Summer Reading! Budgeting for Infertility By Evelina Weidman Sterling & Angie Best-Boss : A LaMothe Book Review

Especially important in our current financial crisis, Budgeting for Infertility is a timely and accurate depiction of what it takes to pay for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to complete a family. I found this book not only assists with budgeting but also educating Intended Parents on all aspects of ART including treatment terms, how to choose a clinic, finding affordable fertility medications, understanding the financial options and even exploring adoption. I especially liked reading the comments from Intended Parents who know first hand what it's like to travel down the road of infertility treatments. I highly recommend this book for anyone starting out, or even in the middle of their own personal infertility journey. Well worth buying and passing along.

Synopsis
Having a baby can be one of the most wonderful times of your life -- but if you need help to conceive, it can swiftly become a staggeringly expensive undertaking. With the average cost of infertility treatments ranging from $35,000 to $85,000 in the United States (most of which is not covered by insurance companies), many women and couples find themselves having to make difficult choices about building their families.
Getting a grip on your finances is one of the few things you can do to regain control of this process. Infertility experts Evelina Weidman Sterling and Angie Best-Boss have created the ultimate guide to ensuring the most cost-effective care with the highest chances for success. With anecdotes, interviews, and advice from both doctors and patients, you can easily apply these specific money-saving strategies to your own unique situation.

Learn how to:
- Select a fertility clinic with a high rate of success
- Convince your insurance company to cover more of the costs
- Track down the most affordable fertility drugs
- Travel abroad for cheaper care or international surrogacy
- Avoid the scams and unnecessary expenses every step of the way
Personal and professional, Budgeting for Infertility is an invaluable resource that shows you how to pay for infertility treatment...and still have money in the bank for diapers and day care.

Sharon LaMothe
http://infertilityanswers.org/

Summer Reading! Delivering Hope: The Exraordinary Journey of a Surrogate Mom by Pamela MacPhee: A LaMothe Book Review

Delivering Hope: The Exraordinary Journey of a Surrogate Mom by Pamela MacPhee is truly inspiring. Although her story starts in 2000, little has changed within the surrogacy world especially for those carrying for their relatives. As Pam is telling her own story she is also sharing the very important steps needed to start and complete such a venture. She very candidly tells of her medical and psychological screenings, legal proceedings, the medications and embryo transfer as well as her relationship with her cousin and his wife plus other family and friends. Although not every woman who has ever experienced surrogacy has the same tale to tell, any reader will get an exceptional overview of all that surrogacy entails. Being a past Gestational Carrier myself (twice), I can honestly say that each surrogacy experience has it's own challenges and rewards!

Unto The Hills by Billy Graham A LaMothe Book Review

Sometimes, when things look bleak, a daily devotional can come in handy....

Billy Graham's Unto The Hills has "Drawn from more than 40 years of study and ministry, this devotional classic offers 365 meditations to calm the soul and point toward the One who can always help. A day-by-day guide for quiet reflection and prayer from the nation's most beloved spiritual leader."

Having quoted that from an editorial review my own thoughts are that although this devotional is an easy read especially if you are on a busy schedule and just want a quick verse and some inspiration to start your day, its not really modernized for the families living in today's fast paced world. One page for each day and a quick suggested prayer at the bottom of the page often leads to the question 'how can I apply this to my life NOW?' It's a little preachy in places but then again Unto The Hills was written by Billy Graham!

I think this is a perfect book for a Christian who is 'old school' and I plan on making a gift of it to my Aunt who is soon to be 94.

* Thank you to the publisher of Unto The Hills, Thomas Nelson, as part of the BookSneeze program, for sending me a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Truth About Dating, Love, and Just Being Friends By Chad Eastham: A (Erika) LaMothe Book Review

I asked my daughter to write a book review for The Truth About Dating, Love, and Just Being Friends By Chad Eastham because who would know better then a teenager if this book would be at all helpful or viewed as filled with old fashioned ideas? You can read Erika's review below and hopefully it will 'inspire you' to share this book with your own teenagers.

