Episodes
40: Two Euploid Embryos (PGT-A Results)
Meredith got her PGT-A test results a week early! Watch as she shares the news with family and friends, talks about next steps, and shares tips for maintaining sanity during the process. Frozen embryo implantation comes next…stay tuned!
39: I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends (IVF Support)
Meredith has embryo news!! Aside from sharing which zygotes made it to blastocyst status, she’s going over best practices for checking in on a friend who is undergoing IVF.
38: A Tale of Two Egg Retrievals
Meredith came out of her most recent egg retrieval with very different results! What were the differences in treatment? Did she keep calm, cool, and collected this time? Will this be her last retrieval?
37: Perinatal Psychiatry
Mental health is muy importante, so Meredith is sharing her journey from sad little girl to a healthy medicated lady. In preparation for pregnancy (and because of the influx of hormones in her system thanks to the second round of egg retrieval), she decided to get in touch with a perinatal psychiatrist early. Here’s how she found one and how her first appointment went.
36: PGT-A Results
Meredith discusses the results from the PGT-A tests her embryos underwent, explains what a segmented mosaic embryo means, and discusses next steps in her IVF journey.
35: Chick-Pickin’ (with Nana)
Nana is back in California! They’re discussing Meredith’s Day 5 4BB and Day 7 4BA embryos (better known at Chip & Dale); the nail-biting wait on genetic test results, whether or not to learn the sex, and if so, WHEN?
34: Blastocysts
After a week of waiting, Meredith learns how many of her fertilized eggs have become full fledged embryos. She shares how she found out, how she’s feeling, and what’s up next.
33: Egg Retrieval Surgery
What’s it like to have an egg retrieval for IVF at KindBody? Meredith just had hers and she’s here to share the results – how many eggs were retrieved, how many were mature, and how many were fertilized with her gay best friend’s sperm.
32: Egg Retrieval Injections, Week 2
When your follicles don’t respond to hormones, you pump up the volume and keep injecting.
31: Egg Retrieval Injections
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bph8e-8zGqw&feature=youtu.be&themeRefresh=1 We've moved into the injection phase! Meredith is 22 injections in and reporting on all of the wild side effects: vivid dreams, unsupportive family members, and an incredible amount of...
30: Estrogen Priming
With a full week of estrogen priming under her belt, Meredith talks through the pain she’s experiencing, updates on third party clearance for Kindbody, and refreshes the “What do we call Michael?” situation.
29: Starting IVF
Meredith is starting IVF this week! She’s taking Estradiol (Estrace) in before shots start next week.
27: Navigating Family Leave (w/ Diane Gatza)
Meredith is joined by Diane Gatza to discuss family leave (or maternity leave, or paternity leave…whatever floats your boat). She’s got tips and tricks to get the biggest bang for your buck when bonding with your bundle of joy, whether you work for a Fortune 500 company or you’re going it as a freelancer.
26: Money & Drugs
Meredith doesn’t like talking finances, but she’s going to for your benefit! This week is all about the frustration of not being as prepared as she’d like to be and the cost of each medication prescribed for the upcoming egg retrieval.
25: Short but Sweet!
Meredith quickly shares that she made it through Morton’s neuroma surgery! Prepping for IVF is imminent…
23: You Can Keep Your Underwear On (w/ Baby Daddy Michael)
Michael has officially frozen sperm for Meredith’s impending IVF! The two pals talk about the donation process and the litany of doctor’s appointments they had across Los Angeles this week while he was in town.
22: Community Kids (w/ Gabi Garland)
Gabi Garland joins this week to share her single mother journey – from being in an abusive relationship, to losing her partner, to ultimately finding the best version of herself. Gabi is an authenticity coach and podcast producer who provides incredible advice to Meredith as she prepares to start IVF.
21: January Was Wild
I didn’t mean to take another hiatus, but curveballs were thrown! This week you’ll hear about my birthday, an attempted break-in, triangulated travel from LA to Orlando to NYC, and my latest fertility updates: revised sperm results, fluctuating AMH levels, and a timeline for cryopreservation and egg retrieval.
20: My Improv Banker Husband (w/ Mom)
Meredith’s Mom joins this week to talk about her previous and current ideas about IVF, and how she’s feeling about Meredith’s decision. Talk turns to what could be happening in other multiverses, including the career and passions of Meredith’s would-be Orlando spouse.
19: Don’t be a Trevor (w/ Carla Furey)
Meredith is making a big choice about IVF and is turning to her friend (and artist extraordinaire) Carla Furey for advice and guidance. They recap meeting under the dark shadow of Scandoval and how their friendship has blossomed since then.
18: Whoop, Swoop, and Pull (w/ Whitney Warren)
WE’RE BACK! Whitney joins this week to ring in 2024 and make sure that Meredith adequately recounts everything that happened in December. This episode has it all: genetic test results, learning the origins of cuckoo clocks, and shifting ideology regarding fertility treatments. What more could you ask for??
