Therapist and fertility/adoption expert Savannah Sanfield answers your questions about emotions, self-care, marriage during infertility, adoption, surrogacy, childfree living, third party reproduction, jealousy, resentment, self-image, self-hatred, RESOLVE.org insecurity, identity crises, co-dependency, baby showers, parenting after infertility, love, partnership, empathy, babies, postpartum depression, early childhood parenting, and more. With personal experience of infertility and 3rd party reproduction, Savannah brings us very special insights into the ups and downs of the fertility IVF journey based on her professional and personal expertise. Grab a seat on the couch and get ready to be restored and enlightened!

For more information on the RAIN approach to self-care mentioned by Savannah, (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture), check out Tarabrach.com.

For help with talking to your loved ones about how to support you in your journey, and for general, comprehensive support resources, visit RESOLVE.org.

For direct inquiries, reach out to Savannah at info@savannahsanfield.com.

Get more info on IVFU and download our theme song "Freak in Love" at www.ivfupodcast.com.

Keep up with the latest IVFU updates and special announcements! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at @ivfupodcast.

Donate to help IVFU keep going at Venmo.com/ivfupodcast and PayPal.me/ivfupodcast.

Get in touch! Email us your thoughts, questions and transcript requests at ivfupodcast@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/activist/spoken word star Alix Olson has never been predictable, but no one is more surprised than she to realize how much it means to be a mother. Hear the origin story of her first son, born after her sperm donor made his contribution into a "well-rinsed Tostitos jar," and her shock at wanting a second child, but then experiencing painful secondary infertility, having to "play straight" to access her insurance coverage, and becoming a single mother after her then-wife transitioned into a man. Come along with us on the road of Alix's self-discovery as she candidly takes us through success, addiction, recovery, sobriety, love, heartache, turkey basters, IVF, an ovarian cyst, medical error, infertility insurance coverage, sociopolitical norms, PhD research, women's rights, queer kinship, socialism, teaching university, and motherhood to two incredible kids. We cap off this special episode with a real-time performance of one of Alix's heartfelt, spoken word poems.

Author, writer, poet, professor, performer and public figure Alix Olson has been reviewed and raved about in Ms. Magazine, Utne Reader, Progressive Reader and more. Historian and activist Howard Zinn has called Alix "an ingenious poet, a brilliant performer, a funny person, a serious thinker. Quite simply, extraordinary."

Learn more about Alix Olson at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alix_Olson.

Learn about her work as an Assistant Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at Emory University.

Get more info on IVFU and download our theme song "Freak in Love" at www.ivfupodcast.com.

Keep up with the latest IVFU updates and special announcements! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at @ivfupodcast.

Donate to help IVFU keep going at Venmo.com/ivfupodcast and PayPal.me/ivfupodcast.

Get in touch! Email us your thoughts, questions and transcript requests at ivfupodcast@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daughter Nicole founded a surrogacy agency after her struggle with infertility, while her mother Pam launched the Baby Quest Foundation to award grants for fertility treatments to those who can't afford it. After struggling for years with infertility, through IVF, miscarriages, fertility treatments, fertility meds, pregnancy fails, and more, Nicole Lawson was able to have her first child through a surrogate. She worked with surrogacy again for her second child, and was inspired to leave her entertainment career to open Abundant Beginnings Company, a surrogacy agency, with her business partner Julie Allgood. Meanwhile, Nicole's mother, Pamela Hirsch, after caring for her daughter through the struggle and realizing the fortune of having a fortune when you can pay for your child's IVF treatment and support, was inspired to found the Baby Quest Foundation, which awards grants to couples, single parents, military veterans with infertility and others who long to have a family, but don't have the funds. Join us for Bring Your Mother to Work Day at IVFU!

If you have questions about surrogacy, becoming a surrogate for a family in need, or finding a surrogate for your own family journey, find Nicole at Abundant Beginnings Company, https://abcsurrogacy.com.

For more information about Baby Quest, to make a donation, offer to volunteer, or apply for one of their annual fertility grants, (next deadline March 15, 2022!) visit https://babyquestfoundation.org.

Get more info on IVFU and download our theme song "Freak in Love" at www.ivfupodcast.com. Keep up with the latest IVFU updates and special announcements! Follow us at www.instagram.com/ivfupodcast, www.facebook.com/ivfupodcast and www.twitter.com/ivfupodcast. Donate to help IVFU keep going at Venmo.com/ivfupodcast and PayPal.me/ivfupodcast. Get in touch! Email us your thoughts, questions and transcript requests at ivfupodcast@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.