Early and Often (ish!) - Talking to our children about their conception story

Early disclosure within donor-conceived families is thankfully now considered best practice, however, that doesn’t mean that the process of ‘telling’ is as easy as child’s play. In this episode, Becky and Hayley take a closer look into the practicalities of discussing conception stories with our donor-conceived children, whilst also exploring some of the complex emotions that may arise for parents when attempting this process. Becky and Hayley provide some helpful examples of how they have tackled these discussions and share some of their favourites children’s story books, tips, and resources that have helped their families along the way.

Links of note that are mentioned during the episode:

Paths to Parenthub LIVE Summit 2024  - Tickets available here: https://pathstoparenthub.com/virtual-summit/

Paths to Parenthub Membership details: https://members.definingmum.com 

Paths to Parenthub LGBTQ+ Membership details: https://members.definingmum.com/lgbtq-paths-to-parenthub/ 

Hayley’s Instagram page: www.instagram.com/dcp_journey_2_rp 

Becky’s Instagram pages: www.instagram.com/definingmum www.instagram.com/paths_to_parenthub 

Book Titles mentioned within the episode:

What Makes A Baby https://wwwcorysilverberg.com/

Happy Together  https://www.happytogetherchildrensbook.com/

We Are Family https://www.wearefamilybooks.co.uk/

My Donor Story https://www.mydonorstory.com/

Our Story https://www.dcnetwork.org/our-bookshop/

Robo Babies https://www.owletpress.com/product-page/robo-babies

Secret Code Inside of Me https://www.rajanilarocca.com/picture-books/the-secret-code-inside-you/

Research article mentioned in episode Telling donor-conceived children about their conception: Evaluation of the use of the Donor Conception Network children’s books. Harper, J et al (2022) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405661821000150