Rebecca Zamolo
Appearances
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
With a surrogate, you're trusting someone with your child, and you don't know what they're doing, and you can only control to a certain point.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It was really hard. Oh, that, yeah. Because we thought we were just like in the clear. The reason I chose IVF was because I had been sick for a long time. I had ulcerative colitis for eight years. So my 20s, I spent most of it in a hospital at least once a month. I knew I would not be able to have a girl if this didn't work. So we put in a boy as well. He was strong, and she was strong.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
This is sweet. I love young love. You guys were way younger than us when you met. We were in 8th grade.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
You can get it at any point. It's an autoimmune disease. Essentially, your body attacks the good and the bad. It can't know the difference. So if I ate something, it would just... the inflammation there would just cause me to lose like everything. I couldn't hold things in. There's different versions of that, but it's inflammation of the colon. So I had at least 13 colonoscopies.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
At least, at least. I think I had way more, but I became an expert at colonoscopies. So if you ever need tips, I can help you.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
The colite, yeah. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, you're asleep, so hopefully you don't wake up. But I did wake up one time. No. Yeah. You woke up during a colonoscopy. Yeah, and you look around, and they were like, oh, no. And then I just remember them putting a mask back on me to put me back to sleep.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
He didn't want to see it. Yeah. Really?
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Anytime you're under anesthesia, you're so vulnerable. It's so crazy. And I know hacks for anesthesia, too. You have to... Because you go under anesthesia, you aren't getting... blood is not flowing to all the parts of your body, right? So a lot of women, and this is very similar after pregnancy, is at first you're fine, but then all of a sudden your hair will start to break and all of that.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Because for my surgeries, a lot of times they were like six hours. Imagine... like how, depending on how often you are under anesthesia, it, you're not, body's not getting the nutrients. So now whatever I, whenever I do something like that, um, or if I have to go under for any reason, IVF, I get acupuncture and that helps blood flow start back again. And so I had no hair loss on either pregnancy.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And that was all because of, as soon as like a day later, a day or two later, I was like getting acupuncture, getting everything going again. Because if you think about pregnancy, your body's getting all of these nutrients, right? Like your hair looks great, your skin looks great. And you're like, this is awesome. And then one day, you get none of it anymore, right?
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So it's like, it doesn't happen the next day, but then two or three months later, women are like, oh, my hair's breaking, all of this. It doesn't happen overnight, but if you can get blood flow and keep it going in those areas, it's less likely that you're gonna have all of those things happening, postpartum, hair loss, like all of that. But you don't like needles, right?
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
But acupuncture doesn't bother you? I've done, I had to, I mean, I don't love it. When they poke me, I don't love it, but I love what it did. And I think that's one of the biggest reasons I was able to stay pregnant along with like the supplements I took. So I think when you're trying to be a mom and you struggle for so long, for me it was over two years, you'll do anything.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And so for me, as much as I still can't look when I get an IV, I can't look at the needle in, but like the acupuncture needles are very small. I don't know.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
subconsciously i was able to like differentiate those needles from the other needles and you know if you want to be a mom bad enough you know all of a sudden needles aren't as scary as they used to be it's incredible what mothers will do for their children right it's amazing yeah when you woke up during the colonoscopy was that painful i'm still stuck on that yeah were you drugged up enough that you didn't feel yeah you're just like in
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
In a dream, like, you're just, like, it feels like a sci-fi movie. Oh, gosh. You know, when you see everyone and, like, you're drugged up, so you're like, huh? And they're like, no. I just remember, like, no. And then, like, putting a mask on, and I was like, huh? Oh, my gosh.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, true. It's a big mistake to call twice. Well, he called the same day he got my number, like three hours later. And I was like, wow, he's aggressive. And then he called again that night. And I was like, wow.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
That makes a lot of sense.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I had a great experience. Were you strapped down? Yeah. Yeah, they have to strap you down. Yeah, because I was just like, this is... Wait, did you have a C-section? I had a C-section. I couldn't have a vaginal. Like, it would have been too risky for... Oh, okay. Mm-hmm. So, yeah, I thought it was the weirdest. You hated the experience. I don't like not being in control and being strapped down.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It wasn't bad. Our doctor was great, but I remember she wanted a smaller scar, so they pushed her back in, our daughter Zadie, and then moved her to kind of even her out. And so I just remember them pushing so aggressively, and I'm just here, and I felt like I couldn't talk, so I was like... Like the quietest I've ever been in my entire life. Oh, really? And he's like, she's here. And I'm like...
