Pathways to Parenthood 2026

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Pathways to Parenthood

Q&A

From Their Family to Another

To me, it seems like such a small Content creators, lifestyle vloggers, authors, and podcast hosts, Dan and Sam Mathews part I played in (@wearedanandsam) open up about surrogacy, motherhood, and helping others someone else’s experience the joy of parenthood. life, even though Sam, what first placed a mom. From the start you know the able to experiI know it was a surrogacy on your heart, and baby that you’re carrying isn’t yours ence the same tremendous when did you realize it was and every milestone is exciting for joys of motherhood act. something you truly wanted to and parenthood that the new parents. do for another family?

After having our second baby, we felt like we were done. We had the one-to-one ratio and were excited for future adventures and memories with them. My daughter was a little bit of a harder baby than my first, so that helped our decision to feel done having more kids. But at the same time I still desired to be pregnant again! I started researching surrogacy and what it all entails and after some prayer and talking with Dan we decided to move forward with pursuing it! I’m very thankful I had an easy time conceiving but I know that’s not the case for everybody and there are so many women out there who struggle with infertility and I wanted to do my part to help.

What was it like to experience pregnancy knowing that, at the end of the journey, you would be helping someone else meet the child they had been waiting for?

It was an amazing thing to go through a pregnancy experience all while knowing the baby was going to help someone else become

How did Dan and your children support you throughout your surrogacy journeys, and how did those experiences shape your family as a whole?

My family was an amazing support system throughout both of my surrogacy journeys. I could not have done it without them! Dan gave me almost all of my injections and encouraged me on days that were hard. And the kids were so sweet and understanding. They rubbed my belly and talked to belly bud almost every day! It was so cute seeing them meet the baby and know that their mom helped someone else have a baby.

You are now raising three children of your own while also knowing that you helped two other families become parents.

What does that mean to you when you reflect on it today?

To me, it seems like such a small part I played in someone else’s life, even though I know it was a tremendous act. It’s such an amazing feeling, knowing other people are

we are because of our obedience and willingness to help other people out.

What would you want hopeful parents—and women considering becoming surrogates—to understand about the love, trust, and relationships that can grow from a surrogacy journey?

Remain hopeful that there is someone out there ready and willing to go on this journey with you. It may take time to find the right person, but the weight is worth it.

When you’re able to have a lasting friendship at the end of a surrogacy journey, it’s an amazing thing. We have a really close relationship with one of our intended parents and it brings me so much joy to see them grow every year as a family. Knowing I helped play a small part in that Read the entire means the world to me and interview online at my family. The kids even healthinsight.ca find so much joy in watching little belly bud grow up. It’s the cutest thing!

Publisher: Chloe Pellegrino-Hill Business Development Manager: Maya Mezerhane Country Manager: Samantha Taylor Content & Client Success Manager: Nicole Kansakar Creative Director: Kylie Armishaw Digital Traffic Manager: Vansh Chandwaney All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited.

This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve The Toronto Star or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.

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Which Life Insurance Is Best for Your Young Family?

Life insurance protects your family financially. But how do you choose the right policy?

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Written by Anne Papmehl

Written by Sonya Friesen

Anyone with people who depend on them, including parents of young kids, stay-at-home parents, people with a co-signed mortgage, or business owners with dependents.

You pay a relatively small amount over time. If you pass away during the policy term, your family receives a tax-free lump sum of money, ensuring they don’t have to struggle financially in your absence, on top of everything else they’re dealing with.

What should people consider when buying life insurance?

It’s not one-size-fits-all. How much coverage you need, how long you need it for, your budget, and who you name as your beneficiary all matter and look different for each family. If price is your biggest concern, term life insurance may be the best place to start.

What's a common misconception about life insurance?

This article was sponsored by PolicyMe.

Baby Gourmet continues to bring families together through nourishing, flavourful foods made with love.

Many people assume it's only for older adults, or too expensive to consider while young and healthy. In reality, it's often more affordable when you're younger, right when your family is growing and needs it most.

For families ready to start, PolicyMe aims to make the process less intimidating. You can go through it online yourself, talk to an advisor, or just grab a quote.

Whichever way you choose to start, the goal stays the same: giving your family the protection they need.

Who should consider life insurance, and how does it work?

Your family matters, and so does the life insurance you select. Learn more by visiting policyme.com.

From Farmers Market to Canada's #1 Organic Baby Food Brand aby Gourmet was born from a mother's desire to provide better food for her baby. When co-founder Jennifer Carlson felt the baby food options available didn't meet the standards she wanted for her daughter, she took matters into her own hands.

Alongside her sister, Jill Vos, she began creating homemade purée recipes, combining wholesome ingredients with gourmet-inspired flavours that introduced little ones to a variety of tastes and textures, helping lay the foundation for lifelong healthy eating habits.

What began in the sisters' kitchen soon found a home at the Calgary Farmers' Market, where local families embraced their handcrafted blends. The recipes encouraged food exploration and made mealtimes more enjoyable for both babies and parents.

Twenty years later, Baby Gourmet has grown into Canada's #1 organic baby food brand and a trusted household name. Yet despite its growth, Baby Gourmet's purpose remains unchanged: helping parents confidently nourish their little ones with high-quality, nutritious food they can feel good about serving their babies. “Quality has always been our priority, and I remain actively involved in product development to ensure every product reflects the standards our families expect", says Jill Vos, co-founder.

