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

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are adoptive parents eligible for parental leave? What about foster parents or kinship parents? We talk with Dr. Amy Beacom and Sue Campbell, with the Center for Parental Leave Leadership and co-authors of The Parental Leave Playbook.In this episode, we cover:What are the laws and rules surrounding parental leave in the US?Who is eligible for parental leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?Parental leave on the company levelHow does parental leave differ from maternity leave paternity leave?Policies that require employees to pay back their parental leave if they do not stay employed with the company/organization for a certain period of time. How does this differ from other countries?Are the laws/rules different for mothers and fathers? Are they gender neutral?Do you receive your salary when you are on parental leave?Does parental leave differ for someone adopting a child?Are adoptive families are protected under the Family and Medi

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We talk with Isaac and Julie Etter, a mom and son, about what they have learned about transracial adoption and what they wish they had known at the beginning. Isaac is the founder of Identity, a startup focused on using technology to help adoptive and foster families thrive. Julie Etter is a mom of five and a humanities teacher.In this episode, we cover:Isaac, tell us your adoption story from your perspective. Why were you placed for adoption? What were the first two years of your life like? Where you were raised?Julie, what was your motivation for adopting? Were there other children in the family?What was the racial demographics of your community?Julie, what were you taught about transracial adoption before you adopted?Isaac, how did you identify racially as a young child? When did you start identifying as black?Did you experience racism growing up?Julie, did you see racism directed towards Isaac as a child?Did you tell your parents?Julie, wha

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How do some kids survive a life of poverty, homelessness, abuse, and foster and eventually thrive? We talk with David Ambroz is a national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate and the author of the memoir, A Place Called Home.  He was recognized by President Obama as an American Champion of Change. Currently serving as the Head of Community Engagement (West) for Amazon, Ambroz previously led Corporate Social Responsibility for Walt Disney Television, and has served as president of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission as well as a California Child Welfare Council member. After growing up homeless and then in foster care, he graduated from Vassar College and later earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law. He is a foster dad and lives in Los Angeles, CA.In this episode, we cover:Poverty and Homelessness:His story.SchoolWhat made a difference?What should adults who encounter or work with homeless children/youth know?Foster Care:His stor

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How much do you really know about your fertility, menstrual cycles, and conception? Join us to learn more with Dr. Joyce Harper, a Professor of Reproductive Science at the Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, and the head of the Reproductive Science and Society Group. She is the author of  Your Fertile Years.In this episode, we cover:Understanding the menstrual cycleUnderstanding the basic of conceptionPredicting ovulationBasics of InfertilityWhat percentage of infertility is caused by the female partner, the male partner, or both?What causes a woman to not ovulate?Initial workup for women who meet the definition of infertilityWorkup for Recurrent Pregnancy LossTreatment Options for Infertility How does the infertility workup differ for the LGBTQ+ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-binary, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Gender Nonconforming Individuals)? This podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. W

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you a foster or adoptive parent whose child is taking mood altering medications or medications to help them sleep? You will learn a lot about these medications and what you can do to make them as effective as possible. We talk with Dr. Adam Langenfeld, a Developmental Pediatrician at Children's Minnesota hospital. He also has a Ph.D. in chemistry.In this episode, we cover:What are psychotropic medications?What are the classes of psychotropic medications? What are some commonly prescribed medications in each class?What mental health issues are these medications addressing?Symptoms of anxiety and depression in children.Situational anxiety or depression. SCARED checklist anxiety Childhood Depression InventoryHow do psychotropic medications work? A basic overview of Psych Pharmacology.Simulation of a brain synapsisHow are medications in each of these classes administered?Does timing of the day matter?How effective is melatonin? Does proxim

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you wonder if your child was prenatally exposed to alcohol or drugs? There may be nothing in the files, but something feels not right? We talk about diagnosing and treating these kids with Dr. Larry Burd, a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and the Director of the North Dakota Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Center.In this episode, we cover:Most of our audience is foster, adoptive, and kinship parents and professionals. Often they don’t know for sure if a child has been exposed. The US government estimates that about 10% of all children in the US have been prenatally exposed to alcohol or drugs. Do you have a feel for the percentage of children in foster care or who have been involved with the child welfare system? International adoption? Domestic infant adoption?Does prenatal exposure increase the likelihood of a disruption to a foster or adoptive placement? How is prenatal exposure to alcohol detected or d

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you a transracial adoptive or foster parent? Have you wondered how you can help your child form a healthy racial identity. Does racial identity formation change depending on the race of the child? Today we talk about all this and more with Dr. Gina Miranda Samuels, a professor at the University of Chicago and Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture. She is a transracial adoptee and co-author of the book Multiracial Cultural Attunement.In this episode, we cover:How do children in the US come to understand race at different ages and developmental stages?How early do children develop a racial bias? How early do children associate certain characteristics to race and show a preference towards a person of a certain race? How does transracial adoption or fostering or kinship care impact a child’s understanding of race?How does transracial or transcultural adoption or fostering or kinship care impact children? Racial iden

