Three Makes Baby Podcast

Allie P- Two Moms, "The Dude" & 80 Half-Siblings

In this episode, Jana Rupnow, LPC speaks with Allie P, sperm-donor conceived and raised by lesbian moms. Allie always knew she was donor conceived and called the anonymous donor, “the dude”, before she knew who he was.
Allie saw a commercial on TV and discovered approx 80 half-siblings through the donor sibling registry (DSR).
She told me what it’s like to have 80 siblings and the differences and similarities of their experiences. She also spoke about how hard it is to manage a relationship with that many people. . .
Allie was also able to identify and meet her donor in person.
She found herself following in his footsteps in ways throughout her life but isn’t sure how conscious this was.
Allie believes that telling the child from the start about donor conception is best and didn’t feel that anything was missing in her life by knowing.
Don’t miss this final Episode of season 1.

Alex-Concerns about Fatherhood After Sperm Donation

I was so excited to talk to Alex @pursuingfatherhood to hear a guy’s perspective and concerns about fatherhood.
Even more exciting is that he and his wife are expecting a baby girl any day now! .
Alex asks such an important question about how to share their unique conception story with others. He wants to do what is best for his child and wonders about the right time and people to tell.
I’ve had many people ask this same question and there is no simple answer. Talking about a sensitive topic before you are ready can be psychologically distressful. .
The best I can do is give you a way to determine your own readiness to share. I developed a simple, use-on-the-fly, acronym to help called “Consider IF.”
I’ll post more about this but have a listen to the episode first! 🎧 Podcast available to listen on all platforms and the link in my bio. .
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#spermdonation #parenting #infertility #ttc #azoospermia #donorconception #fatherhood #fertilitytreatments #malefactorinfertility

Beth & Her Wife Use a Sperm Donor & Discover She was also Donor Conceived.

Episode 19 of Three Makes Baby Podcast is 54 minutes that you won’t want to miss! Beth articulates her experience with donor conception in a way you likely haven’t heard yet. .
Beth and her wife used a sperm donor to have their daughter and a few years later she discovered she was donor conceived from the results of a DNA test.
Beth explains how her parents sat her down and the first thing her Dad said is, “We’ve been keeping a secret from you for 40 years.” Beth said she kept looking at her mom saying, “Is this real?”
It must have been so puzzling to her. She explained to me that she looks more like her father (with no genetic connection) than her biological father, who
she later connected with.  Beth also connected with her sister and explains how it all unfolded in this episode.

Cam Was Born with Chromosomal Disorder that Causes Infertilty

Cam bravely shares about a chromosomal disorder she was born with that causes female infertility, called Turner Syndrome.  This podcast episode is special for two reasons, Cam is the youngest guest to be on the podcast so far. As a member of Gen Z, she is proactively researching her options to grow a family long before she is ready to start one. Interviewing Cam made me realize how much our dialogue around infertility has change over the past decade and how proud I am to be part of this ongoing campaign. Cam was 8 years-old when I started doing this work. That fact and my looming birthday (tomorrow) are making me feel old. More importantly, I'm super proud that conversations like this continue to make a difference for others.

Don’t miss Episode 18 of Three Makes Baby Podcast, available on all the podcast platforms.

Eloise- Klinefelter's Syndrome Lead to Sperm Donation

Eloise shares her story of how a chromosomal disorder, called Klinefelter's Syndrome, caused male-factor infertility for her husband. After an unsuccessful surgery to extract sperm from her husband, the couple moved on to use a sperm donor. Eloise, now with 3 children, shares how difficult the process was for her and her husband. The lack of resources and information left them feeling overwhelmed and without direction. She aims to change that for others.

Keeley Explains How Using an Egg Donor Affected Her Husband

Keeley found her love in her mid-thirties but after multiple fertility treatments and no official diagnosis, she concluded that her egg quality was low. Her story speaks to so many women that have a full life in their twenties before finding the partner they want to have a family with. Unfortunately, female fertility declines rapidly when women reach their mid-thirties. Keeley discusses the of loss of seeing both of them in their child. “My husband said a very sweet thing, 'But I married you'. The idealistic dream of having a child that looks like both of you.” Our conversation takes a path into so many different topics like, anonymity, finding the donor later in life and how she views genetics. 

We also talk adoption- the similarities and differences between adoption and donor conception.

Keeley brought up a new topic to the podcast. How to talk about donor conception with the younger generation, specifically, her friends and family member's children.

Keeley's empowering message is for women and men to be proactive about their fertility long before they plan to have a family.

Follow @janarupnowlpc for a dialogue more on this episode!

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Jeremy, Raised by a Single Mom, Found his Donor and Half-Siblings

Jeremy, who was sperm donor conceived and raised by a single mom shares the experience of meeting his donor and half-siblings. He talks about what the word “dad” means to him and how he relates to his donor today. We also talk about the show Almost Family and how parenting might influence or not influence how people feel about being donor conceived.
It’s a great episode! We talk about hard stuff in a respectful way.

Ellie Used a Donor After Secondary Infertilty & Needs to Tell her Biological Child

Ellie's episode is packed with information about secondary infertility, miscarriage, hyperemesis, and how to talk to your fully-genetic older child about donor conception. Ellie also bravely shares her fears about others gossiping and judging her choice to use a donor to have her second child.

Holiday Edition: 5 Ways to Deal with Questions from Family

Conversation at holiday family gatherings can trigger unexpected emotions, especially if you’ve been trying to conceive.
Aunt Alice asks you when you’re going to have a baby or your pregnant cousin, Amanda, joke-brags about how she gets pregnant by just looking at her husband.
Anyone who doesn’t go down a so-called “normal” path to parenthood has encountered many types of questions: the curious, the intrusive, the rude, and the uninformed.
Why can’t you have a child? Why did you decide to do that? Why don’t you just _____(relax/be happy/ adopt/ try acupuncture)?
How do you handle these questions? The first strategy I offer my clients is to consider the person’s intention. Was it an innocent question or not-so-innocent? Is the questioner being caring, curious, clueless or careless?
The exercise is also detailed in my book Three Makes Baby.

Ally, Host of Half of Me Podcast; Reflections & Growth Over the Past Year

Ally discovered she was donor conceived in January 2019. Since then, she has discovered over a dozen half-siblings and is still coming to terms with her new reality. Ally discusses the complexities of discovering and managing relationships with multiple half-siblings and "the process" of growth she has gone through. She shares things she would do differently now that almost a year has past since her discovery. Ironically, Ally also discovered this year that she and her husband would need treatment to have a baby, as her parents did 30 years ago. Ally, compassionately reflects on what her parents must have gone through, especially now that she is facing infertility herself.