My spouse gave birth to little girl last week after a four-five year fertility journey, culminating with a successful IVF transfer. Thank goodness for modern science, but also, a BIG thank you to the Creating A Family podcast. We discovered it during a time of exhaustion and little hope. We didn’t know what all of our options were. We didn’t know who we should be talking to. The podcast cut through the well-intended yet toxic positivity of our friends and family, and gave us sound, unbiased wisdom from medical professionals. The host, Dawn, is excellent at asking the experts the questions that I would want to ask. It gave us options, it gave us current research, it gave us hope. There is no certainty around pathways to fertility but knowing what to expect and what is possible can be uplifting just in of itself. What an incredible resource. Thank you! R, K and baby S
I want to love this podcast because of the topics but I find there isn’t enough substance in most episodes. The 45-50 minute episodes usually cover helpful info in 10-15 minutes and the rest is repetitive fluff or not helpful. And the conversations are bland otherwise. Good for this program for providing those who need it some important information. I just need something more.
I am so appreciative of your episode on how fostering and adopting can affect other children in the home. Not enough people are speaking up about this circumstance, and it’s one that hit home for me. Thank you!
I’ve been listening to “creating a family” for a few years now, my husband and I were going through our options and making decisions regarding adoption. The content was so helpful in guiding us to our decision, helping us decide what factors we would be comfortable accepting in a match, and providing guidance and wisdom on parenting “kids from hard places”. We continue to listen and on world adoption day we finalized my sons adoption. Thank you guys for all your support!
Disappointing episode. What I wanted to hear about the emotional side of it was condensed in the last three minutes. And even then, it was cursory. Too much time was spent in the timeline of her story and related action items. I was hoping for more on what it’s like to really live with infertility- emotionally, relationally, physically, etc.
This is the first episode I’ve listened to in this podcast so perhaps I’ll find answers in other episodes but this wasn’t the best start.
I love the weekly podcasts that support and inform my efforts to help my family grow and thrive. The experts are engaging and the real-life stories with practical applications are encouragement to keep going!
“Is Donor Sperm/Egg Donation and Surrogacy Harmful...”
I am very late to the tend of podcasts and decided to see what apple podcasts were about people like me - the donor conceived. So I stumbled upon this podcast and hesitantly gave it a shot.
While I understand that the interview took place in 2013, and that the study mentioned only surrounded 44 conceived individuals, I am appalled at the lack of awareness around psychological impacts of those who found out later in life that they were conceived via donation. Just because your 44 people - or rather their *parents*, which is a whole other lecture - said they were “fine” does not mean they were always “fine”, if they ever were/are at all.
I’m in a donor sibling group of ~25+ individuals, with our numbers growing every year with the help of companies like Ancestry and 23andMe. Nearly a quarter of my siblings found out they were donor conceived through their own investigations as adults. This has had a huge impact on their lives and their identities. They still loved their families, and were nonchalant about their conception, but the biggest psychological problem surrounds who they saw themselves as and how this reveal impacted their *Health*. Like those of us in the anonymous donor category of pre-2007 births, it is rare to find anything out about the other half of your lineage and family medical history. It’s a big question mark in our medical files which can lead to a host of questions and problems as you get older and start your own family. (Don’t get me started on the sperm banks who purposefully used donors with schizophrenia and covered it up...)
So to hear this supposed expert you love so much saying there are no real differences in knowing vs not knowing?
I read her study. It’s skimpy beyond belief. I get that you can’t always get a good sample size with these studies. But if they were recruited through the internet and spread word through sibling and donor and fellow-DCK connections....
Anyway, I hope to find you one day update on these topics and cover these problems. Just have one podcast discussing all the articles that pop up when you type in “sperm donation” into the New York Times search engine.
Til then, I’ll be looking for more credible podcasts.