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What are the common health issues foster parents and those adopting from foster care should expect? We talk with Christy Street, Program Director of Fostering Health NC, which is a program of North Carolina Pediatric Society.In this episode, we cover:Term “health” broadly to encompass physical, emotional, mental, behavioral, developmental, educational, and oral health.Impact of trauma on kids physical and mental health.Those areas of the brain most affected by trauma, especially early trauma, are those involved in stress response, emotional regulation, attention, cognition, executive function, and memory. An issue with foster care parenting is limited access to health care before entering foster care and lack of knowledge about previous health care. How does this impact care and what can foster or adoptive parents do?The role of transience and uncertainty for kids in foster care provides challenges for foster parents and doctors in providing he

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you thinking about using donor sperm, egg, or embryo or using a surrogate? We talk about the current trends in third party reproduction with Corey Burke, an embryologist and Tissue Bank Director at Cryos International Sperm & Egg Bank.In this episode, we cover:What do we mean by third-party reproduction?What are some of the current trends in sperm donation? What are some of the current trends in egg donation?What are some of the current trends in surrogacy?What are some of the current trends in embryo donation?  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/cr

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Is your child more challenging than most? Do typical parenting approaches not work? We talk about how to parent harder-to- parent kids with Dr. Ross Greene, the originator of the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions parenting model, a non-punitive, non-adversarial, trauma-informed model of care. Dr. Greene is a clinical psychologist, former Harvard professor, and the author The Explosive Child and Raising Human Beings.In this episode, we cover:Why are some kids “harder to parent”?How does trauma impact a child’s behavior?How does innate temperament or genetics impact behavior?What is the collaborative partnership approach?3 Steps to the Collaborative & Proactive approach are:The Empathy step – involves gathering information so as to achieve the clearest understanding of the kid’s concern or perspective about a given unsolved problem.The Define Adult Concern step involves the adult sharing their perspective.The Invitation step involves ha

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Have you ever thought about adopting a child from abroad? What does it take and what type of kids are available? To learn more, listen to our interview with Robin Sizemore, Executive Director of Hopscotch Adoptions, who has worked in the international adoption field for 27 years and Debbie Price, Executive Director of Children’s House International and who has worked in international adoption for 28 years. In this episode, we cover:Outline of the typical international adoption process.What type of kids are available for international adoption?What is the youngest child available?Is it possible to get a young healthy child or baby?International adoption regulations.What governmental entities are involved in international adoption?How to decide on what country to adopt from? Will the country accept you? Does the country place children that you think your family is a good fit for?What are some of the country-specific requirements for adoptive pare

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you getting ready to adopt or have just adopted? Do you wonder what the experience will really be like and what you can do to prepare? Join our conversation with Dr. Jennifer Bliss, LCSW and Director of Adoptions and Foster Care at Vista Del Mar and Family Services in Los Angeles; and Molly Berger, MSW and Adoption Social Worker at Adoption Center of Illinois.In this episode, we cover:Domestic Infant Adoption:ProcessTypical stresses adoptive parents feelLack of sleepNot deserving to complainFeeling like a babysitterNot feeling love at first siteImpact of infertility struggles on transitioning into parenthoodStresses with parenting a child with neonatal abstinence syndromeStresses with open adoptionOlder child adoption through foster care or international adoption:ProcessTypical stresses adoptive parents feelUnrealistic expectations of the child and of yourselfLove at first siteFeeling like a babysitterLanguage issuesCultural issuesParental

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What's IVF like for the male partner? We spend a lot of time talking about the experience of infertility treatment for the person going through treatment, but what about their partner? We talk with Keegan Prue, the author of "The IVF Dad." He and his wife Olivia went through two rounds of IVF and suffered two miscarriages before welcoming their daughter. In this episode, we cover:Tell us your story to parenthood.The imagined role of the male partner: strong, supportive, and not needing support.Media messages about men that impact how they can respond to infertility: men take action to fix problems, showing emotion makes you weak, real men don’t ask for or need help, real men are virile, being a father is part of what makes you a man.What are some things that you learned that the male partner can do to improve the quality or quantity of sperm.What are some common emotions men or those supporting a person trying to get pregnant mig