Built on a love of food, family, and connection, Baby Gourmet continues to be guided by a simple belief: good food made with love can nourish both growing bodies and the bonds formed around mealtime: "Food has always been about more than nutrition for us. It is about love, connection, and helping babies build positive relationships with food," says Jennifer Carlson.

Today, Baby Gourmet supports families from their babies' very first spoonfuls through every stage of early feeding, offering a range of products including fruit and vegetable pouches, infant cereals, jars, meals and snacks. More than two decades after its founding, the brand remains true to its humble roots.

s a spouse and parent, you want to protect the people who depend on you. Life insurance provides financial support for your family if you are no longer there to provide it yourself. But with plenty of misconceptions out there, choosing the right policy can feel overwhelming. Mediaplanet asked Laura McKay, a mom and co-founder of PolicyMe, to help demystify the process.

Laura McKay Co-founder, PolicyMe

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NSO Is Advancing Newborn Screening and Improving Early Detection Newborn Screening Ontario and the INFANT Study are advancing early detection and inviting eligible Ontario families to participate in innovative research.

N Jennifer Milburn Executive Director, Newborn Screening Ontario

Dr. Neal Sondheimer Medical Director, Newborn Screening Ontario

ewborn screening is performed on babies shortly after birth to check for rare, treatable health conditions.

“Newborn screening detects diseases that can’t be picked up in other ways,” says Jennifer Milburn, Executive Director of Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO), Ontario’s newborn screening program. “Babies are born and they may look healthy and not have any family history of these diseases. The best way to identify whether there’s a problem is to perform newborn screening.”

“Treatment needs to be given before symptoms start,” says Dr. Neal Sondheimer, NSO’s Medical Director.

“Waiting until a child develops symptoms leads to worse outcomes than starting to treat them before any symptoms emerge.”

Dr. Sondheimer explains that newborn screening is also important due to the “diagnostic odyssey” families go through. “Having information early on to tell you what’s going to lie ahead prepares you for challenges and gets rid of the frightening experience of not knowing what’s wrong with your child,” he says.

20 years of trusted leadership Dr. Kristin Kernohan Molecular Laboratory Head, Newborn Screening Ontario & Principal Investigator, INFANT Study

Newborn screening began in Ontario in 1965 by Public Health Ontario.

Responsibility for newborn screening moved to NSO, located at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), in 2006. In that year, screening expanded from two conditions to over 20.

Today, the number is approximately 30. Over the past 20 years, NSO has been a leader in expanding access to innovative screening and improving outcomes for families across Ontario.

NSO coordinates newborn screening across Ontario, conducting laboratory testing, managing referrals, and tracking quality and follow-up.

“These are rare diseases, and most people will never hear from us again after that sample gets tested,” says Milburn. “But for those families that

are affected, it’s life-changing and life-saving.”

How the INFANT Study is Expanding Screening using Advanced Genetic Technologies Today, NSO and the CHEO Research Institute are running the INFANT Study, an innovative genomic sequencing screening pilot that’s a first in Canada.

Standard newborn screening uses a few drops of blood from a baby’s heel to measure things like hormones and enzymes. Genomic newborn screening uses that same blood sample to screen for many more treatable health conditions — over 200, in the study — by checking a baby’s DNA. The INFANT Study is conducted after and separately from standard newborn screening, and doesn’t require a new sample.

“We haven’t had a technology that would allow us to test for this many disorders in the past,” says Dr. Kristin Kernohan, Molecular Laboratory Head for NSO and Principal Investigator for the INFANT Study. “This would allow us to offer screening for hundreds of new diseases as treatments become available.”

The best way to identify whether there’s a problem is to perform newborn screening.

Participating in the INFANT Study The INFANT Study is a voluntary research study and is not currently part of Ontario’s standard public health screening program. Eligible Ontario families are invited to participate at no cost. Babies must have completed standard newborn screening and be under six months old.

“The larger picture going forward is to provide evidence that this can be done on a population scale and in a way that is respectful of patients and their families and economically feasible,” says Dr. Sondheimer, who also serves as the study’s site lead.

Written by Tania Amardeil

Q&A

How Early Detection Gave One Family Hope

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ediaplanet spoke with Rebecca, an Ontario mother of two whose younger daughter was identified with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) through newborn screening.

What did you know about newborn screening before your daughter was born?

I didn’t know anything about the process. We had a daughter two years prior and I wasn’t aware of the vast array of screening that NSO offered.

What difference did identifying her condition early make?

It made a world of difference. Within the first month of her life, our daughter was given a one-time gene therapy that completely changed the trajectory of her life. Without this early intervention, she might not have been able to walk, swallow her food normally, or even live past the age of two. In fact, she has developed so normally that no one has ever questioned her abilities, only commenting on her strength and resiliency.

What did having information and answers early mean to you as a parent?

It meant everything. It began as a jarring experience, but within days, we felt at ease knowing that her early intervention was going to give us hope and a future.

What would you want new and expecting parents to know?

NSO is a blessing. We are forever grateful for early intervention.

Learn more about newborn screening and its benefits at newbornscreening.on.ca and visit infantstudy.mygeneticsadviser.com to enrol in the INFANT Study.

This article is sponsored by Newborn Screening Ontario.

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