The Truth About Dating, Love, and Just Being Friends By Chad Eastham

As a fifteen year old, I believe that a book like this can not only help teenagers, but inspire them to make a change in their difficult love lives. As I pressed on through the pages of The Truth About Dating, Love, and Just Being Friends by Chad Eastham I had several realizations and answers to questions that I never had the courage to ask. I also recommend this book to parents as well, because they can learn how our age group is different today from when they were teens themselves. The Truth about Dating, Love, and Just Being Friends also teaches you how to deal with stress, depression, and hardships. It’s as if the book understands you, and not the other way around. Literally, everything in this book seems to be the absolute truth, and although some of these facts should seem obvious, I hadn’t thought about most of the situations.

This book allows you to have a say by filling in your own thoughts and feelings in the blanks provided or answer questions for yourself to help you express things you might be experiencing. The author gives the reader the feeling like someone cares and filling in the blanks is like letting go of all your problems and worries. (It makes you feel NORMAL!) A section that I found interesting was the dumb dating mistakes chapter where Chad Eastham describes the most ignorant things that guys do to mess up relationships and vise versa for girls. Over all, this book gives extraordinary advice that both a parent and a teenager would need to survive their dating lives and have happy, healthy relationships.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Messages From the Light: True Stories of Near-Death Experiences and Communication from the Other Side by Christopher Coppes: A LaMothe Book Review

I thought Messages From the Light: True Stories of Near-Death Experiences and Communication from the Other Side by Christopher Coppes would be an eye opening read and it was. Although this paper back is around 200 pages with loads of notes at the end it did offer a very different perspective from my conventional way of thinking. However I was hoping to learn more about Near Death Experiences and how it affected the people who shared their stories and less about Coppes on thoughts on what is wrong with our world.

Because Christopher Coppes holds a PhD in economics and has worked many years in that industry I think that he views the world as it is and the people with these NDE's as all part of our current economical crisis. Could that be true? Sure it could be. Anything could but, for me, I would have loved to have learned more about the people involved in these experiences and read in depth what they saw, felt and how they coped when they returned to the land of the living. Not matter the economic status in any decade I am sure it would be a disappointment to emerge from a "blissful light", "great happiness" and "seeing deceased relatives" to the current human lifestyle. As a matter of fact Coppes mentioned that those who experienced these near death occurrences were pretty upset to find out they were still alive and some even tried to commit suicide to become a part of that peaceful world for all eternity.

Messages From The Light is a reminder that 'doing unto others as you would have them do unto you' is still the best bet to a happy and light filled eternity but if you are looking for an exploration of the people behind their Near Death Experiences then you would be disappointed in this book.

Borya and the Burps An Eastern European Adoption Story by Joan McNamara: A LaMothe Book Review

Borya and the Burps An Eastern European Adoption Story by Joan McNamara looks and feels like a children's book but once you start to read it clearly is for adults or for older children about to add a sibling to their family via adoption. This story explains what it is like in an orphanage in some far off European country, who takes care of the babies and what the routine might be like. The book focuses on a baby boy named Borya and what his routine is day in and day out and how he feels when one of the 7 babies in his room adopted, and finally how he feels when he is chosen by an American family. This information maybe very helpful to parents who want to acclimate their newly adopted child into their home.

Having said that, Borya is often confused in this story and has his own special concerns and worries. All very well and good for parents to read and learn about but not necessarily child friendly.

Adoption Is A Family Affair by Pat Johnston: A LaMothe Book Review

Just in time for the end of our National Adoption Month!

