Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care

Latest Episodes:

Legal and Medical Risk in Infant Adoption Jun 08, 2022

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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 than others to try to find an expectant mom who may want to place her child for adoption?
What are the different time periods that expectant parents or birth parents have to change their mind?
Adoption is covered by state law.
Is it possible for a birth family to get the child back after an adoption is complete?
What are some of the legal issues with birth fathers—both identified and unidentified?
How does the Indian Child Welfare Act impact legal risk in adoption?
What are some red flags that an expectant mom may not go through with the adoption plan and decide to parent?
What are the most dangerous drugs or substances that an expectant woman can use during pregnancy as far as impact on the fetus and baby?
What is the impact of alcohol on a fetus and baby, both short term and long term?
What is the impact of opiates (prescription and non-prescription) on a fetus and baby, both short term and long term?
What is the impact of methadone or suboxone on a fetus and baby, both short term and long term?
What is the impact of heroin on baby, both short term and long term?
What is the impact of methamphetamines on a baby, both short term and long term?
Long term impact of prenatal exposure to cocaine or crack?
If the birth mother stopped using drugs and stopped drinking when she found out she was pregnant, will the baby be spared the worst of the impact?
What are the risks to the baby if the mother has Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C, HIV, syphillis?
Is ADHD inheritable? Is there a gene for ADHD?
Do certain mental illnesses have a genetic connection? What is the likelihood that the child will have depression, anxiety, bi-polar, schizophrenia, or other mental illnesses if the birth parents had the illness?
Should adoptive parents worry if the expectant mom has not had prenatal care?

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:

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Please leave us a rating or review. 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 podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Racial Disparities in Reproductive Medicine Jun 01, 2022

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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 abnormalities
- PCOS
- Fibroids
Racial Disparities in Infertility Treatment
- African 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 Issues
- Contraceptive use
- Pap tests
- Mammograms
- Maternal mortality
- Preterm birth
- Low birth weight
- Uptake of human papillomavirus vaccination
What are some of the social and structural challenges that contribute to these racial and ethnic disparities?
What can infertility nurses do to reduce racial disparities in reproductive health care?

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Effectiveness of Online Parent Support Groups May 25, 2022

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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 Kentucky
How 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 difference in support groups for kinship parents?

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Protecting our Kids from Sexual Exploitation May 18, 2022

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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?

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Raising a Blended Family May 11, 2022

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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?

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Disclosing Donor Conception to Our Kids May 04, 2022

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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 the professional field on whether children should be told? On whether professionals should counsel patients to tell their child?
The impact of over-the-counter genetic testing on parents’ willingness to disclose donor conception and infertility professionals’ willingness to encourage disclosure.
- Genetics study in school also raises questions
Is telling more common in same sex couples?
What are the motivating factors for parents who have told?
What reasons do parents give for not telling their child?
Is unresolved grief over their infertility (if infertility was a factor) a motivating factor for not telling?
Research has found that there are two general approaches behind when to tell children about their conception by donor sperm, egg, or embryo: “seed planting” and “right time”.
What is the average age that parents tell their child about their conception via donor sperm, egg, or embryo?
What word do parents use to describe the donor to the child? Does this word differ based on whether the parent is in a heterosexual partnership, a same-sex partnership, or is single?
How do parents talk about donor conception? If a two-parent household, which parent usually tells?
Is there a general story-line that parents use when disclosing donor conception to the child?
What does the research show about how donor conceived children feel about donor conception? Does it impact the quality of family functioning in a positive or negative way?
Use of children’s books.
What role could infertility professionals, especially nurses, play in disclosure decisions for infertility patients?
Should nurses, or other professionals, encourage disclosure?
- How can they support following through on disclosure of donor conception?

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A Panel of Birth Moms Talk About Adoption Apr 27, 2022

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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 matching
- Some 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 adoption
- Adoptive 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 the birth and at the hospital?
How involved do you think adoptive parents should be at the hospital?
Openness:
- How was openness described to you before the adoption.Does the reality of open adoption match what was promised.
- Benefit and limitations of post adoption contracts. (Did you understand open adoption wasn’t enforceable (may depend upon the state)?)
- Ethical adoption practices that expectant parents considering adoption should know about.
Tips for birth parents and adoptive parents to look for in adoption agencies to make sure they are choosing an ethical agency as to how they treat expectant and birth parents.
Importance of separate legal counsel for birth parents.

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First Six Months with a Baby with Opioid Exposure Apr 18, 2022

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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 infant might experience?
- timing of the mother’s most recent intake of opioid
- maternal metabolism
- placental metabolism
- infant metabolism and excretion
- maternal taking of other substances, including cigarettes, alcohol, cocaine, hypnotics sedatives, and/or barbiturates
How is NAS treated in the hospital?
What can parents expect at the hospital when a baby is born dependent or was exposed prenatally?
What can parents expect when they first bring the baby home?
How can parents help soothe a baby going through withdrawal?
How can parents help a baby going through withdrawal with sucking?
What can parents do to help their baby exposed to opioids sleep through the night?
Any additional tips for dealing with and helping a baby who was exposed to opioids?
Long term impacts.
Does being born dependent predict the degree the child might be impacted?

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Parenting Toolkit for Harder to Parent Kids Apr 13, 2022

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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 tantrums.
Need for constant supervision
Lying
Being disrespectful

www.complextrauma.ca/

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Genetics, Genetic Testing, and Miscarriage Apr 06, 2022

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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 Conception
- What 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 of the miscarriage? After the first miscarriage? Second? Third? How does a woman’s age impact this decision?
- How are the products of conception tested? What are patients told to do?
Genetic Testing of Embryo
- What is preimplantation genetic testing?
- Distinction between PGT-A, PGT-M, PGT-SR?
- Is PGT effective at preventing miscarriage? What does the research currently show?
- Are mosaic embryos more likely to miscarry?
Genetic Testing of Parents
- What parental chromosomal abnormalities can cause a miscarriage?
- What is a chromosomal translocations and can that cause a miscarriage?
- Is there a gene or genes that has been found that makes it more likely that a woman will miscarry a pregnancy of a chromosomally normal fetus?
- If a woman’s mother had multiple miscarriages, is she likely to have miscarriages?
- Can these genetic anomalies by found by Parental karyotyping?
What is the prognosis for women trying to get pregnant after having had recurrent miscarriages?

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