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, we were young. And I was leaving to go to college at UCSB. I ran track there. And so I didn't want a boyfriend. And so he asked me out like right before I left. for college, which was not part of my plan or his even. And so we did distance for about two or three years. I was running in college and he was touring.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Wait, why couldn't you talk? I don't know.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I just thought it was weird when you just see your stomach rolling.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I remember that feeling. I was like... Man, I feel like they could do better for women because I still feel like I'm in a sci-fi movie again. That felt sci-fi. And like the white lights and there's no like clouds on the ceiling.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It's just like you're strapped down and you're just like this and they're just like moving you and you're just like, I don't know, like can they, yeah, can they decorate so I could look at a cloud on the wall?
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I went into, like, a hypo. Like, I started shaking. They had to warm me up.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
But it happened after I got the epidural. They always say everything's normal. I think there's, like, 25 things that can go. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Did you have water in, like, a certain area? Yeah. like in my body yeah so after all my water in my stomach just like went back and i had just like a back bump and it was just water it was like a hump i didn't know that was a thing oh they were like that's normal i'm like how do you get it out what do you do and they're like oh i don't it'll just naturally come out so like most people have like
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
yeah I had lots of that no I had like maybe a little but I had a hump in my back I'm like why did it go to my back I need to know like give women tips so like when we're on it maybe I arched my back too much maybe I was fighting I don't know I've never heard of that yeah but honestly like you said nothing could surprise me no they say anything could happen yeah wait that's crazy like someone told me that their gums were bleeding and that's how they knew they were pregnant and I was like
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Matt looks so upset right now with this conversation. He's traumatized.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Doing what boy banders do. Let's go. That's incredible. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
We had done enough IVF rounds where we had more eggs left. So I think it was just figuring out when. So we started filming about, was it a week or a week and a half after giving birth? I was back to full production. Oh my goodness. Oh my. So I didn't really have... After a C-section? Yeah. Holy cow. So here's another hack.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
The C-section is also where the same area where you have your colon removed... So I had already had three surgeries in that area. So I built up a tolerance. So I actually, like, I remember when I had my colon removed, the pain there, but I was very used to that area having surgery. Oh, wow. So it wasn't as.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, same one. So, yeah. That's wild. I know. So for me, the recovery of a C-section wasn't that bad. And I think I was running. I was cleared to run. My doctor came over to make sure it was healed, but about two weeks.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Because she's so feisty. It's because I'm feisty. I think I just wanted to try to get back to normal.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
brain fog for probably like six months and i didn't even realize i was in it till we got out of it totally i was like oh like what just happened because i think we're just at like survival mode as you know like just trying to do it we're trying to keep up all of our content we have a production company and it was just it was just like i just have to i have no choice what are those filming hours like
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So right now, on my channel, we do six videos a month. And so we take about three days for production for that channel. And then we do four videos.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
He didn't know the rules.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Three days a week for my channel. And then we usually have one or two other days, and that's for content for YouTube. his channel, and I have a second channel. So we do 20 videos a month, YouTube videos.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, nine to six. And then we have Zadie popping in and out. So it's kind of, if we're shooting at home, it's a lot easier because she's there. And we have a nanny on our production days.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, we talked a lot on the phone, but I was really busy with track and college and like transferring. I was a transfer. So that's always like takes the sec to get adjusted because they're like, who are you, you know, coming in? They've been there for two years already.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Well, we have a big production team. We've found that they're like smaller is actually better. So we're trying to figure out what that number is where it's not too big, but it's like big enough where people can do their job and not feel overwhelmed. And then we have two warehouses. We have one that has a pickleball court in it, and we use that for basketball sets.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And then we have what we call HQ, and that has sets. So we have a white psych room. We have a classroom, a diner, a flex space, which we create. Yeah, so we have spaces, but we still, you know, film everything. It just depends on the video. Like last week or two weeks ago, we were filming in a mall and we built a secret room in a mall.