 

Adoption Is A Family Affair  by Pat Johnston, is an easy read in less then 150 pages and a great resource  for relatives and friends of those in the process of adoption. Yes, it is simple and touches briefly on many of the issues and concerns that might be brought to the family table but it is also insightful and full of great advice for those who don't know what to say of do to help welcome a new family member via adoption. All ages and stages are touched on as well as great reading recommendations for more information. I particularly liked The Five Hot Buttons Not To Push  and the Expanding the Family Culture chapters. This had lessons that everyone can learn from. We all bring something to the table and it all can work if respect, understanding and open communication is included.  I highly recommend Adoption Is A Family Affair as a resource for family members, friends and for those going through the personal and rewarding journey of becoming parents through adoption.

Win a Set of Expecting, Baby and Toddler 411 Books Written by Michele Hakakha, MD and Ari Brown, MD in Time for the Holidays From LaMothe Book Reviews

Expecting 411, Baby 411 and Toddler 411 by Michele Hakakha, MD and Ari Brown, MD are wonderful books for the first time parent and for those with lots of experience! Not only are these books written by doctors they had an advisory board to help them and trust me, no detail is left out! These books are very well organized with sections and chapters and a clear question and answer format along with icons to indicate Helpful Hints, Red Flags, Old Wives Tales and Disturbing Material Ahead to name a few. The Baby 411 and Toddler 411 books have Insider Secrets and Feedback from the Real World. I highly recommend this entire set!


Do you want to WIN your own BRAND NEW set of these great 411 books? Here's how you do it! Visit Infertility Answers, look over the website and recommend it to someone you know(the recommendation button is at the bottom of each page) and then sign into the Guest Book! Leave a comment about the site and your name and e-mail address along with the date and you will be put in a drawing to have this entire set delivered to you by December 17th! This Contest starts today and will end on December 7th 2010. You will be contacted by e-mail by December 9th! Expecting 411 is signed by both authors!

Thank you and GOOD LUCK!

UPDATE: December 11th 2010 Mary C! You are the winner of the 411 baby book collection. It is being mailed out to you TODAY! Congratulations and THANK YOU everyone for participating!

Sam's Sister by Juliet Bond: A LaMothe Book Review

I wanted to share this book review for National Adoption Month. Sam's Sister is perfect for birth mothers to read to their own child/children.

Sam's Sister by Juliet Bond is a heartwarming and touching story through the eyes of a 5 year old girl regarding her baby brother's adoption. When her mother explains that she is pregnant but doesn't have the means to raise another child, Rosa has all kinds of questions. Her mother takes the time to explain her reasons for placing Rosa's sibling up for adoption and allows her to meet the adoptive parents. This children's book starts at the pregnancy and ends after the birth where this relationship is obviously an open adoption sceaniro. Rosa gets to be the big sister even though her little brother doesn't live with her and the parents enjoy raising a child through this adoption. I recommend Sam's Sister by Juliet Bond for all birth mothers with young children at home. I love the illustrations by Dawn Majewski and the entire way the book respects the integrity of the open adoption process.

Growing Up Black in White by Kevin D. Hofmann: A LaMothe Book Review

I found Growing Up Black in White to be a fascinating portrayal of biracial adoption starting in the 1960's and beyond. This is one son's life story from the time he was born to a white mother and black father to a few months later becoming a part of a white family already populated with two boys and a girl. Kevin D. Hofmann is open about his past experiences and, with great candour, allows his readers to peek into his life as he navigates between the world of white and black. Being dark skinned, he may have 'fit' in better with some situations but he acknowledges that his white family also had to struggle with being 'the minority' for several years while they moved from Detroit neighbourhoods to new schools in search of work and opportunities that would benefit the entire family.

Although sometimes humorous I found Growing Up Black in White more thought provoking and eye opening then anything else. Although Kevin's life story is squeezed into 168 pages, those who are considering biracial adoption or already have adopted would find his experiences worth pondering over and may even give invaluable insight regarding the raising of a child from another race.

I would like to point out that Kevin is now in his 40's and I would hope that some of the things that he and his family encountered in the 60's would now be less evident in our current society. Still, the story touches the reader and brings understanding to the nature of biracial adoption.