I am so thankful for this podcast. My husband and I are newly certified foster parents who intend to adopt a sibling group in the near future. Neither of us have any parenting experience. I really wanted to find a podcast that shared practical advice for parenting foster and adopted children. Every podcast that I listened to was primarily focused on faith. I have nothing against faith, but I was looking for something evidence-based. That is exactly what I found with the Creating a Family podcast. The guests on the program are leaders in their fields and have such helpful advice with examples of practical application. I have skipped around and only listened to episodes with an adoption focus. Here are some of the episodes I found to be extremely helpful: Trauma-Informed Parenting: Practical Applications of TBRI, Dr. Karyn Purvis -- Raising and Healing Abused and Neglected Kids, Therapeutic Parenting: Practical Applications, Helping Children Heal From Past Trauma, No Such Thing as a Bad Kid -- Parenting Traumatized Kids, Pracitcal Solutions to Typical Food Issues with Adopted and Foster Kids, Parenting Tips for Lying, Stealing & Other Annoying Behaviors, Impact of Loss on Foster Kids and Foster Parents, Preparing Grandparents When You are Adopting, Joys and Challenges of Adopting Siblings. Dawn, thank you for this resource! I'm looking forward to listening to many more episodes as we progress through our journey.
The audio quality is really poor (sounds like a long distance call) which is unfortunate since the podcast itself has great information and content with interesting guests. Also needs some editing and polish to be really listenable. Pls coach your guests not to talk so close to the phone/microphone prior to recording it makes the audio that much worse. I hate writing negative things which is why I only took off one star and I like the host and content.
I’ve just started listening to these podcasts and I’m addicted. So many of the questions I’ve been pondering are answered here in a thorough way by either experts, those who have lived the experience, or, most often, both. Thank you.
I have really learned a lot from this podcast in regards to Adoption and adoptive child needs. The audio quality isn't always great but it's really not a big deal considering you're getting a free resource to help you with your family
I really appreciate the unbiased, informative approach to this podcast. They have lots of wonderful experts as guests, which I appreciate. It’s been a great resource in my own journey to create a family!
Thanks for offering such varied and helpful topics. I like that this show allows for questions from the triad community and has respected leaders in the field to answer them. Way to go.
As someone who is working through infertility treatments and considering adoption/foster care in the future, I find this podcast very informative. There is a wide range of topics covered and many knowledgeable guests. Thank you!
Has a great resource. The podcasts does a great job of covering a variety of ways to create a family, fertility, and all the emotional and Health related things one needs to know.
This podcast has helped me come to terms with the grief surrounding my infertility. You call it a loss, and that’s something I needed to hear. Thank you for making it okay to talk about infertility more openly.
We've relied on this podcast as we've navigated this incredibly difficult journey from infertility to fostering and now to (hopefully) adoption. Thanks, Dawn!
Listening to this podcast with all the wonderful guests and discussions on infertility was a life saver for me. Very thoughtful and thorough discussions that taught me a lot and helped me advocate for getting myself started with IVF treatment sooner than later. Highly recommend for anyone struggling with infertility.
As they name says, ‘Creating a Family’ is about that. The Q&A are highly questions and highly researched answers directly from physicians and clinics. I never felt like they were pushing any agenda and now I feel incredibly informed. Thank you
I love this podcast! I appreciate that Dawn Davenport remains intentionally neutral, research based and caring. Thank you for creating Creating a Family!
This podcast is great for all different kinds of topics relating to infertility and adoption. I love that there are so many experts on this show and so much research is talked about. Extremely educational resource.
I have listened to several podcasts on creating a family on infertility and adoption. My husband and I are currently on an infertility journey for 4 years now and was referred to creating a family by someone in my support group. Dawn Davenport is a wonderful interviewer and she recruits top notch and very knowledgable experts to interview on all aspects of the infertility journey and adoption. I am about to start IVF (and am also in the process of foster care adoption) and feel much more informed now to make the difficult decisions during this process. I am certainly no expert and have a lot to learn, but am very grateful for what I have learned so far. At every meeting of my support group, I refer people to creating a family because I think so highly of it. I am very thankful to Dawn Davenport and the Creating a Family team for creating such a great resource!