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So we're filming in the middle of a mall and we found a place to build. We got cleared to film there and build a secret room. That's amazing.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So it was, I think, really good because we had both of us had our own lives in those college years, which I think are very formative. And then we stayed together. So yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I'm definitely the more creative one, but he has been on YouTube a lot, so he knows. I think he's the voice of like – he challenges me. And then we have a team of like three or four people that are constantly like pitching ideas and brainstorming because I really think that the more we have – the better the video is. So I like people to question it. I don't like yes men or yes women.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I want to like be questioned because all of a sudden I'll just do a whole video. And it's like, why did we even do that? And it's like, so I don't want that. So I always want people questioning. I want data backing it up. We, you know, we look at our...
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
YouTube analytics to study what our audience likes, what did well, what other people in our cluster are doing, how we can do our own version of that, just studying the data.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I think it was just this year, all of a sudden, when people were like, how many people do you have? And we were like, we have a lot of people right now. I was like, when did this happen? It's a lot. But I did see, back in 2017, I did see...
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
youtube as a future i did see it as a business i started youtube as an adult so you know we're like the v1 youtubers just did it made home videos they never thought of it like that i strategically went to youtube because i had an ostomy bag i quit acting um because of my surgeries yeah um and i i specifically was like
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
eventually you know it worked out but we both had our own lives for a while for like two years two at least two years really and were you but you weren't dating for those two years we were we were dating i mean at any point if he met someone or i did i'm sure we would have had that talk but i was so involved in like sports and he was so involved in his career that
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
this is what I have to do I don't know if I'm going to have an ostomy bag forever I can't act anymore so I'm just going to do YouTube videos and I'll produce and like I had no other in my mind I had no other option you can't act with an ostomy bag well I was nervous they have this law where you can't act with an ostomy bag no that is not true it wasn't about that if you have
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
You can definitely... There are actually actors that do have ostomy bags. The issue for me at that time was I was... It was nine months and I had three surgeries in nine months. So it wasn't necessarily that I couldn't act. It was that it took about a month for each for recovery. Think of a C-section and times that by...
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
a little, like, I don't know, I don't want to say how much more, but it was just a very serious surgery. So like times that by three surgeries in nine months and a month recovery at least. And so I just didn't know like where I would be, if I'd be able to go, if I could audition, if you can audition the timing of everything.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So I just thought this is now my reality, at least for the next nine months.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
You go to the bathroom in a bag. For solids. No way. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
My body needed rest because of the inflammation. So they... Instead of being able to reconnect it, it wasn't in good condition. So they... basically took where you go and put it to the side. So I would go in a bag and let, and then I had to heal for six months before they could go in and with my small intestines form a pseudo colon.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And then that had to sit for another three months and they had to test it to make sure it didn't leak. And then they could reconnect.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So I have a J pouch, which is a pseudo colon made out of my small intestines and
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
That's pretty incredible. You get used to it. It's interesting and you don't feel like the urgency that you have to go to the bathroom. It's the weirdest thing.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
That was before when I had ulcerative colitis. Once I had a bag, I was fine unless you have like soda, it like bloats it or you have broccoli. There's certain like gassy foods that would put air in it.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, I definitely did go through that. But I always had hope that it would get better. Because I just think you have to. So there were definitely bad days. But, I mean... Now I look back and I think that that is my superpower. Like you guys are like, you have so much energy.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
We weren't really interested in, I wasn't like looking to find other guys or anything. I was just like very focused. That's cool. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And I think when you're sick for that long or you've experienced near death, I mean, for me, it was a life or death surgery. You see things differently. And I really look at just doing as much as I can because I have the opportunity to live. And I don't think I would have had that. I wouldn't have that perspective if I hadn't gone through what I went through.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