17: What About Surrogacy? (w/ Joy Millan from Joy of Life Surrogacy)
Joy of Life Surrogacy founder Joy Millan joins Meredith this week to explain the role a surrogacy agency can play in a conception journey.
16: Fertility Testing Results
Meredith shares the results of her fertility assessments, specifically AFC and AMH levels, from her first round of appointments with Kindbody.
15: First Kindbody Appointment
Let’s hear it for Kindbody – a company that performs fertility and wellness services in modern, tech-enabled clinics. Meredith had a fantastic call with one of their doctors in the Newport Beach office and made some choices about her fertility journey moving forward – including full diagnostic testing.
14: The Prego Expo
Meredith attended CreateHer this week, an exclusive event for creators hosted by The Prego Expo. She got to walk the floor of The Prego Expo before it opened to the public, got to speak with entrepreneurial brands, and received support on the fertility journey from folks who have been there.
13: Test Results, Positive & Negative
DID SHE GET PREGNANT? Will she survive Covid? Answers to these questions and more in this week’s episode. Meredith also lays out plans for the next few months, including partaking in Prego Expo/CreateHer this coming week in Los Angeles.
12: DIY ICI, Round 2!
This week’s episode is all about Meredith’s trip to Washington to see Michael and get the turkey-bastering done. And IT HAPPENED. Thrice!! Meredith goes over using the Kegg fertility monitor and the Mosie Baby insemination kit.
11: This is Our Halloween Episode (w/ Baby Daddy Michael)
As Meredith heads off to Washington to meet Michael for a turkey bastering, we answer audience questions about our situation. We also indulge in a trip down memory lane, reminiscing on the eerie tales of haunted St. Augustine, our outrageous Halloween costumes, and the wild parties that filled 42 Sanford Street.
10: Guess Who Bought a Ticket to Washington?
Meredith’s had technical difficulties this week, so it’s a shorty episode! The big news? She’s going to Washington in less than a week for another DIY-ICI. She covers the fears and concerns that she has as well as her excitement.
9: To Breed, or Not to Breed (w/ Krystina Arielle & Whitney Warren)
LET’S KEEP THIS ENERGY GOING! Krystina Arielle and Whitney Warren join this week to talk about The Cut’s article, “Why Can’t Our Friendship Survive Your Baby?”. Not only do we get into sociological stereotypes about motherhood and the changing nature of friendship as we age, but we even manage to squeeze in some Twilight talk.
8: Don’t Be a Kevin (w/ Whitney Warren)
Whitney has been a real one since 2003 proving that some of the weirdos you meet in the Theatre Department are truly worth keeping around. As Meredith is deep enough in her own story to sometimes gloss over details, Whitney plays host and asks some of the questions that the audience might have.
7: It’s So Sci-Fi (w/ Austin Fremont)
You know that feeling when you meet someone on the road of life who’s just a *little* bit further down the boulevard than you? Austin Fremont is that for Meredith – her son Felix is nearly a year old and was conceived with the help of Austin’s friend, Stephen. The gals chat about their decision to go this route and how sci-fi it feels to be choosing their own motherhood destiny.
6: Baby’s First Vanderpump Rules Binge (w/ Shaina Goelman)
Meet Shaina Goelman, a brand new solo mom and licensed marriage and family therapist living in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The gals chat about dating in LA, how they each came to the decision to have kids on their own, and Shaina shares tips with Meredith on conception, pregnancy, and how to overcome the hurdles of postpartum with the assistance of Vanderpump Rules.
5: Sperm Procurement
We’re focusing on obtaining sperm, y’all. This is where Meredith is currently at in trying to figure out how to get Michael’s bodily fluids from one corner of the country to another.
4.5: gnerdle, nerdle, knurdle
Meredith takes a break from hosting to do an Urban Dictionary deep dive with Michael.
Honestly, this is pretty much just 10 minutes of us talking potty-talking.
4: Meet the Baby Daddy
“Michael is the peanut butter to my jelly. He’s taught me patience, irreverence and the importance of knowing where the nearest Taco Bell-slash-Pizza Hut is.”
3: Meet Nana
Meredith’s mom, Janey, joins this week’s conversation to discuss the way they’re reshaping their family, their co-parenting plans, and how they’re growing together in this new chapter.
2: First Steps Towards Solo Mommyhood
Travel back in time to MARCH 2023, the month that Meredith got serious about having a baby on her own. This week tackles her first OBGYN appointment, exploring acupuncture for fertility, and an unexpected message from her future baby’s daddy.
1: An Introduction
Learn about Meredith’s friendship with Michael, her gay best friend, and how his dream about the two of them having a baby together became a real-life decision.
This episode sets the stage for future chats with experts, individuals who’ve treaded similar paths, and folks thrilled to initiate their families on their terms.
