The Best of 2010 LaMothe Book Reviews:Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families by Patricia Irwin Johnston

Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families by Patricia Irwin Johnston was published in 2008 and yet will remain timeless. This is a book that I would personally recommend for anyone who is wondering if adoption is even possible for their own unique circumstances. On a personal note, my own father was adopted in 1937 and knowing how he was found and accepted into his family and some of the struggles that my grandparents had back 'in the day' helps me relate to others considering adoption. Because Pat is living what she writes about, it makes this book easier to read and understand.


The introduction is the first place a reader learns what they are about to encounter between the covers of this thought provoking book (don't skip this!) and then you move onto the chapters....each and every one offering a tremendous amount of information but not in an overwhelming way. If you are a heterosexual couple, single or gay and are considering adoption to build your family then this is the FIRST book you should read. From Unraveling the Challenges for Family Building to a complete overview on adoption and finally how to make sound choices that fit your expectations (think financial, taxes, age of the child, open adoption, adoption services, home studies etc.) and the 'Real Thing'. These four parts bring all the important considerations to the reader in a way that is easy to understand with Pats personal thoughtful touch regarding infertility and adoption permeating each and every chapter. I also personally love the resource section at the end of each segment! So helpful! This is also a must read for professionals in the Infertility and Family Building Field.

About Patricia Irwin Johnston:

Patricia Irwin Johnston, MS, is an infertility and adoption educator and advocate with over 30 years of experience as both a volunteer (with local and national advocacy groups in the field) and as professional (publisher at Perspectives Press, Inc.) in the field of challenged family building. She is the author of several award-winning books (the most recent, Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families won the 2009 IPBA Benjamin Franklin Award as best self-help book) and has herself been given several awards, including being named a 2007 Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. A member of an extended family directly touched through five generations by adoptions, Pat and her husband live in Indianapolis.

The Best of 2010 LaMothe Book Reviews: Making Babies: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Fertility and Reproductive Health by Jason Jackson N.D.

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.

The Best of 2010 LaMothe Book Reviews: If at First You Don't Conceive: A Complete Guide to Infertility Dr. William Schoolcraft, MD, HCLD

If at First You Don't Conceive: A Complete Guide to Infertility from One of the Nation's Leading Clinics by Dr. William Schoolcraft, MD, HCLD, has been available since March 2010 but I have had the pleasure of receiving and reviewing an advanced copy and highly suggest that you order yours now!

There are two hundred and sixty five pages in If at First You Don't Conceive: A Complete Guide to Infertility from One of the Nation's Leading Clinics and each and everyone of them are worth reading. If you have just found out that you have a problem with fertility, this must be the first book you read. Not only does Dr. Schoolcraft talk about being your own best advocate he writes about the most common fertility challenges, the most common solutions for those challenges and covers the emotional challenges as well. I love the fact that he includes stories from his patient's which makes you feel connected to what this book is all about, validation, education, support and solutions.

If you are not familiar with Dr. WILLIAM SCHOOLCRAFT, MD, HCLD, he is a fertility specialist and researcher and is the director of the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine.

The Best of 2010 LaMothe Book Reviews: Birthing a Mother The Surrogate Body and the Pregnant Self By Dr. Elly Teman

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.

December is The Best of the LaMothe Book Reviews! Lets Start with Budgeting for Infertility By Evelina Weidman Sterling & Angie Best-Boss

I am dedicating the month of December to the best of  my LaMothe Book Reviews for 2010. These are books that you should consider reading, buying for your professional library and promoting to your clients. If you have a book that you would like to recommend a book for a professional LaMothe Book Review please contact me at  mailto:info@LaMotheServices.com. 
Sharon

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.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

LaMothe Services, LLC wishes you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson



Important!! November is National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month, a month set aside each year to raise awareness about the adoption of children and youth from foster care. This year's National Adoption Month initiative targets adoption professionals by focusing on ways to recruit and retain parents for the 115,000 children and youth in foster care waiting for adoptive families.

Activities and celebrations are kicked off with a Presidential Proclamation, and while efforts made at the national level certainly help build awareness of adoption, participation in local programs, events, and activities by those of us with a direct connection to adoption can often be the most effective way to promote positive perceptions, debunk the myths, and draw attention to the tens of thousands of children in foster care who wait and hope for permanent families.

Along with the month long celebration is the very special Adoption Day. November 20, 2010, will mark the 11th National Adoption Day. It's a special day because thousands of adoptions are finalized in court rooms all across the United States.

Password Issues By Toby Grundtner

Nightmare -
Over the last few months I have been getting a lot of calls from people who have had their AOL/Yahoo/MSN and other accounts hacked into.

Whoever is hacking into the account is then changing the password so the real owner cannot get into it. Then the hackers start sending SPAM email to everyone in the owner's address book.