i'm not let's go yeah that is really cool yeah so it makes everything when you're like oh i have to film another video podcast naps let's go yeah yeah so it's like filming 20 videos a month is like that's that's fun for me you know i don't mind doing it question for you guys because this is kind of important for us to know yeah difference between baby one and baby two
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
You know exactly the number.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It was 10 years before he proposed. No way.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
There's different things that I wasn't made aware of that can up your chances. There's a thing called spinning. So our problem was we wanted girl eggs and we had a lot of boy eggs. So we did multiple rounds to try to get good quality girl eggs. They're also all rated. So there's like a day one or a day five. Like a day five is a good egg, a strong.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Like think of a weak egg, okay, and then a good or great egg. Interesting. So we were having troubles with that. And so I had put all girl eggs in, I'd put, four eggs, female eggs, and they'd been unsuccessful. I only had one left.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah. Did you move in together, though, before? We moved in about four years in. Okay. And our parents weren't stoked about that.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
This is the first with Zadie. Yes, the first try we did two. Before Zadie, with the miscarriages I had, I just was unsuccessful.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
week 10 or week nine it was it was really hard like that because we thought there was multiple but also when you have two you lose one so when you lose one there's a lot of like that's also hard because you know you lost it you know it didn't make it and and so there's like double if you put two in um so for the the one with zadie we put in she was our last week female egg and
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
and so we put in a boy as well because I knew I wanted to get pregnant and I just wanted to be pregnant at this point but I knew I would not be able to have a girl if this didn't work and he was strong and she was weak so it was just like, you know what? At this point, I'm like putting this in God's hands because, you know. And so I lost one. And so it's like you see that you lost it.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And so everyone thought that we lost the girl. So I had to, in my head, just know that I probably wasn't going to have a girl. We were like, you know, we can look into adoption. There's other ways to have a girl. But I really didn't want to be upset because I wasn't upset about having a boy. I was upset that I wouldn't be able to have a girl.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Both of my parents weren't thrilled about that, but also liked him a lot. It was just more of the living together thing.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So it was like, this dream of having a daughter will never happen in the way that I pictured it. Yes. So when we had our gender reveal, it was actually a true gender reveal because they can't tell once the eggs are in if it's the boy or the girl. So everyone had thought it was the boy and it turned out to be the girl. No way. So it was incredible. So- Yes, you can.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
We knew going into this, we only had boy eggs, so it had to be a boy. But in that situation, that circumstance, we did not know. And we actually thought it would be a boy. And I worked on my face like, we're going to be happy, grateful to have a boy and be pregnant. Like,
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
was weak and I lost one. Everyone thought that we lost the girl.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I had to like really come to terms with that because I didn't want my face to know, like to show that I was anything but grateful. It was just also like I had always wanted a little girl as well. And so when we found out it was a girl, it was like, you know, the odds were against her and she came through. She said, I'm not a weak egg. I know. She was your fifth. Oh my gosh. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
i grew up very yeah we were catholics so we had um we definitely had to get a two-bedroom apartment you're like it's okay mom and dad we got a two-bedroom nothing's going on that's what makes them you know that can make them sleep at night i was fine getting a two-bedroom apartment yeah i think at the end of the day they knew that we were we we did it to move to los angeles to l.a and so it's like they knew that we both kind of needed the support of the other person i think both sides did too so
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Our fifth female egg.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So because of how hard it was for me to get pregnant the first time, we knew that it would be easier to have a surrogate. But what a lot of people didn't know, and I've talked about this a little bit, is because I have no colon, it's harder for me to absorb nutrients. and everything goes through me four times, like half is, takes half the time.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So she was almost premature because I almost lost her because I couldn't give her the nutrients. So I had to go on IV fluids two hours a night
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
for the last month or two of my pregnancy just to make sure she could be full term and so with that we knew that would already be the case with this one but now i have a daughter and i'm already spending a lot of time filming and two hours now with nap like with nighttime routines and everything would be a lot to take away from her and i felt like if i I would lose being a mom to her.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
On top of that, you know, I am high risk with everything going on. So we just decided because I wanted to also be a mom to her and prioritize her. Whereas before I could just prioritize her in my stomach, it would be the best option to have a surrogate. Yeah, so...