From a mother of three adopted children, thank you for podcasting. I'm constantly connecting with he information found in this podcast and find it very helpful post adoption!
I've gotten so much incredible and practical info about all facets of adopting from this series, as well as some about infertility issues.
We intend to adopt from foster care and it's difficult to find resources, this series is a gem
This is a great podcast for people struggling to create a family though adoption, IVF, donor gametes, and everything related. It is helpful to hear people talking about these problems in a less-emotional way.
My one complaint is about the audio quality. I don’t know if is the mic, the compression, or what, but the audio is among the worst podcasts I’ve listened to. Whoever is responsible should google The Podcast Method and listen to some of Dan’s recording tips.
The information given in this podcast is invaluable for both infertility and adoption. It’s really great quality stuff. I have particularly benefitted from hearing adult adoptees explain what it feels like to be adopted and how they view the world; as an adoptee and hopeful adopter, its really helped me come to terms with some underlying oddness in my own life and how I can help my future children deal with the same. However, I can’t believe this podcast has been available for so many years and Creating a Family hasn’t looked into having the podcasts edited. Sometimes it’s mind numbing to listen to guests and host stumble over each other, stutter, cut each other off for useless announcements and ramble on and on with overly descriptive questions and comments. It seems like no planning has occurred before the show is recorded.
I came here for info on ART procedures and latest news. I am 25 and my husband is 29, we where DX'ed with unexplianed infertilty. We are currently doing IVF round #1, I came here for info...but unfortuanlty there is little to no talk about stats or anything for us younger couples undergoing the same treatments as 35+. Just suggesting might want to start thinking about our age group. :)
This is such an awesome show. I've only been listening for about three weeks and it's already helping me feel less alone and scared. The content is relevant; the delivery is excellent; and I just love Dawn's voice. It's very calm and reassuring. :)
I listen to these podcasts and refer to resources on the Creating a Family web site regularly, both in preparing for the adoption of our daughter and since she has been home with us. I find them invaluable. Often her guests discuss their latest book or research. I have found so many great books this way.
Dawn Davenport places information in perspective while still presenting it in a neutral, "non-preachy" way. When she does express opinions she explains her reasoning and usually thinking of opposing views. The quality of these podcasts was much better and nuanced than most of the "official" pre-adoption learning. So useful and reassuring.
This podcast has so much great information on infertility. I wish I had listened months ago when I first started infertility treatment. Things probably wouldve gone better. However, I wish Dawn (the host) would work on decreasing her "uhhs" and "umms" and not interrupting her guests.
This podcast is very informative, thoughtful and enjoyable. Perfect for anyone who's trying to conceive or has moved onto adoption. This is the ONLY podcast I've found that covers these issues and I'm so thankful for it!
I've been listening for 6 months and this podcast so very informative. I love all the different points of view and the interviews with RE doctors. Thank you for your great show.
These podcasts have become my "bible" as I prepare to be a foster parent. I have listened to dozens of the podcasts. The guests are experts in their field and most of them have written the best books in their field. Very valuable resource. I recommend it to everyone who's considering adoption or foster parenting.
Creating a Family is an extremely useful resource for anyone seeking in-depth, thoughtful, unbiased information about BOTH adoption AND infertility issues. The experts they interview are knowledgeable and helpful. This is clearly a program produced by people who are both knowledgeable and caring. (And I love the name, because it really is about creating a family.)
I've turned to this podcast time and time again for the best, most up to date information on all things infertility and adoption. I always recommend it to others who are hoping to expand their knowledge on the subject. Plus, with a large archive of shows, if there's something you want to know about, there's bound to be a show to cover that topic. Thanks Creating a Family and Dawn Davenport for this amazing resource!
Great resources and information on all aspects of adoption and infertility. Unbiased information. Interviews with top experts. Easy to listen to and very enjoyable as well as informative.