Surrogacy or Conspiracy? The Lamitina Story by Gwyn and Tom Lamitina: A LaMothe Book Review

With a title like Surrogacy or Conspiracy? I couldn't pass up the chance to review this true story of a Traditional Surrogacy gone wrong. Its a huge what-not-to-do book by intended parents, Tom and Gwyn Lamitina, who wrote and published it even before they had the outcome that should have been theirs. (Watch for the sequel)

Lulled into a false sense of security by their first successful Traditional Surrogacy and while enjoying their life with their new son, Tom and Gwyn decide to add to their family using the same formula. They answer classified ads on Surrogate Mothers Online (SMO)to 'meet' a young woman with children of her own who would be willing to be their traditional surrogate mother.The perfect one came along and she even claimed to be an experienced gestational surrogate and egg donor! Tom and Gwyn state that they did the best background check that they could 'on their own', I read nothing of a psychological evaluation or a medical exam of this surrogate from an infertility clinic. (My own personal red flags) Because they never used an agency or an attorney with their first surrogacy they decided that downloading an 'Internet' contract and allowing their new surrogate fill in all the blanks would be good enough for them. (another red flag) Before the contract is signed by both parties, and in order to take advantage of their surrogates next cycle, they decide to participate in at home inseminations to boot! (This is the yet another red flag and I decided to stop counting here.)

Needless to say everything that could go wrong did. I started out by stating that the Lamitima's were lulled into a false sense of security with their first traditional surrogacy. These very same issues could have gone wrong at any point during their first experience but because they met a woman who had a moral compass and didn't want anything more then to give them a baby to love, the contract was never challenged unlike this second situation. Because the Lamitina's didn't want to spend the money on a reproductive attorney, clinic, or psychologist they ended up spending thousands more fighting for their baby daughter in the Florida court systems. There are checks and balances in place within the reproductive community and if you decide to skip the agency and go to the classifieds or even use a family member or friend there is a protocol to follow and Tom and Gwyn paid the price for not knowing or investigating the 'right' way to proceed after they chose the woman they wanted to work with.

The woman (traditional surrogate) portrayed here in this book would never have made it past an experienced agency. In fact, the reason SHE didn't sign on with an agency, it seems, was because she had a devious plan. She would become pregnant with some desperate and unknowing intended parents' baby, never planning to give it up at the end and then sue for child support. A cold hearted calculated scam that would only work on people who were uneducated in the ways of the surrogacy world. She, apparently, did her homework!

I feel that this short yet intense book is worth reading for any intended parent tempted to go the 'independent' route. The lessons learned for the Lamitina's experiences could save others a lot of money and heartache. Unfortunately this book paints a bad picture of Traditional Surrogates and those that want to be matched independently however there are ways to protect yourselves without an agency to assist in the process. Research, hiring a surrogacy consultant, making sure that you use a contract drawn up by a lawyer who is well versed in reproductive law in your state, having everyone visit a psychologist and staying away from at home inseminations are just a few of the ways that can assure a successful out come. Surrogacy or Conspiracy? The Lamitina Story can be read in one sitting but will stay with you for a long time after the book is laid on the shelf.



Sharon LaMothe Infertility Answers, Inc. http://infertilityanswers.org/ LaMothe Services, LLC http://lamotheservices.com/

Womanopause: Feeling Fit, Feminine and Fabulous in Four Weeks By Dr. Lovera Wolf Miller and Dr. David C. Miller: A LaMothe Book Review

I was invited to review the book Womanopause: Feeling Fit, Feminine and Fabulous in Four Weeks. At first I thought....no. I'm 46 (and 1/2) so I am not ready (or old enough) to read or review a book about menopause. Then on second thought...or maybe third thought, I remembered being put into a menopause type state during my surrogacys. (which is when the Reproductive Endocrinologist prescribes hormones to control your cycle and those side effects include hot flashes, moodiness, and other fun symptoms. So really, I have already visited menopause land and was happy to leave!)So I thought that others may benefit from my review.