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Honestly, I would have loved that. My sister had just passed the age of like – being like acceptable acceptable because there's like a screening process really okay so we we kind of just moved on from that but yeah it's a very different experience it's hard because um when you're pregnant you feel everything so you feel you feel that connection and with a surrogate you're you're trusting someone
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
with your child and, and you don't know what they're doing and you can only control to a certain point. And so I was talking to Abby earlier, how out of control you feel and, you know, when you like to be in control and you have no control, it's very hard and stressful. And, um, you know, we love our surrogate.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And, um, but it, it is still hard, you know, sometimes I forget we're having baby number two, you know, like I, everyone's like, how is it going? And it's like, if, if they miss an appointment, it stresses me out, you know, like I have no control. And then August is going to come and I'm going to have this little newborn baby. And it just feels like, Like it's so cool.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Like I'm going to have to jump into it really fast where I think as, um, when you carry a baby, you have nine months to kind of prepare. There's the nesting phase, you know, and with this we're preparing, but like emotionally preparing, I think, I think that's been the harder. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It's vulnerable. Very vulnerable. And it is very, I guess weird is the, you know, is the word to describe it. When you go into an ultrasound and it's not your body that they're rubbing the cream on and you're watching.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
and even you know if this you want that surrogate to to love your baby as well you know like she's carrying your child but when they say like oh my little bean or you know it's it's bizarre it's the most bizarre thing but i'm so grateful at the same time so it's like this big like spectrum of emotions that you can't really describe.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Like you're so grateful, but it also feels weird and it doesn't feel natural, but you're so happy. It's everything all in one.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, because we didn't know anyone down here. And it was great because he worked in hotel sales. So he was gone during the day. And I worked at a place called Saddle Ranch when I first moved here. I've heard of Saddle Ranch. It's like a mechanical bull.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, and that's why it's so complicated. It's like, I feel all these things, but at the same time, this woman is making it so that we can complete our family.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
We have, but we haven't said it yet. Totally. Keep it a secret. Just say it amongst yourselves. We said it starts with the letter Z. Okay. I see a theme. And we're letting people guess. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
yeah i love that it's a theme that's really unique so is that because of your last name zamolo yeah and i've just always loved the z names and matt is fine with it so yeah he's like i'm game yeah he picked the middle name i i think we both agreed on the first name with the z he's never fought the z i just have always loved the letter z
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Molo feels like my third baby. Wow. I was telling you when I got... Hold the conception one.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I know that I'm not. Wait. We have the pregnancy test here. I have like hundreds of people comment.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I think you should have to take it right now during this podcast. I got it. Open it up.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
What if she is? We're going to be the first to know.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I will. I'm game. Honestly. Make the viewers wait to the end.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Is that like where all the YouTubers go? I think so. Now, at the time, there was no YouTube channel.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
All right. They're going to have to wait until the end to see if she is.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Well, Abby is taking a pregnancy. You're sweating right now, Matt.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Well, Zmolo is a play on my last name. With Molo, it is all of the supplements that I took to finally get pregnant successfully. So when I had my miscarriage, the one at week nine, a nurse came to me, Christina, who is now partnered with me on this, and she was like, what supplements are you taking? And I was like, I have prenatal and maybe one other thing. And she's like, okay.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
so it was like so new I guess there was YouTube but it wasn't a thing so we worked opposite schedules I really don't think we would have seen each other if we did not live together wow so 10 years why 10 years honestly no rush I'm not the girl I wasn't like the girl that was like you better put a ring on it I think it was more me my parents divorced like after 22 years and so I always was like I want to wait because like
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
She's like, we're going to get you pregnant. Here's a list of all of the supplements you should be taking. You should be taking zinc. You should be taking CoQ10. You should be doing this. And so I went and bought all of it. And she's like, take this for three months. And so I started taking it.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It was like 14 pills and you have to take them every day. And I was like, this is crazy. She's like, yeah, all of the women complain about it, but like you need this to get pregnant. So I did it. and took the pills and I did get pregnant. And so I was like, you know, once I had Zadie, I was like, can't we make this easier for women? Why has nothing changed in like over 20 years?
