IVFU

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.

Fertility coach Oana Gharbi shares her story and strategies for coping with IVF, secondary infertility, hormones, protocols, pompous doctors, and sometimes, when it's best to stop and live your life. Having experienced her own personal pain and loss with the death of her first husband, then acute secondary infertility with her second husband, Oana discovered her true calling as a coach and advocate for people still on the journey to family after deciding to stop IVF and restore peace and happiness to her life, her marriage, and her family. She and Sam discuss the good and bad of IVF Facebook groups, the difference in TTC for women over 40, low ovarian reserve, egg donation, pineapple core, myths and medical breakthroughs. Find Oana on her Facebook Group and her website www.getthegoldenegg.com. SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONS for our Season 2 finale with fertility therapist Savannah Sanfield. Ask anything, get free answers. Questions due by 11/11. Send to ivfupodcast@gmail.com or DM Sam at www.instagram.com/ivfupodcast. 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.

Reverend Julia Offinger, Associate Rector of Grace Church in New York City and Rabbi Rachel Brown, educational director of Temple Beth Shalom in Hudson, Ohio talk candidly with Sam about the roles of faith, love and grace in the struggle to make a family. It’s a rare chance to ask the direct questions about the religious rules of IVF and alternative reproduction, from the Episcopal stance on infertility to the Catholic stance on IVF to the Jewish stance on egg donation and surrogacy, and more. A female priest and a female rabbi share their personal experiences with Ashkenazi Jewish genes, Christian lesbian marriage and same sex motherhood, third party reproduction, Jesus, the Pope, the Talmud, the Torah, Jewish scholarship and Christian fellowship, all with a passion for spreading the word that it’s okay to do IVF and alternative reproduction in the eyes of religion, and that normalizing these pathways to making families is the best thing we can do to support people going through it. Learn more about Reverend Julia’s work at Grace Church NYC. Learn more about Rabbi Rachel at Temple Beth Shalom, Shaarey Tikvah, and Camp Timbrel. SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONS for our Season 2 finale with fertility therapist Savannah Sanfield. Ask anything, get free answers. Questions due by 11/11. Send to ivfupodcast@gmail.com or DM Sam at www.instagram.com/ivfupodcast. 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.

Comedian/writer/advocate Jennifer 'Jay' Palumbo talks openly about how infertility changed her career, her priorities and her marriage – and how she still comes out laughing. After grueling IVF treatments, embryo transfers, pregnancy fails and office baby showers, Jay finally had a successful pregnancy which produced her son Michael and moved her to become an advocate and a figurehead in the fertility/infertility fight. Then she got pregnant by accident which surprised the entire world - and forced her to do a lot of explaining! Jay is the Founder and CEO of Wonder Woman Writer, LLC, a freelance writer, stand-up comic, and proud mompreneur to two boys, one with special needs. Find her pieces in Time Magazine, Parents Magazine, Huffington Post (HuffPo), and ScaryMommy, and find Jay herself in Self, Fast Company, Medium, and more. As an infertility subject matter expert, she’s been interviewed on news outlets such as CNN, NPR, FOX, NBC, and BBC America, plus the documentary, “Vegas Baby”. Her blog, "The Two Week Wait", was awarded the Hope Award for Best Blog from Resolve: The National Infertility Association and was also named the “Best IVF Blog” by Egg Donation Friends. Visit Jay at Twitter or Instagram @jennjaypal. SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONS for our Season 2 finale with fertility therapist Savannah Sanfield. Ask anything, get free answers. Questions due by 11/11. Send to ivfupodcast@gmail.com or DM Sam at www.instagram.com/ivfupodcast. 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.

Writer, comedian and frequent host of The Moth Radio Hour, Tara Clancy talks candidly about the many hoops she and her first wife jumped through to become legal, lesbian moms, from fighting for insurance coverage as one of the earliest same-sex couples to do reciprocal IVF, to getting both parents' names on the birth certificate, to the moment when gay marriage became legal – the day after her second son was born. Now remarried, Tara also shares her excitement in this new, third chance at motherhood, and as her butch biological clock will tell you, it's not a moment too soon. Find out more about Tara, her live performances and her book The Clancys of Queens at www.taraclancy.com. Find out more about The Moth Radio Hour and live storytelling events at themoth.org. Get ready for our IVFU Season 2 Finale by sending in your questions for our expert therapist Savannah Sanfield! Questions due by Nov 11 (11/11). Send to ivfupodcast@gmail.com or DM Sam at www.instagram.com/ivfupodcast. 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.

Resolve activist and fertility advocate Brooke Kingston shares the rewards of living child-free - and giving your dogs their own living room. Sam and Brooke talk openly about the possibilities for happiness and self-empowerment when choosing to live child-free after infertility, or "child-free not by choice." Baby showers, pregnant sisters and sibling rivalry, women's rights, IVF and infertility support, marital issues, march on Washington, RESOLVE's advocacy day and the rewards of being an aunt are all discussed with candor, love and humor in this intimate conversation about the one family alternative that's rarely given its due – or should we say, "duo." Learn more about RESOLVE at resolve.org. Get involved with RESOLVE's Advocacy Day at https://resolve.org/get-involved/events/advocacy-day/. Find the book that inspired and helped Brooke, Sweet Grapes, at your local bookseller and at https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Grapes-Being-Infertile-Living/dp/0944934234/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=sweet+grapes&qid=1633457622&sr=8-3. Have questions about infertility or adoption? Get ready for our IVFU Season 2 Finale by sending in your questions for our expert therapist Savannah Sanfield! Questions due by Nov 11 (11/11). Send to ivfupodcast@gmail.com or DM Sam at www.instagram.com/ivfupodcast. 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.

Chris and Jesse's second experience with fost-adopt was "a completely different rodeo," as they became a beautiful family with a fragile baby and his toddler brother. Learn how they were supported through foster-to-adopt and family services organization Vista Del Mar as they worked to care for children who were victims of abuse and mental illness, the sacrifices they made to ensure the kids got the best physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and medical support, and the ways in which they're all thriving as a family of four today, with school age children learning about Mexican culture, Jewish culture, LGBTQ community and more. You'll feel the love when you meet this incredible pair of gay dads who've survived the dark times and come through to the light despite all obstacles. Find out more about Chris Brune Horan at Christopherbrunehoran.com. Find out more about Jesse Brune Horan at thefedcollective.com. Learn more about the history, mission and services of Vista Del Mar, the agency who helped Chris and Jesse form their perfect family, at vistadelmar.org. Get ready for our IVFU Season 2 Finale by sending in your questions for our expert therapist Savannah Sanfield! Questions due by Nov 11 (11/11). Send to ivfupodcast@gmail.com or DM Sam at www.instagram.com/ivfupodcast. 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.

Married couple Chris and Jesse share their turbulent story of trying to make a family through the foster-to-adopt system. You'll learn about their big gay wedding (one of the first in California after gay marriage became legal), their entry into the fost-adopt emergency placement system with guidance from historic adoption and child placement agency Vista Del Mar, their unexpected relationship with the baby's birth mother, and their emotional experience with childhood sickness in the form of the very rare Kawasaki disease – a tragic turn of events that could've happened to anyone, gay dads or straight couples parenting. Find out more about Chris Brune Horan at Christopherbrunehoran.com. Find out more about Jesse Brune Horan at thefedcollective.com. Learn more about the history, mission and services of Vista Del Mar, the agency who helped Chris and Jesse form their perfect family, at vistadelmar.org. Get ready for our IVFU Season 2 Finale by sending in your questions for our expert therapist Savannah Sanfield! Questions due by Nov 11 (11/11). Send to ivfupodcast@gmail.com or DM Sam at www.instagram.com/ivfupodcast. 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.

Schoolteacher Melissa talks frankly about forging her own unique path to motherhood as a single Black woman in the white-centric world of fertility. You'll hear how Melissa's experience with premature ovarian syndrome has given her a crash course in infertility, trying to become a single mom by choice, Black sperm and egg donors, the cost of IVF and fertility treatments, and the value of getting fertility support and medical info from a doctor who listens to you. Want to support Melissa? Donate to her GoFundMe at The Teacher and the Lost Egg 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. 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.

Robin Hopkins and Jaimie Kelton, creator/hosts of award-winning podcast If These Ovaries Could Talk, don't hold back about the unique challenges, dark moments, and hilarious swings of queer family-making, including reciprocal IVF, the different parenting roles of lesbian moms, the hunt for a sperm donor, donor siblings, infertility support, and more. Check out Robin & Jaimie's award-winning podcast (and their book of the same name) If These Ovaries Could Talk at www.ovariestalk.com. https://www.instagram.com/ovariestalk https://www.facebook.com/ovariestalk https://twitter.com/ovariestalk 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. 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.

That's right, friends, IVFU is back with all new stories about making a family the new-fashioned way. Subscribe and share and tune in Sept. 15 for episode 1 of Season 2. 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. 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.

In one complete live story, Sam brings you on a journey through her years of fertility fails, giving up, going forward, getting a huge gift, and starting on a path to surrogacy – only to meet the greatest surprise of all once Darwyn was finally in her arms. Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season finale: Hear Sam & Kaylee's postpartum secrets and surprises. Kaylee and Sam reconvene after Darwyn's birth to discuss the adventure they've shared, confess what they were both thinking in the hospital, and explore the surprising secrets of motherhood no one ever talks about. For episode transcripts and to download our theme song, “Freak in Love,” visit ivfupodcast.com For more information about Sam’s live stories, performances and music please visit samshaber.com We want to hear from you! Send your comments, questions, and stories to ivfupodcast@gmail.com Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Kaylee as she's 8 months pregnant with Sam's son, Darwyn. Is that weird? Yes and no. They talk about their paths to this moment, their relationship to each other and the baby, and the who, what and why of carrying someone else's child. For episode transcripts and to download our theme song, “Freak in Love,” visit ivfupodcast.com For more information about Sam’s live stories, performances and music please visit samshaber.com We want to hear from you! Send your comments, questions, and stories to ivfupodcast@gmail.com Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear Dr. Luk's IVF insights. Sam talks candidly with her first fertility specialist, Dr. Janelle Luk of Generation Next Fertility, about her personal journey to being an REI, what makes a great doctor, and why we can't just make tons of babies easily, the way rabbits do, dammit. For episode transcripts and to download our theme song, “Freak in Love,” visit ivfupodcast.com For more information about Sam’s live stories, performances and music please visit samshaber.com We want to hear from you! Send your comments, questions, and stories to ivfupodcast@gmail.com For more information on Dr Janelle Luk visit Generation Next Fertility and follow her on Instagram Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear Kathleen's transracial adoption story. What happens when you know you want to adopt, but no one wants you back? Maybe you wind up finding the perfect match in a child who is nothing like you. To read Kathleen's blog about parenting visit thisoldmom.com. For Kathleen's essays about transracial parenting: I Racially Profiled My Black Child – This Old Mom Why Am I Brown? – This Old Mom How Does A White Mom Explain Michael Jackson to Her Black Child? – This Old Mom For episode transcripts and to download our theme song, “Freak in Love,” visit ivfupodcast.com For more information about Sam’s live stories, performances and music please visit samshaber.com We want to hear from you! Send your comments, questions, and stories to ivfupodcast@gmail.com Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Therapist Savannah keeps us sane. Sam talks with her own therapist, Savannah, whose specialty in infertility issues stems from her own journey to have a child through egg donation. Together, they unpack the emotional minefield of infertility - a minefield that's different for every person who walks through it. Savannah Sanfield is a marriage and family therapist, certified parent coach and maternal mental health specialist. She supports post and preconception families (prenatal to 6 years) as they tackle both common and complex parenting challenges. She is also the proud mother of dragons… err that is, twins. For episode transcripts and to download our theme song, “Freak in Love,” visit ivfupodcast.com For more information about Sam’s live stories, performances and music please visit samshaber.com We want to hear from you! Send your comments, questions, and stories to ivfupodcast@gmail.com Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dive into Maureen's solo IVF quest and activism. Social worker Maureen could only be described with one word: resilient. Okay, two words: resilient and hilarious. Somehow, between doing IVF as a single woman, navigating sperm banks, egg donors and the cost of it all, she still finds the strength to lobby for IVF health coverage at the state capitol. For episode transcripts and to download our theme song, “Freak in Love,” visit ivfupodcast.com For more information about Sam’s live stories, performances and music please visit samshaber.com We want to hear from you! Send your comments, questions, and stories to ivfupodcast@gmail.com For more information on Resolve visit resolve.org Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.