The Unplanned Parent

Ashley is 22 weeks pregnant. And she's finally telling her side of the story.In Episode 6, she walks through how she got here: the deadline she gave herself at 42, the FaceTime call where Raman's name came up as a joke, and the morning-after text where he said he was actually considering it. She also explains why she chose a known person over a sperm donor — and why specifically Raman.Then she gets into the legal agreement. What started easy became hard fast. Two things in the document made her cry. One almost made her call everything off.Dr. Angel closes with why talking through the big parenting questions before you have a baby is so much better than after.

Ashley is finally here, and she's 22 weeks pregnant.In Episode 5, she tells her own story: why she froze her eggs at 34, what it actually felt like to give herself daily shots for three weeks, and why she went back and did it again at 40. She also shares the unexpected thing the egg freezing process gave her: a diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis that had been missed for years, and a treatment that changed how she felt almost overnight.Dr. Angel walks through the science: thyroid hormone and fertility, how the egg-to-embryo attrition process works, what the data says about IVF outcomes, and the story of the first IVF baby born in 1978.The first time we hear this story from the other side of it.

The baby is coming. Raman has thought about approximately two things.Dr. Angel Rampal puts her brother through the questions every new parent should be sitting with before the due date: circumcision, breastfeeding (and whether you can have a drink while doing it), cord blood banking and what those OB-office brochures aren't telling you, infant CPR, skin-to-skin for dads, sleep safety, and a few things most parents don't find out until they're mid-diaper-change.Angel also shares something personal: postpartum depression with all three of her kids, and what it looked like when she finally couldn't power through anymore.A lot of ground. A lot of honesty. The usual.Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult your treating physician for guidance specific to your situation!

Raman thought the hard part was over after the yes text. Then Ashley called from the doctor's office.The recommendation: quit vaping for 90 days to improve sperm quality. Raman's first reaction was to hang up and vape ten times in a row.Episode 3 is the story of how he actually did it — the addiction, the logistics of quitting, the dismantled vape that ended up in a dumpster at 1:30am, and the before-and-after sperm analysis that made it all worth it.Dr. Angel covers the science behind nicotine and sperm health, what men should be doing in the preconception window, and how to talk to teenagers about vaping before it becomes a problem. Plus: ChatGPT as a surprisingly effective quit coach.

Saying yes was the easy part.In Episode 2, Raman walks through the six months between his "I'm in" text and the actual embryo implantation — and it was a lot more than just showing up to a clinic. Psychological evaluations. Lawyers. A legally binding document covering everything from vaccines to what kind of car the kid can ride in. And one sperm sample that, in his own words, could have been better.Dr. Angel weighs in on what she found surprisingly refreshing about the whole process, when to tell a child they were conceived non-traditionally, and the science behind why all of Raman and Ashley's viable embryos came back male.Thorough, candid, and occasionally very funny.

What does it actually take to say yes to becoming a parent — especially when it was never part of the plan?In this first episode of The Unplanned Parent, Dr. Angel Rampal (board-certified pediatrician) and her brother, Raman, kick off the season by going back to the very beginning: the moment a running joke between friends stopped being a joke. Raman's longtime friend Ashley had frozen her eggs at 34, she was ready to have a baby at 44, and she wanted to know if Raman was in. His first answer? Hell no.This episode traces how that hell no turned into a text message that said "I'm in — where do I go?" They cover the long deliberation process, the friends and family Raman consulted (including a Tim walk that shifted things), the lawyers and accountants who told him not to do it, and the one variable that quietly tipped the scale: everyone who knew Ashley said yes.Dr. Angel also weighs in from a pediatrician's perspective — what the research actually says about non-traditional family structures, why platonic co-parenting can work, and the medical detail that gave her the most hope: Ashley's decision to freeze her eggs a decade ago.No scripts. No tidy conclusions. Just two siblings sorting through a genuinely unusual situation — and a season just getting started.If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.YouTube Chapters00:00 Cold Open — 'If we end up old and want kids, just ask'00:46 Welcome to The Unplanned Parent — Angel Introduces the Show01:17 Meet Raman — The Nomadic Co-Host Who Said Yes to Fatherhood02:06 The Man Who Never Wanted Kids03:25 D-Day: The Text That Started It All04:25 How the Joke Between Raman and Ashley Started05:43 How Raman and Ashley Know Each Other07:35 Ashley Gives Raman a Deadline: Answer by Thanksgiving08:26 Raman's First Answer: Hell No09:17 What Made Him Reconsider — The Kids on the Ski Trips11:13 Angel's First Reaction: Also Hell No (But for Different Reasons)13:06 Angel's 180 — Why She Changed Her Mind15:20 The Tim Walk — The Conversation That Helped16:12 Bobby's Advice: There Is No Wrong Answer17:08 The Lawyers and Accountants Who Said Don't Do It17:59 What Raman's Parents Said19:22 The Pattern Raman Noticed: Everyone Who Knew Ashley Said Yes20:09 What It Takes to Co-Parent With Someone — Angel's Take21:56 The Mental Hurdles: Raman Was Dating Someone22:35 Masha — How His Girlfriend Fit Into the Decision23:00 The Poconos House, Gabby the Dog, and What Might Change25:26 Ashley's Promise: Your Involvement Level Is Up to You26:03 Angel's Pediatric Take on Non-Traditional Family Structures27:30 What Raman Might Have Missed — Angel's Medical Concerns28:33 Ashley Froze Her Eggs at 34 — Why That Matters29:18 Is This Normal? Two Friends Having a Baby Together30:01 Angel's Biggest Concern: Carrying a Pregnancy at 4431:34 The Adverse Childhood Events Research — What Actually Affects Kids33:38 Why This Baby Is Starting With Plus Points34:24 Closing — What's Coming Next episode

A pediatrician. Her brother. His platonic co-parenting journey. The Unplanned Parent follows one family's real-time path to baby, with the science, the decisions, and the conversations your doctor skips. New episodes every other week.