becoming babyREADY with Sam Leeson - All About Queer Family Planning & Creation – Details, episodes & analysis

Through their family creation journey, Morgan and her wife learned just how important it is to understand who might be the best fit to carry a pregnancy. They worked with a wide range of practitioners along the way—but it wasn’t until much later in the process that someone finally slowed things down and shared the types of testing that could actually support their decision-making.

Today, Morgan is a Queer TTC (trying to conceive) support coach and Doula, using her experience to guide others through similar paths.

You can learn more about Morgan and the incredible work she’s doing by following her on Instagram @iam_mamomhk

Today I have the opportunity to introduce you to Bethan. She and her wife just became parents to baby number two only five days before we recorded this conversation.

Bethan and I take some time to talk about how they made the decisions that they did as they set about creating the family of their dreams. Now they have two gorgeous children and some decisions to make.

Today, I'm stepping outside the norm to introduce you to Dr. Sue Ellen Carpenter. While she is not a member of the Queer community, she works closely with and supports Queer individuals and couples in their journey to create families. Through her expertise and the innovative use of INVOcell technology, Dr. Carpenter helps people with uteruses achieve their family-building dreams.

You can learn more about the work that Dr. Carpenter does by visiting their website:  www.hellobloomfertility.com and visiting the INVOcell website: www.invocell.com as well as by following them on Instagram @hellobloomfertility

If you have been listening to this podcast you know that I have been excited to introduce you to two incredible Canadians, Jen and Shawnee Kish. They joined me today to share their family creation story and explain how they made the decisions that they made on their path to becoming parents. 

You can learn more about these Canadian icons by following them on social media. You can find Shawnee on TikTok & Instagram @shawneekish  You can find Jen on Instagram @jen_kish. And sweet Harley has her own Instagram channel @harleykish

Full disclosure, not only have I been a fan of mombian.com and it’s creator, Dana Rudolph for two decades, but I also love chatting with both Dana and her wife Helen about women’s sports and specifically the PWHL. 

Today I share with you my chat with both of them. We talked about their family creation journey, and about choosing a donor. We also discussed the evolution of mombian.com (IG: @mombian) and coming to a place in the world where we acknowledge how far we have come even when we know there is a vast distance yet to go. 

Bios for both:

Dana Rudolph (she/her) is founder and publisher of the two-time GLAAD Media Award-winning blog Mombian, which since 2005 has offered lesbian moms and other LGBTQ parents a mix of news, opinions, resources, and more. It includes a growing database of over 1,700 books for and about LGBTQ families. 

Helen Maynard (she/her), Dana's spouse, is a retired semiconductor engineer who now spends her free time 3D printing. Helen and Dana have been together almost 32 years and have a son in college.

Rebecca Nayak is many things; a mom, a step parent, a coparent, a lawyer. Today we have a chance to learn from her about some of the legal framework as it exists for Queer parents in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She offers insight into questions hopeful, expectant, and new parents may want to ask their own legal teams as they navigate family creation.

You can learn more about Becca by emailing her at: rnayak@hangley.com

Or finding her through her  law firm:https://www.hangley.com

Other resources Becca made note of include:https://adoptionart.org/find-an-attorney/attorney-directory/#!directory/map/ord=rnd andhttps://lgbtqbar.org/programs/member-practice-area-groups/family-law-institute/family-law-attorney-directory/

When you ask Mathew Boudreaux how he feels about being a parent to 11 year old Helena, you can feel the excitement through the screen.

Their journey to family creation came by way of public adoption. It was not a traditional way along that pathway though and it was intriguing to hear Mathew lay out all that transpired to allow them to be the family they are today.

You may also know Mathew as @mxdomestic. They have a HUGE social media following for doing what they love to do . . . sewing, crocheting, weaving, quilting and they educate the world as to some of the techniques to massage your hidden talents!

It’s true that Ben Ptashinsky-Skinner is likely best known for his acting and comedic prowess but for the last 7 years he has shifted his focus to be dad to Charlotte.

Ben and his husband Aaron adopted Charlotte by way of public adoption. They had considered all of the options available to them, as ways of building their family, and adoption felt like the path the resonated most. 

We were also able to spend some time talking about “blue circles” and he helped to debunk the idea that just because one resides in a state that is perceived, from the outside, as being intolerant, it doesn’t mean it is the lived experience of Queer parents in that state. It is always refreshing to be educated and encouraged to think outside of our expected boundaries.

You can learn more about Ben by following him @equityben

One of the most entertaining and engaging facts about chatting with Sa’iyda Shabazz is that you never know where the conversation will go but you DO know that you will love every second of it!

Today we chat about coming into one’s own sexuality after becoming a parent as well as then navigating the world of parenting during times of huge international upheaval and turmoil.

You can learn more about Sa’iyda by reading her writing on https://www.autostraddle.com and https://substack.com/@saiydashabazz

She is also on IG @xoxsai and Bluesky

Today I have the opportunity to introduce you to Calvin Ozzi. We know a little bit about Calvin's current living arrangements and family dynamics from the conversation I had with his spouse Dr. Jeni Wahlig in season two.

This time we dive into Calvin's family creation story from before he partnered with Jeni. He talks about his relationship with his ex-wife and stepping into the role of bonus parent to his stepson 15 years ago. We follow that with conversation about his own egg retrieval and his reciprocal IVF path with his ex-wife which resulted in a singleton birth followed, two years later,by twins. 

Now Calvin is sharing his gift even further by allowing families to adopt his embryos so they can carry a child of their own through the organization: Embryo Connections (https://www.embryoconnections.org).

I found my conversation with this relationship coach who works alongside his spouse to be engaging, fun and dynamic.

You can learn more about the work that he and Jeni do through their business, https://www.powerfulove.com

Follow him on IG & FB @osilical