Another TWW
We went through the dreaded two-week wait again and my HCG was very low, but enough to give us some hope. The five-week scan came, and we discovered the pregnancy was not viable. Only a yolk sac, but no baby. This was challenging to deal with for both of us after the difficult process we had already been through. There was still no sign of a miscarriage though, so we continued with the seven-week scan and BOOM… a baby, and a heartbeat! My little boy was just a slow starter!
Right after finding out I was pregnant, the clinic called to say that my partner and I were now legally considered a ‘family’ and that she could attempt a pregnancy with the donor sperm: too little, too late!! Lennox is now the sweetest (albeit cheekiest) little three-year-old with long dark lashes and dimples, who sleeps on top of me every night. I complain but wouldn’t have it any other way.
It has always been important to me to be transparent with my children about where they came from and our journey.
There are 315,000 babies born in Australia each year, with one in 25 conceived via assisted reproduction. That is one in every classroom!
Research shows the earlier you begin telling a child the story of their conception, the more straightforward and stress-free it can be for you and your child. Some studies recommend from the age of four years, and I personally found this worked for my boys. You don’t have to tell them the nitty-gritty of it all right away, just start by introducing the concepts.
My Book
Children learn so much through reading books, so I wanted to create a story that was easy to comprehend. My aim was to turn concepts that can be very confusing into easy-to-understand circumstances supported by illustrations.
Baking a Baby is the perfect introduction to the ingredients needed for making a baby – eggs, sperm and a tummy for the baby to grow.
Baking a Baby covers an introduction to assisted reproduction, donor use (known and anonymous), surrogacy and adoption. I aimed to normalise diversity, with characters of different sexuality, race and appearance.
My book reinforces the message that it doesn’t matter who the ingredients come from or how the baby is baked; it’s those who love and care for you that count.
This book is an excellent conversation starter, to be read with children and their guardians. I have read it to my six-year old son a few times now, and he takes away different messages each time. The meaningful conversations I have with him after reading embed the understanding.
Baking a Baby can be purchased for $16 AUD.
When we think about donation, instinctively, we think about ‘saving lives’… but what about ‘creating lives’!? This week is Donate Life week, and without the generosity and kindness of egg and sperm donors around the world… many families (mine included) would not have had the chance to realise their dream of being parents – get in touch if you are interested in how to start the process of considering donation.
Originally published here.
Lauren is driven by the desire to ensure the well-being of her own two young sons, and she wanted to create tools for parents and carers to assist with having important conversations that help children understand how diverse the world is and what a wonderful impact diversity and acceptance can have on their lives.
Her first book is available for pre-order now for distribution in August 2020. Baking a Baby is an engaging tool to assist parents who want to introduce concepts such as assisted reproduction, donors, surrogates and adoption to their children through simple and immersive illustrations.
If you are interested in learning more about Clear Knight Publishing, visit www.clearknightpublishing.com or email clearknightpublishing@gmail.com. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