Having no idea, really, what menopause entailed, I was enthralled from the very first chapter. Maybe horrified is a better word. Is THIS going to happen to ME? Why, yes it is and coming faster then a speeding bullet apparently! Every woman who lives to be middle age, the average is 51, will experience some sort of menopause. How to deal with it is what this book is all about. Now granted, the writers are two Dr's., Lovera Miller and her husband David Miller and frankly are all for Menopausal Hormone Therapy and after reading this why would anyone not be? It seems to be the cure all for the very scary symptoms of menopause: hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness, dry skin, memory loss, mood swings, depression, and more! Assuming that you are already on this muddy path, this book is the map to get you back on the freeway! (and I do mean 'free')

What I liked the most about the book was the stories that were shared by real women and how they reacted to this 4 week program. I am not sure everyone will agree that this is the only way to live your middle years via Menopausal Hormone Therapy along with changing diet and exercise, but it does give some very interesting options. Having said that, if you are feeling like you need some help with menopause symptoms, visit your own doctor and go over some of the options that you like from this book and see if they can be tailored to your own individual needs.

No More Tears Left Behind A Story of a Holocaust Survivor Eva Deutschkron as Told by Author and Ursula Rathburn: A LaMothe Book Review

No More Tears Left Behind is the story of a Holocaust Survivor Eva Deutschkron as told by Author and Ursula Rathburn. I read this book in one sitting and was enthralled with the first person account of what it was like to live in Germany as a Jew during this awful time in history. Just when you think your life is troubled and confused, there are books like No More Tears Left Behind to give hope and inspiration to anyone who loves history and enjoys routing for the underdog.

Eva Deutschkron and her husband, Martin, truly show what ingenuity and determination will do for you along with a lot of luck! After their families are sent to concentration camps, Eva and Martin remove their yellow stars that all Jews were required to wear and disappeared into the 'underground'. They spent the war years moving frequently, relying on the kindness of others and hiding their true identity. Luckily for this couple they had valuable skills that were coveted by those during wartime, the ability to make clothing. Martin was a talented tailor and Eva a seamstress. With these skills and their own tenacity the Deutschkron's were able to survive and eventually come to the United States where they had relatives already living.

Although some of this retelling of the Holocaust, as always, is traumatic, the main points of No More Tears Left Behind are valuable lessons that Eva wanted to share with all who read her story: Don't turn your back on people spurned by society, never lose hope for a brighter future and teach your children to perfect a skill valuable to society.

Why I'm So Special, A Book About Surrogacy by Carla Lewis-Long: A LaMothe Book Review

If you are looking for a simplistic way to explain to your toddler about his or her birth from surrogacy, then Why I'm So Special, A Book About Surrogacy by Carla Lewis-Long is a great place to start. Approximately 40 pages long, Why I'm So Special focuses on a Mom and Dad who wanted a baby and after much trying they head for a doctor who tells them about surrogacy. Once the Mom and Dad meet their surrogate, Bonnie, the baby 'is put into Bonnie's tummy' and it starts to grow. With simple language and great illustrations, any toddler will come away with the feeling that he or she was already planned and Mom and Dad were able to make their dream come true by finding someone to help them. (In this case a Gestational Carrier)

Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman: A LaMothe Book Review By Karrah Duncan

I had a young friend read Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman for this book review. As you can see from her comments below this story is aimed at young adults and mainly focuses on the mother/daughter relationships that are formed over time. One of the reasons I personally thought this book would be interesting to me was the topic of adoption. The teenage girl, Linda, was adopted and not told until her biological mother wanted to meet her. This was a secret that was not shared with her as a child and came as a shock as her adoptive parents were forced to tell her of how she became a part of their family and community.

Beth Wiseman is the best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series -- Plain Perfect, Plain Pursuit, and Plain Promise. She is contracted with Thomas Nelson Publishing for ten Amish novels and three novellas - releasing into 2013.
As she puts it, her writing has been "all over the place." As a former newspaper reporter, she was honored by her peers with eleven journalism awards, including first place news writing for The Texas Press Association.