As you can imagine, it turns into a nightmare for the rightful owner of the account. Here are some tips to avoid this scenario:

1. Use Strong Passwords -

You wouldn't believe how many people tell me that their password is the word "password". This is one of the top 10 most popular passwords in the world. Other popular passwords are 123456, qwerty, abc123, letmein, monkey, myspace1, password1, link182 and (your first name). It would take a normal desktop PC mere seconds to crack these passwords. Choose something more complicated. How good is your password? Go to HowSecureIsMyPassword.net to find out. You'll be surprised.

2. Avoid the "Phishing" Net -

Phishing is the term for someone trying to gain access tour information through dishonest methods. "We need you to verify account info" and "Please log in to collect your reward" are just a few of the more popular ways hackers are getting your information. A bank, credit card company, etc will never ask you personal/sensitive information via email. DON'T FALL FOR IT! When in doubt, call your account holders directly.

3. Use Sentences to Make it Easy/Secure -

Use phrases to make it easy. "I Love My Canines Too Much!" could be made into a password of "ILMK9S2MCH!". According to HowSecureIsMyPassword.net it would take 12 thousand years to crack that password!

By following these steps you can keep all of your accounts safe and secure.

Tune IN!! On October 21, The Surrogacy Lawyer Radio will Interview Sharon LaMothe, Author of “Surrogacy Helps a Family Grow,” and Tracy Armato, Conceptual Options Program Director

The Surrogacy Lawyer Radio Program Presents “Talking about Surrogacy to the Children of Surrogates”

On October 21, The Surrogacy Lawyer Radio will interview Sharon LaMothe, author of “Surrogacy Helps a Family Grow,” and Tracy Armato, Conceptual Options Program Director

When a woman decides to become a surrogate mother, she will have many conversations: with members of the surrogacy agency team, the intended parents, the medical and legal professionals involved in her care and with her spouse or partner and other adult relatives and friends, to name a few. But one of the most important conversations she will have is with her children, so she can explain the surrogacy process to them.

On the Thursday, October 21 episode of The Surrogacy Lawyer: Your Guide to IVF and Third Party Reproduction, Theresa Erickson, Esq., will be discussing how surrogate mothers should talk to their children about their pregnancies for another family. Ms. Erickson will interview Sharon LaMothe, a former gestational surrogate and author of the upcoming book Surrogacy Helps a Family Grow, and Tracy Armato, program director of Conceptual Options, The Surrogacy and Egg Donation Center and past surrogate. This episode will air on at 11AM PST/2PM EST on Voice America.

Sharon LaMothe is currently the owner of Infertility Answers, Inc., and the creator of two blogs about third party reproduction. She also owns LaMothe Services, LLC, an assisted reproductive technology business solutions service. Tracy Armato is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of Conceptual Options. Having been a gestational surrogate, Tracy has viewed third party reproduction from both angles and is a key support figure for surrogates.

“As a surrogacy lawyer and owner of a surrogacy and egg donation agency, I am excited about this new tool to help surrogate mothers talk to their children about the amazing gift they are giving another set of parents,“ says attorney Erickson. “Having open and honest conversations about third party reproduction is essential, whether you are a surrogate or egg, sperm or embryo donor. I look forward to advancing the conversation about this important topic.”

About Theresa Erickson, Esq.

Ms. Erickson is the managing partner of Erickson Law and the founder and chair of Conceptual Options, The Surrogacy and Egg Donation Center. In addition, Ms. Erickson is the author of the newly released Surrogacy and Embryo, Sperm, & Egg Donation: What Were You Thinking? Erickson was motivated to write her second book so she could educate potential intended parents, as well as the women who become surrogates and egg donors, about what all parties need to know if they are going to become involved in third party reproduction.

Attorney Erickson is a globally recognized expert in this specialized area of law and is a board member of the American Fertility Association and the legal director of Parents Via Egg Donation. For more information, please visit www.ericksonlaw.net and www.conceptualoptions.com.

Remember! November is National Diabetes Awareness Month!

Because October is such a big month for Brest Cancer Awareness we sometimes are burned out by November! Don't let this happen to you! November is a great opportunity to share with your clients information about diabetes and how it affects fertility. For example:


Diabetes Commonly Occurs in Association with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Increased Susceptibility to Urinary and Genital Tract Infections

Elevated Blood Glucose Is Teratogenic To the Growing Fetus

High Blood Glucose Level Causes Accelerated Fetal Growth

Psychological and Physical Effects on Sex


Although the entire month of November is dedicated to National Diabetes Awareness Month, November 14th is World Diabetes Day.

I plan on sharing posts on my other Blogs, http://surrogacy101.blogspot.com and http://infertilityanswers.typepad.com/surrogacy_101 regarding Diabetes during the month of November and how it can affect fertility.

Sharon LaMothe