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I was talking to a woman that went through IVF 17 years ago and she's like, it's the exact same. It's just as hard. I had to take pills. I had to do this. You have to, you know, it's not an easy experience. So now all of what you need
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
in a stick that you can drink exact milligrams you pour in water you drink it up eight ounces and it's everything you need instead of taking all of these pills and a lot of time a big problem which was for me as well is education you don't know what vitamins to take and you're just searching the web you're trying to do your best you're piecing it together and now with Molo
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
all of the vitamins are all in one so you don't have to search you don't have to know you just basically can mix and match based off on your pregnancy journey if you're trying to get pregnant if you are pregnant if it's ivf and um yeah so it's really exciting it's really easy and and we just launched at walmart yeah that's actually the other thing that we really wanted to make sure that we made this product was affordable so it's um it's less than 30 for a 30-day supply
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Well, we partnered with someone that specializes in health and pills and fertility.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah. So like with a prenatal, generally you're getting for one ingredient, you'd say CoQ10, you're only getting 50 milligrams where a woman should be taking over 200 milligrams of CoQ10. So a lot of times they're giving you like little bits, but not the full amount. Also with certain women that have PCOS,
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
um, certain things like DHEA, which is, uh, it's something that is normally good for a quality. Um, it can actually kill a female embryo if you have PCOS. So we took that into account and we added, um, something else. I think it's a. ADL, it's on the hormone balance, so it's safe for PCS. On the back, you can read it. Wait, let me see it really quick. Let me just make sure I get it right.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It's ALA, and this is in replacement of the DHEA, which is also something you should be taking, but it is safe for everyone. Luckily, one of our partners He specializes in all of this and he dealt with infertility with his wife. So he's like extra knowledgeable. We brought in a nurse. We have a lot of studies, a lot of data to back it.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
you change a lot in your 20s. And I was nervous that we would change so much, especially because we weren't together for a lot of our relationship in the beginning. That it's like, what if we change and, you know, and it doesn't work out. I was just so fearful of commitment, even though I was extremely committed. It made no sense. But...
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And with Molo, obviously this is a product, but we have a much bigger plan for We're looking to build a community. There's not really a community for women to go to who are struggling and to communicate. Our goal is to have nurses on standby. If you have questions, you can type those in. You can talk to a nurse. And just helping women feel not so alone.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So Molo is a product, but we're really trying to build it out to educate women as well and make them take back control of their fertility. I love it. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Very cool, you guys. Yeah, we're really excited. This is something I'm super passionate about, obviously dealing with infertility and with the infertility numbers on the rise, women having kids later. I think it's really important that as women, we know what we can do to give our bodies the best chance of successfully staying pregnant.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
We're gonna wait and make sure baby number two is healthy and then we'll figure it out. I mean, never say never, but I think we're, you know, we're so grateful to be able to have two that we're just like, we're not even thinking there yet. But you know who is? You guys, because you're the one who took a pregnancy test. What is he supposed to be looking for?
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I love Matt. I love Matt. You know what's on that stick, right? I love Matt who has never opened the pregnancy one. I like him doing this. Matt's reading the instructions to give me.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Okay. I mean, Matt, it's right there. I'm trying to let him do it himself.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It's just... It's one line or two. Okay, here we go.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
You know what's on that stick, right?