She has been a humor columnist for The 1960 Sun in Houston and published articles in various publications. Those articles included a wide array of topics - an article on premature birth, an article about performance boating, and an article about her mother--a whitewater canoeing enthusiast who still paddles the rivers at the age of 75. However, writing novels is where her heart is. She left her job as a journalist in 2008 to write novels fulltime.

"Writing about the Amish lifestyle within fictional love stories has been a wonderful experience," Beth says. "The Amish and Mennonite contacts I have established in Lancaster County help me to keep the books authentic. These very private people might dress differently, avoid the use of electricity and modern conveniences, but they are just like everyone else. They love, hurt, have daily challenges and struggles, and strive to be the best they can be. An often misunderstood sect of people, it has been a privilege to learn about their ways."

For this review, Karrah Duncan writes "Plain Paradise was a very interesting book. It was very good and I enjoyed reading it a lot. It had everything in it from young romance to death. I would recommend young readers to read Plain Paradise even if they were not interested in Amish life. Although the setting takes place in Lancaster County and the main characters are Amish, the story mostly focuses on the bond between a mother and her daughter, Linda. Linda doesn't know that she is adopted and this story shares what happens when she finds out 17 years later when her birth mother contacts her unexpectedly. Anyone who likes romances with a twist will enjoy Plain Paradise."

Karrah Duncan is fifteen, a sophomore in high school and an avid reader of all types of books.

This LaMothe Book Review is for
Thomas Nelson Publishing

Angel on my Handlebars by Patricia Star: A LaMothe Book Review

Angel on my Handlebars by Patricia Star is an amazing account of a woman who bicycled a crossed America at age 67! A true story of inspiration and motivation, Patricia tells of her 50 days and 3,622 miles on the 'fuzzy seat' of her bicycle all the while overcoming her inexperience, heat, rain, hail, and a crash.

I agreed to review this book because we all need to be inspired by others and this is a story that really made an impact on the way I look at challenges. Angel on my Handlebars is about the survival of the human spirit, of never giving up and not giving in, but most of all not allowing anyone or anything to distract you from your goals. In Patricia's case, she was raising funds for a music scholarship at Santa Barbara City Collage. A must read for anyone feeling that they 'just can't do it' when, the reality is, if Patricia can, so can you! A great summer read!

A note about this remarkable woman: Patricia is a musician, a concert pianist, singer and trombonist. She teaches and directs and currently plays trombone in the Prime Time Band, an 80 piece Concert Band composed of musicians over the age of 50. Her band, which she has also directed, is part of a network stretching across America that includes almost 100 bands under the name of "New Horizons."
 

http://www.patriciastarrnebraska.com/ Click here to vist Patricia's website!

One More Giraffe by Kim Noble: A LaMothe Book Review

One More Giraffe by Kim Noble is such a sweet little book...and I do mean little...perfect for small hands and short for the easily distracted toddler. Nine pages, illustrated by Stephanie Gibson, bring home the struggles of two Giraffes who want to have their own family but no matter how hard they tried they just couldn't do it alone. Then a "lady giraffe" comes along and offers them a very special gift and from there, with the help of a kind doctor and a long wait, they have their family.

This book introduces the simple concept of egg donation to the very young and opens the door to the telling their own story.

I highly recommend any new parent via egg donation to have One More Giraffe by Kim Noble on their little ones book shelf.

Birthing a Mother The Surrogate Body and the Pregnant Self by Dr. Elly Teman University of California Press, 2010: A LaMothe Book Review

Finally! A book that explores the relationship between surrogates (gestational carriers) and their Intended Mothers. Well written and full of real life examples, Dr. Teman draws on anthropological fieldwork among Jewish Israeli women and shares with her readers what many of us in the Third Party Family Building industry want all surrogates/carriers and their Intended Mothers to know: that being a Gestational Carrier has complex and varied emotions attached, not to the fetus but more likely to the intended mother and that, for the most part, the carrier is disassociated from the baby growing in her womb. Tamar, a surrogate, says it best "And that's why I say, I didn't just give birth to a baby, I gave birth to a mother." Shlomit, an Intended Mother also states, "I always say, my mother gave birth to me the first time, she gave me life. But my surrogate gave me life a second time."

