Parenting, Adopting, Pregnancy After Infertility

 Where to Start:

• Check out the following Creating a Family radio shows:

  • July 21, 2010: Psychology of Donor Conceived Children

  • July 15, 2009: Parenting After Infertility: How does infertility affect your parenting

  • Feb 6, 2008: Parenting kids conceived through Assisted Reproduction

  • Nov 21, 2007: Adopting after Infertility

• Other Creating a Family resources:

  • Creating a Family video on Parenting, Adopting, and Pregnancy after Infertility (approx. 9 mins)

  • Blog on The Cherished Child: Parenting After Infertility

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Books and Articles on Parenting After Infertility:

• The Long-Awaited Stork by Ellen Glazer

• The Belated Baby: A Guide to Parenting After Infertility by Kelly James-Enger and Kelly James-Enger

• Adopting After Infertility by Patricia Irwin Johnston. A truly invaluable resource.

•  “Pregnancy after Infertility: Dilemmas of the Deliberate Pregnancy” by Carol Toll (formerly published in Resolve Family Building Magazine). This excellent and well thought out article talks about some of the unexpected and complicated emotions you might feel when you finally achieve your long awaited pregnancy. When to announce your pregnancy, how to shift identities from the infertility world to the pregnancy world, how to trust that this pregnancy is real, and so much more. I can’t recommend this one enough.

• "Sharing Your Pregnancy News With A Fertility Challenged Friend" by Deborah Bohn

•  Pregnancy After Infertility or Loss: How Infertility Can Change the Way You Parent by Jacqueline Bodnar

•  When Dreams Come True: Pregnancy After Infertility by Gwen Morrison

• Parenting After Infertility – My New "Normal" by Lisa Reichmann

• THE BELATED BABY: A Guide to Parenting After Infertility by Jill S. Browning and Kelly James-Enge

• "Adoption or Childfree Living?" by Helen Adrienne - Good guidance for making the decision on whether to adopt or live child free

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Research:

• Reproductive Technology and Its Impact on Child Psychosocial and Emotional Development by Dr. Susan Golombok is a good introductory summary of what the research shows on how children conceived through IVF, ICSI, donor egg and donor sperm are doing from a cognitive and psychological perspective. It was published in 2003, but the information is still relevant.

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Support groups for those who are parenting children from successful infertility treatment or adoption after experiencing infertility:

• Fertile Thoughts has a  forum on infertility, adoption, and life after infertility that is pretty active.

• Parenting After Infertility- Chistian ministry for those who are now parents either through adoption or successful treatment, after suffering through infertility or loss. Forums for other’s who have been there.

• Parents via Egg Donation Very active and supportive group if your pregnancy resulted from egg donation

• Pregnancy & Parenting After Infertility good concept but not a very active group

• She Knows has an active forum on parenting after infertility/IVF

• Essential Baby has a forum on pregnancy/parenting after problems conceiving

• IVF-Infertility.com has a forum for those who have undergone successful treatment, and wish to share their experiences of parenthood.

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How to Find a Therapist That Specializes in Infertility Issues:

• Creating a Family Radio shows that included a discussion of how to find a good therapist that is knowledgeable about infertility issues. Listen to a few, such as April 2, 2008 (coping with infertility), Nov. 28, 2007 (psychological issues with infertility), and July 15, 2009 (parenting after infertility).

• Ask your infertiity clinic if they have mental health professionals on staff or can recommend one.

• The Amercian Society of Reproductive Medicine lists members that are mental health professionals.

• Resolve lists mental health resources that are knowledgeable about infertility.

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