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
that makes sense where you guys have been together now for how many years has it been now it's been like almost 20 i think wow congrats you guys i don't know the exact we stopped counting we're like you know what we're just gonna start from marriage but for a very long time that's awesome i think for us it's important too that we each have our own own thing or our independence um
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Like I'm very independent. He is too. So our worlds do collide now. But especially in the beginning, it was like we needed to have our own things too. So we weren't codependent, I would say.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Thanks so much for being here. Thanks for having us.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I run, so I always run in the morning. I do that or I get out somehow. You just run outside? Yeah, I just run. I run for about an hour. I just have to do that. A one-hour run? Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It's like meditative. It's where I can like think and like I used to like train and track and run a lot. I do it more for clearing my head. So I get like one hour and, you know, going out with friends. Like if there's girls trips or I don't really do trips, but like day events.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
She wakes up a little earlier now because of school. So I've been like a little more lenient. Now I see her a little later. But I used to like for the first at least two years, I was there when she woke up. So I always made sure I'd be back in time. Yeah, it's early. It's early mornings. But it sounds like you guys have early mornings too.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
No. No, I'm so used to it. I think my body is so efficient that I probably burn less calories. Because the more you do it, the more efficient your body gets.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I have a very low heart rate.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It drops under 40. Yeah. It's genetic. My mom has it too. Mine is so fast.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
It's that plus genetics. It really is. You're just built for it. Yeah, my mom's not as athletic and hers is just as low.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
during halftime he just he puts on a show he's like the dude perfect you should look it up yeah it's honestly though have you worn those mascot outfits like it's rough have you worth it i mean they're so heavy and thick and big and then you have to like shoot a basket you can barely see in those things i think that's a skill they probably smell terrible yeah it's not good
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Back when MTV had music videos and you had TRL. Like, this is a long time ago. How long way before? I mean, I was 19 then. So it's been like, it's forever. I was a teenager when we met. But you guys were even younger. No, don't bring up the photo.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
He does. He does. Matt has a very wide range of music. It's country. It's pop. He likes just like good singers. And I'm tone deaf, so it all sounds good to me. So he like is very into, I don't know, the quality of the song. I just like need something that's upbeat. Yeah.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah. She's three now. Oh, she's three. She just turned three in February. Oh, my goodness. I know.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
Yeah, like six months older. Yeah. That's why I'm like, I don't know how you guys have two. I know.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
The reason I chose IVF was because I had been sick for a long time. I had ulcerative colitis for eight years. So my 20s, I spent most of it in a hospital at least once a month for three or four days. And And I do think that's why I have a lot of energy now is because I had to fake being healthy for so long. I would be trying to be myself and then I would go home and have to take a three-hour nap.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
And just like fighting to be normal, what my normal was. I was a college athlete to go from that to just like trying to function every day was very different for me. So when I wanted to get pregnant, I was finally ready. We had waited because I'd been so sick for so long. I never traveled. I never did what normal people did.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
I never got to eat at a restaurant that I could enjoy because I'd be so stressed. if there was no bathroom nearby, if someone went in it and there was, I'd be stressed the whole time because I would have to go instantly.
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
So it was just like, I got my life back and I, you know, finally we got to take a trip to New York or, you know, go to a restaurant and actually have a meal and all these like things that everyone took for granted, I didn't get to do. And so we waited because it was like, I was doing all these things for the first time. And so by the time we wanted kids,
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
The doctor had said it would be much harder because I don't have a colon, but we didn't realize it would be that much harder. And we chose IVF because I wanted to make sure that it was monitored the entire time. Like I wasn't someone that could just show up at, you know, a six week appointment and be like, hey, how's it going? Just checking in. It's like I really...
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Why I chose surrogacy w/ Rebecca Zamolo
felt like I needed that monitoring because my case is a lot different than most women's.