Creating A Family: Talk About Infertility, Adoption & Foster Care

How can churches support kids in foster care and prevent children from entering foster care? Join us for our discussion with Jedd Medefind, President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) and Amber Knowles, the Executive Director of The Riverside Project (formerly Fostering Family).In this episode, we cover:We call it a foster care “crisis”. What does that term mean? What are the needs of foster children?What is each organization doing to help engage churches in caring for foster kids?What are ways people of faith can help improve the world of fostering if they know that they aren’t able to actually get licensed to foster?How can churches provide support for people once they are parenting kids from foster care—either through fostering or adoption?How can churches work to support birth families to help once the child has been reunified or to help stabilize them so that children don’t end up in care?How can faith communities get involved with supporting foster families and foster kids?The Jockey Being Fa

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you considering adopting a baby? On today's show we talk about the legal and medical risk factors you need to consider. We talk with Amy Wallas Fox about the legal risk factors in infant adoption. Ms. Fox is an attorney partner of Claiborne Fox Bradley Goldman, a North Carolina and Georgia law firm and a fellow in the American Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. We talk with Dr. Lisa Prock, MD, MPH, about the medical risk factors in infant adoption. Dr. Prock is the Director of the Developmental Medicine Center and Associate Chief in the Division of Developmental Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.In this episode, we cover:How can a hopeful adoptive parent find a baby to adopt in the US?What is the difference between an adoption agency, adoption attorney, adoption facilitator, and adoption consultant?What is meant by an adoption-friendly state? Is there a state that is better tha

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.In this episode, we talk with Dr. Tia Jackson-Bey about Racial Disparities in Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Jackson-Bey is a Reproductive Endocrinologist with RMA of NY. She speaks frequently on reproductive justice and increasing access to fertility care and she is a member of the Americian Society for Reproductive Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce.In this episode, we cover:What biological reproductive health conditions that can impact their fertility are Black women more prone to.Tubal or uterine abnormalitiesPCOSFibroidsRacial Disparities in Infertility TreatmentAfrican American women are more likely than white women to experience infertility and wait longer to seek care.Women of color are less likely to access fertility treatment.Racial Disparities in Other Reproductive Health IssuesContraceptive usePap testsMammogramsMaternal mortalityPreterm birthLow birth weightUptake of human papillomavirus vaccinationWhat are some of the

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What is the future for parent support groups and are online support groups here to stay? How can we make them better? We talk with Dr. Jay Miller, Dean and Dorothy Miller Research Professor at the College of Social Work, University of Kentucky. He is a former foster youth and is now a prolific researcher in what works to support foster, adoptive, and kinship families.In this episode, we cover:The Virtual Interaction Pilot Program at the University of KentuckyHow to create a sense of community and relationship building with online parent support groups?How many is too many participants in online groups?What platform is best? Zoom? Microsoft Teams? Google Meet?What day of week and time of day is best for participation?Are there differences between urban vs. rural support groups?How to increase engagement in meetings? Do hybrid parent support groups work?What is the future for foster, adoptive, and kinship parent support groups?Do you see a differ

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Foster youth or children who have been in the foster care system make up over 80% of children being sexually exploited. What can you do to prevent this from happening to your child? We talk with Audrey Morrissey, Co-Executive Director of My Life My Choice, a survivor-led nonprofit fighting sexual exploitation of youth.In this episode, we cover:What are some of the different forms that sexual exploitation can take?What is included in sexual trafficking?Internet exploitation.How does grooming take place.Are foster children disproportionately represented in the sexually exploited population?Are children who have experienced trauma over represented?Seeking love and connection.Sexual exploit of boys?What can parents do to protect their children from sexual exploitation?What resources are available to parents and young people?This podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire

Representative Marjorie Margolies had a busy career as a journalist, author, Congressional Representative, professor, and founder of Women’s Campaign International all while raising 11 kids by adoption, birth, sponsorship, and marriage. She is the author of a new memoir And How Are the Children.In this episode, we cover:How did each of your children join your family?How did you “blend” children that came to you in different ways, with different backgrounds, and different ages?What were the biggest challenges?Did some of your children struggled? How much do you think the way they came to your family impacted their struggles?What did you learn along the way? This podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Have you conceived through donor conception or are you considering this? Join us for the fascinating dive into disclosing (or not) this information to your child. We will talk with Dr. Patricia E. Hershberger, Associate Professor at the College of Nursing and Affiliate Professor at the College of Medicine, Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynecology, at the University of Illinois in Chicago.In this episode, we cover:How common is donor conception in the US? In other countries?What percentage of parents in heterosexual couples tell their child of their donor conception?Is there a difference in the percentage of parents disclosing donor conception with children conceived by donor sperm, donor egg, or donor embryo?Is there a difference in the willingness to discuss surrogacy with children? What does the research show about how many parents that say they are going to tell actually do tell by age 5 or age 10 or age 15?Is there a difference of opinion in th

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We talk with a panel of birth moms about their adoption experience. What is the adoption experience for birth mothers and what do they think of some of the controversies in adoption, such as pre-birth matching, adoptive parents at the hospital, adoptive mother breastfeeding, etc. In this episode, we cover:Tell us what your child’s adoption looks like.What are your ideas on:Options counseling being provided by adoption agencies—is there a conflict of interest.Pre-birth matchingSome have stated that an infant should go into temporary or foster care for a time (usually 1-2 months) between birth and placement as a revocation period. Fundraising for adoptionAdoptive parent breastfeeding.What did you look for in adoptive parents?There is a lot of talk in adoption world about subtle and not so subtle forms of coercion that could influence a mom’s decision to place. Hopeful adoptive parents attend doctor appointments.Adoptive parents being present at t

Are you considering adopting or fostering a baby who was exposed to opioids prenatally? We talk with Dr. Robin Gurwitch, a faculty member in the Duke University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Child and Family Health. Her research focuses on improving the outcomes and increasing resilience in children who have experienced trauma, including prenatal exposure.In this episode, we cover:What drugs are included in the category of opioids? Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, and many others. Methadone and suboxone?How does prenatal exposure to opioids affect a fetus?How can you tell if the baby is born dependent on opioids?What are the symptoms of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)?How common is testing of the newborn or mother?What impacts the severity of the withdrawal symptoms an infa

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Is your child "more"...more intense, more defiant, more everything and in general, just harder to parent? We talk with Dr. Chuck Geddes, the founder of Complex Trauma Resources where he developed the Complex Care and Intervention (CCI) program to support foster and adoptive children. He is the author of Children and Complex Trauma: A Roadmap for Healing and Recovery.In this episode, we cover:What makes a child harder to parent? The importance of recognizing what we parents bring to the relationship.Difference between trauma and complex trauma.Tantrums, meltdowns, or hissy fits are a common part of child development, but some kids have them more than others and they are more intense. What factors contribute to some children being more susceptible to tantrums? At what age in normal child development are tantrums most common?How does trauma change the dynamic with tantrums?Techniques for preventing tantrums.Techniques for handling tantru

Have you experienced a miscarriage? What type of genetic tests should you consider to prevent another miscarriage? We will talk about Genetics, Genetic Testing, and Miscarriage with Kim Skellington, a laboratory genetic counselor with CooperGenomics providing pre-test and post-test counseling to patients regarding genetic testing, and Dr. Rachel Gerber, a board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist with RMA NY.In this episode, we cover:What causes a woman to miscarry a pregnancy? How common is miscarriage? What is considered Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL)? How common is recurrent pregnancy loss? Basic introduction to DNA, genes, and chromosomes. Genetic Testing of Products of ConceptionWhat can go wrong with the genes of a fetus that would likely result in a miscarriage? What genetic tests on the products of conception are available after a miscarriage to determine the cause? At what point does a doctor consider genetic testing of the products of conception to determine the cause o

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What are the microaggressions or stigmas in the world of adoption and how do they impact adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents?  We talk with Dr. Amanda Baden, a Professor and the Doctoral Program Director at Montclair State University in the graduate counseling program and a licensed psychologist in private practice in Manhattan. She is an adult adoptee from Hong Kong and an adoptive parent of a daughter from China.In this episode, we cover:What are microaggessions in general and how do they apply to adoption? These microaggressions apply to all members of the adoption kinship network (adoptees; adoptive parents, grandparents, siblings; first/birth parents/grandparents).Where do some of the unconscious attitudes and stigmas toward adoption come from? Common microaggression themes for adoptees:biology is best/normative is based upon the belief that biological ties are superior, more permanent, and more authentic than ties formed through

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How can we raise joyful resilient kids? We talk with Dr. Mona Delahooke, a clinical child psychologist and the author of Brain-Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids.In this episode, we cover:“Too often we are focused on the child’s behavior instead of the child. We are concerned about solving problems rather than cultivating the relationship.”A child’s behavior is a clue for us parents to understand what is going on inside the child.No one-size fits all approach to child rearing. What’s most important isn’t the rules, but the child. We must understand how our parenting is landing on our child. Personalize our parenting.Three pathways to the mind-body platform.Body budgeting.The distinction between behaviors that seems to be defensive but are actually protective.How do you approach tantrums in a preschooler?How to co-regulate with our child and why?How to build resiliency in our children?This podc

The impact of prenatal exposures to alcohol and drugs is not something that kids outgrow and the transition into adolescence and adulthood can be particularly tricky. We talk about this transition with Kathy Hotelling, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and is the co-founder of NCFASDInformed.org. She is also the mother to a 27 year old with FASD.In this episode, we cover:Tell us a bit about your story as the mother of a child with FASD.Does the impact and symptoms of prenatal exposure to alcohol change as the child ages?Are the impacts different depending on whether the child has been exposed prenatally to alcohol or other drugs, such as opiates, methamphetamines, marijuana, etc?We talk about the primary impacts of FASD and prenatal drug exposure and the secondary impacts? Give us some examples?How can parents help prevent some of the secondary impacts?How does puberty impact children with prenatal exposure?How does your parenting need to change as your prena

Do you suspect (or know) that your child was exposed to alcohol or drugs during pregnancy? We discuss tips for how to best work with these children with Dr. Robin Gurwitch, a professor at Duke University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Child and Family Health.In this episode, we cover:How does prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs affect children at different ages? Oftentimes adoptive, foster, and kinship families may not know specifically if their child was exposed in pregnancy to alcohol or drugs? How can a parent determine if their child was prenatally exposed?What are some of the more common signs, symptoms, and behaviors a parent might see at different ages? Birth to age fiveElementary ageTweens and adolescenceYoung adultsParents, teachers, and other adults working with these children often don’t think about prenatal exposure because of the lag in time between the exposure and when the more disruptive symptoms appear. At what age do you see parents and kids begi

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What causes miscarriage and recurrent pregnancy loss? What is the best treatment and what are the controversies in the diagnosing and treating of miscarriage? In this episode, we talked with Dr. Lora Shahine, Reproductive Endocrinologist and Director of the Recurrent Pregnancy Program at Pacific NW Fertility and clinical faculty at the University of Washington in Seattle, and author of the book Not Broken: An Approachable Guide to Miscarriage and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.In this episode, we cover:What is miscarriage? What other names do medical professionals use?Does the name change depending upon when in the pregnancy it occurs? What is a biochemical pregnancy and is it a “miscarriage”?When does miscarriage become “recurrent pregnancy loss”?How common are miscarriages? How common is recurrent pregnancy loss?Who should you see?What is the role of the male in miscarriage and recurrent pregnancy loss?Common causes and treatment What are the commo

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Have you or your child faced adoption related struggles? Do you think therapy might be helpful? We discuss how to find and choose an adoption competent therapist with Kelly Raudenbush, a child and family therapist and the director of Sparrow Counseling, providing specialized therapeutic services for foster and adopted children and their families. In this episode, we cover:What type of professional can provide therapy?What’s the difference between being adoption competent and adoption informed?Why is competency in adoption issues important?What do we mean be an “adoption competent therapist”? What makes a therapist adoption informed? Is adoption competence the same as trauma competence?How can you tell if a therapist is competent to handle adoption issues? Are there specific trainings that provide adoption competency?Creating a Family provides a list of ways to find an adoption competent therapist on our Adoption Therapy section. How to find a t

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How is adoption and fostering changing? We talk with April Dinwoodie, a transracial adoptee and thought leader in the field of adoption. She is host of two podcasts: Navigating Adoption and Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World!In this episode, we cover:What are some of the shifting realities that you see in adoption?Decline in international adoptions.What do you see happening with domestic infant adoptions?Increase importance on openness.What can adoption teach the world?This podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport t

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you thinking about adopting? Today we will talk about Adoption Options in 2022. This is the first of a two-part series on What is Happening in Adoptions. We will talk with Jackie Zerbe, Domestic Adoption Supervisor with Vista Del Mar Adoption Agency, Debora Phillips, founding CEO of Children’s Connections, Inc., and Viviane Martini, Family Coordinator with Hopscotch Adoptions, an international adoption agency.In this episode, we cover:What is happening with domestic infant adoption in the US?What is happening with adoptions from foster care?What is happening with international adoptions?How has the pandemic impacted adopting in the US?What are some of the shifts in adoption in the last 5 or so years?What are some of the changes you anticipate for 2022 and beyond?This podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professi

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Have you ever thought about using acupuncture or herbal medicine to improve your fertility or treat your infertility? We talk with Dr. Mike Berkley, a New York State licensed acupuncturist and board-certified acupuncturist and practitioner of herbal medicine by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He is also a member of The American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine.In this episode, we cover:What are the principles of acupuncture? How does it work?How does acupuncture differ from Herbal Medicine or Traditional Chinese Medicine?Do they have to be used together?Can acupuncture and/or Chinese Medicine be used in conjunction with Western infertility medicine and IVF?Is there western research that supports the benefits of acupuncture and Herbal Medicine for the treatment of infertility or is western style research not relevant to the discussion of acupuncture and Eastern Medicine?Can acupuncture increase