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you think your child or your family would benefit from counseling? How do you find the right therapist and how can you tell in advance if they will be a good fit for your family? We talk with Debbie Riley, a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist and CEO of the Center for Adoption Support and Education.In this episode, we cover:What type of professional can provide therapy to an adopted or foster child or family?What’s the difference between being adoption competent and adoption informed?Why is competency in adoption or foster issues important?What do we mean be an “adoption competent therapist”? What makes a therapist adoption competent?Is adoption/foster competence the same as trauma competence?How can you tell if a therapist is competent to handle adoption or foster 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 Adoptio

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Have you ever thought about becoming a foster parent? If so, this is the podcast for you! We talk with Arnie Eby, the Executive Director of the National Foster Parent Association and a foster parent for 22 years; and Angie Jones, a licensed clinical social worker and the Intensive Service Foster Care Recruiter and Trainer at Vista Del Mar, an agency placing foster children.In this episode, we cover:What is the goal of the foster care system?How to become a foster parent?What are the typical requirements for becoming a foster parent? What disqualifies you to become a foster parent?What type of pre-service training is involved?How long does it usually take to become a licensed foster parent?Who licenses foster parents?What types of questions should parents ask when deciding on which agency to work with?What are the different levels of licensing for foster homes? Do foster parents get paid?Can you foster if you rent your home or apartment?Does one

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We talk today with Sarah Naish, the CEO of the Center of Excellence in Child Trauma and founder of the National Association of Therapeutic Parents. She is the author of "The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting" and "The A-Z of Survival Strategies for Therapeutic Parents." She is the adoptive mom to a sibling group of 5 who are now adults and she has fostered over 40 kids.In this episode, we cover:Why are some kids harder to parent and why especially are kids who have experienced trauma, including prenatal trauma, often harder to parent?Understanding the cause of the behavior is the root of parenting harder to parent kids.Establish the basics to make their lives predictable so they can feel safe and grow and heal. The elements for establishing this base:RoutinesEstablish yourself as a safe base-empathetic and nurturing but in controlRespond to the child, not to the child’s demandBe honest about their story, contact, etc. – be factua

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you considering donor egg or sperm? When should you consider these options? What choices do you have and what are some of the psychological hurdles you need to consider? We talk with Dr. Angela Leung, a reproductive endocrinologist at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey; and Dr. Poonam Sharma, a Licensed Psychologist specializing in reproductive issues.In this episode, we cover:Sperm Donation:What are the possibilities of getting pregnant when the male partner has an abnormal semen analysis? Does it depend on whether sperm count, motility, or morphology are abnormal?When should patients consider sperm donation from a medical standpoint?How and when should medical providers bring up the possibility of using donated sperm? Does it matter that the “patient” is usually the female partner?What are some of the psychological issues that may arise for the female partner using a sperm donor? What are some feelings the male partner commonl

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Transracial adoption affects all parts of the adoption triad. We will talk today with a transracial adoptee and his birth mom and adopted mom. We will include tips for adoptive parents raising transracially adopted or fostered child.In this episode, we cover:Adoptee’s experience with transracial adoption PreschoolElementary yearsMiddle and high school yearsCode switchingFeelingsIdentity formationCollegeAdulthoodReunion with birth familyBirth Father?Birth Mother’s experience with reunion and transracial adoptionHer role in identity formationHer feelings on reunionAdoptive Mother’s experience with transracial adoptionTips for adoptive and foster parentsAdditional Information:Kyle Bullock’s Instagram: kb_2090Short documentary based on story of Kyle and his birth family and adoptive family. “Finding identity: Growing up a transracial adoptee” This podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to stre

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We talk today with Dr. Gina Samuels about Trauma and Transracial Adoption. Dr. Samuels is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration and In-Coming Director at the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture. She is an adult transracial adoptee. She has a newly published article in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect tilted “Epistemic trauma and transracial adoption.”In this episode, we cover:How do you define trauma? What is complex trauma?What is epistemic trauma and how does it differ from the trauma caused by abuse or neglect or witnessing violence? The article, “Epistemic trauma and transracial adoption”, asks how might the theory of epistemic injustice highlight conditions endemic to the experience of adoption, and specifically transracial adoption, that mark a distinct type of trauma? How does this apply to all adoption and how specifically to transracial adoption?The articl

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We talk with Ryan Hanlon, with National Council for Adoption, about the largest survey of adoptive parents ever conducted. We talk about who adoptive parents are, the needs of the kids adopted, and so much more. In the episode, we cover:Who is adopting in the US? How are they similar and how do they differ from the general population of parents in relation to income and education level?What are the primary motivations for parents to adopt? Does it differ based on domestic infant adoption, international adoption, and foster care adoption?What type of special needs or diagnoses do adopted children have?How well are adoptive parents meeting these needs?How are adopted kids doing in school?What degree of openness or contact with birth families is common for infant adoption, intercountry adoption, and adoptions from foster care?How do adoptive parents view their relationship with birth families?How common are attachment issues in adoption and what f