Birthing a Mother is divided into four unique parts: Dividing, Connecting, Separating, and Redefining. The entire work here is brilliant and, as a past Gestational Carrier myself, I can relate to the many stories shared within each part quite easily. A reference of "a child through the mail" caught my attention and I thought about my first Intended Mother who, because of distance, was not a 'partner' in the pregnancy the way that she might have wanted. Perhaps she thought of her twins as mail order until I flew down to her so she could take part in the last few weeks of the pregnancy.
 
I am sure that Intended Parents will see their thoughts and fears reflected in Birthing a Mother The Surrogate Body and the Pregnant Self and be able to use this information learned to understand their own intimate relationship with their Gestational Carrier.
 

Mom and Dad and The Journey They Had! Written by Molly Rose Siobhan Summer and presented by Guess Who? Multimedia and Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles: A LaMothe Book Review

I had the wonderful privilege to review Mom and Dad and The Journey They Had! Written by Molly Rose Siobhan Summer and presented by Guess Who? Multimedia and Pacific Fertility Center: I really didn't know what to expect as the story begins with a 'traditional' family preparing to add child number two. They sing and dance all the while getting ready for their very special delivery. Near the end of this story, which starts out focusing on the importance of preparing to bring a baby home, Mom and Dad sit down with the soon to be 'big brother' and tell him about the problems they had conceiving him. In a very matter of fact manner the parents share how they went to a doctor and found a young woman to donate her egg. The main focus of the conversation is how he was the one they had been waiting for all along. The message was so subtle that really all a child listening to this story hears is that "you were always wanted and always loved and we were waiting for YOU".
I highly recommend this very engaging and heartwarming musical to any family who used assisted reproduction (egg donation) to have a baby of their own.


Sharon LaMothe
Infertility Answers, Inc.
http://infertilityanswers.org/
LaMothe Services, LLC
http://lamotheservices.com/

Making Babies: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Fertility and Reproductive Health by Jason Jackson N.D. ~A LaMothe Book Review

Some books that come to me in the mail don't hold much of a surprise for me. They are just what they seem, at least if you judge the book by it's cover. Making Babies: The Definitive guide to improving Your Fertility and Reproductive Health by Jason Jackson N.D. certainly has a lot more to offer then I expected. To start, Jason Jackson runs a successful Natural Medicine practice from Brisbane, Australia. He has lectured and consulted extensively on numerous health topics throughout Australia and overseas. Mr Jackson specializes in reproductive health and infertility and is recognized as one of Australia's leading Naturopaths in this area and is an authority in the field of Clinical Nutrition and Herbal Medicine.

The introduction is what really captured my attention: "Over the thousands of years that humans have been able to reproduce, it has been only the last fifty years or so in the industrialized world, with its nutrient-depleted foods, genetically engineered agriculture, chemical processing, drugs, radiation and pollution, that we are now observing massive impacts on our ability to bear offspring, particularly in affluent Western societies." The last fifty years?

With chapters on Male and Female Reproductive Overviews, Preparing for Conception, Stress and Fertility, and yes, Medically Assisted Reproductive Technology (which is considered 'Plan C') I found that Jason Jackson was very adept at covering everything that one would need to know to do just that, Make Babies.

What I was really happy about were the detailed black and white photos depicting not only the human anatomy but also of fibroids, PCOS, IVF Procedure and quite a few more that add value to each chapter.

I recommend Making Babies The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Fertility and Reproductive Health by Jason Jackson N.D. as a guide to your fertility wellness as well as a great infertility resource.