so heavy?”, you’re not alone. Eli shares stories from his own marriage, the couples he supports, and the tiny moments that rebuild connection when life feels chaotic. Whether you’re new parents, in the thick of it, or years past the baby stage, this is a conversation that brings clarity and hope.

What we talk about:


Why the first year after a baby strains even healthy relationships


Expectations vs perception vs reality


The invisible load and why it feels so uneven


How resentment quietly builds


The five-minute daily check in


Full communication (and why hints don’t work)


Rhombus moments for airing feelings safely


Fighting fair and repairing in front of kids


Why couples don’t need perfection, just honesty


Small gestures that matter more than grand romantic moments

To connect with Eli Weinstein follow him on Instagram @thedudetherapist, check out all his resources at linktr.ee/dudetherapist and buy his book “From I Do To We Do”: https://www.eliweinsteinlcsw.com/book 

00:00 Intro: When Partners Start Feeling Like Roommates
02:35 Meet Eli Weinstein and Why This Topic Matters
03:53 What Inspired From I Do to We Do
05:13 Why the First Year After Baby Can Hit a Relationship Hard
08:06 Why Your Relationship Is the Foundation of Family Life
12:11 Expectations, Perceptions, and the Dishes Problem
14:11 The 5-Minute Daily Check-In That Prevents Resentment
18:14 Making Communication Work With Opposite Schedules
22:09 Mental Load, Invisible Labor, and Why Scorekeeping Fails
26:09 The "Rhombus Moment" for Hard Conversations
32:31 Pillow Talk 2.0, Curiosity Over Criticism
43:57 Letting Kids See Repair, Not Perfection
49:14 Why Real Love Is Not Disney, and What Teamwork Really Looks Like

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices