

Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care
Creating a Family
Are you thinking about adopting or fostering a child? Confused about all the options and wondering where to begin? Or are you an adoptive or foster parent or kinship caregiver trying to be the best parent possible to this precious child? This is the podcast for you! Every week, we interview leading experts for an hour, discussing the topics you care about in deciding whether to adopt/foster or how to be a better parent. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are the 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, and resource pages on all aspects of family building at our website, CreatingaFamily.org. We also have an active presence on many social media platforms. Please like or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 22, 2014 • 1h 3min
Coping with Infertility as the Fertile Partner
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Is infertility experienced differently by the fertile partner in a relationship? Host Dawn Davenport will interview Dr. Andrea Braverman, a Clinical Associate Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of OB/Gyn and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. Since 1985, Dr. Braverman has worked as a health psychologist with a specialty in infertility counseling, third party reproduction and medical health management issues. infertility, male infertility, egg donation, sperm donor, egg donor, adoption
Blog summary of the show and highlights can be found here:
Blog summary of the show
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on donor coping with infertility can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Apr 16, 2014 • 1h 18min
Talking with Your Adopted Child about the Difficult Parts of His History
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Sometimes our adopted kids come to us from a history in their birth families or drug abuse, rape, incest, abuse, or prison. Should adoptive parents share this information with the adopted child? If so, how? Host Dawn Davenport will talk with Beth O'Malley, author of many books about preparing lifebooks for adopted and foster children, including Lifebooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child; and Angela Magnuson, a licensed professional counselor with Bethany Christian Services with specialized adoption training through Rutger’s Certificate Program in Adoption and seven years experience working with foster, kinship and pre and post adoptive families. adoption, foster care adoption, international adoption, lifebooks, domestic adoption, adopting a baby
Blog summary of the show and highlights can be found here:
Blog summary of the show
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on lifebooks and parenting after adoption can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Apr 2, 2014 • 1h 8min
Making a Hospital Plan in Open Adoption
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Adoptive parents are often asked to be present at the hospital in open adoptions. This emotional time is complex for both adoptive and birth parents to navigate and hospital staff often do not help. Host Dawn Davenport will speak with Dr. Jennifer Bliss, the National Associate Counseling Director at the Independent Adoption Center, a non-profit domestic infant adoption agency; and Rebecca Vahle, Adoption Program Coordinator and founder of the Family to Family Adoption Support Program at Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Co - just southeast of Denver. open adoption, domestic adoption, adopting a baby in the US, American adoption, adopting an infant, infant adoption.
Blog summary of the show and highlights can be found here:
Blog summary of the show
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on open adoption can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Mar 19, 2014 • 1h 1min
How Weight Affects Fertility and Infertility Treatment
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How does your weight or Body Mass Index (BMI) affect your fertility. Does it alter your chances of success with infertility treatment. How does Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) affect fertility and infertility treatment. Host Dawn Davenport will interview Dr. Allison Styne, a reproductive endocrinologist with RMA New York.
Blog summary of the show and highlights can be found here:
Blog summary of the show
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on infertility and PCOS can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Mar 5, 2014 • 1h 2min
Preparing an Adoptive Parent Portfolios for Expectant Mothers
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Adoptive parents wanting to adopt a baby in the US must prepare an adoptive parent portfolio, also known as an adoptive parent profile. To learn more about how to prepare an adoptive parent profile, host Dawn Davenport interviewed Madeleine Melcher, an adoptee, mother of three through adoption, the owner of Our Journey to You (an adoption portfolio design company), and author of the new book How to Create a Successful Adoption Portfolio: Easy Steps to Help You Produce the Best Adoption Profile and Prospective Birthparent Letter; and Aki Parker, the National Marketing and Design Associate at the North Carolina branch of the Independent Adoption Center. In addition to marketing/designing nationally, she has also worked with adoptive families providing consultation on their letters and online profiles.
Blog summary of the show and highlights can be found here:
Blog summary of the show
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on donor insemination can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Feb 12, 2014 • 1h 6min
Adopting a Child with Cleft Lip/Palate
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Should you adopt a child with cleft lip or cleft palate. What is involved with this special need? Host Dawn Davenport interviews four medical specialist working with chidlren with cleft lip/palate:
Dr. Andrea Smith a dentist specializing in dental and facial Prosthetics, in fact she is one of only 350 Maxillofacial Prosthodontists worldwide. She is also Clinical Director at Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic in Lancaster Penn. We also have Dr. Thomas Samson Pediatric Plastic Surgeon at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Hi is co-director of the Penn State Hershey Craniofacial Clinic and the Penn State Hershey Vascular Anomalies Clinic. Abbie Ellis is a feeding specialist at the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic. And of course no show on cleft impairment would be complete without a speech therapist. We are pleased to have Maureen Rostolsky, she has her Masters in Speech Pathology and specializes in working with children with cleft lip and palate at the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic.
Blog summary of the show and highlights can be found here:
Blog summary of the show
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on donor insemination can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Feb 10, 2014 • 1h 2min
Classic Episode: Genetics vs. Environment- Which Affects Us the Most
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How much of our personality traits, temperament, talents, health conditions, mental illness, and intelligence are controlled by our genes and how much by our environment? Which trumps in parenting: Nature vs. Nurture? What relevance does this have to us as parents? Host Dawn Davenport interviews Dr. Matt McGue, a behavioral and quantitative geneticist and director of the Minnesota Twin Study; and Dr. Kerry Jang, a Professor with the UBC Department of Psychiatry.
Highlights of the show can be found here:
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on nature vs. nurture can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Feb 10, 2014 • 1h 7min
Classic Episode: Evaluating Risks in Adoption Matches and Referrals
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.One of the hardest things many adoptive parents have to do is to decide if the risks or special needs of a particular birth mother match or referral are too great for them to handle. What are the likely effects of prenatal exposures to drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes? What if their is a history of mental illness in the birth parents family. What is the child has been in an orphanage for years? Host Dawn Davenport will interview Dr. Dana Johnson, Director of the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota and Professor of Neonatology, about what factor are red flags, what questions to ask, and how to interpret the scant medical history provided.
Highlights of the show can be found here:
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on adoption can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Feb 10, 2014 • 1h 15min
Classic Episode: Avoiding Mistakes and Mix-Ups with IVF and Fertility Treatment
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Infertility patients worry about the wrong embryos being transferred; their egg, sperm or embryos being mislabled; the wrong sperm being used to fertilize the egg, etc. Mistakes are rare, but infertility patients need to be prepared. What should you know to protect yourself? Host Dawn Davenport will interview Dr Jacob F Mayer, Embryologist at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Dr. Elizabeth Ginsburg, Past-President of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard, and director of the IVF program at Brigham and Women's Hospital; and Jessica Berg, Professor of Law and Biomedical Ethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and Associate Director of the Law-Medicine Center.
Highlights of the show can be found here:
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on IVF labs can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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

Feb 10, 2014 • 1h 5min
Classic Episode: Tips for Parenting a Child with ADHD
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Raising a child with Attention Deficit Disorder is hard on kids and hard on parents. How to parent a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to avoid frustration for both parent and child. Host Dawn Davenport interviews the ADHD guru, Dr. Edward Hallowell, author of numerous books on ADD, including SuperParenting for ADD and Driven to Distraction. We'll talk about parenting techniques that work with children with ADHD.
Highlights of the show can be found here:
Highlights
More Creating a Family resources on parenting children with special needs can be found here.
Support the showPlease 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