Overview

Ours is an extraordinary time for anyone straight, gay, single, or coupled who's ever wanted a baby of his or her own. Many aspiring parents now depend on some form of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to fulfill their dreams of starting a family. But as Dr. Diane Ehrensaft points out, parents who conceive with the help of a donor or surrogate often struggle with unforeseen questions. How can you help the child understand where he or she fits into the family and into the world? Exactly who is the mommy, and who is the daddy? How will grandparents and other family members react? What will the donor or surrogate have to say about it? In Mommies, Daddies, Donors, Surrogates, Dr. Ehrensaft addresses these topics and guides readers through a host of other concerns that may arise before, during, and after assisted conception. Provocative, compassionate, and immediately practical, Dr. Ehrensaft's far-ranging inquiry raises issues no one affected by ART should ignore.

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9781593851798

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Reviews

'This is the book for anyone who used or is thinking of using any kind of assisted reproduction to help create a family. So many of us are afraid to talk openly about - or just don't know how to talk about - the ways our families were created. This book will help you deal with your own anxieties and confusions and then be able to talk about them in a more comfortable way... I am overjoyed that a book like this is finally available.' - Jane Mattes, CSW, psychotherapist and founder of Single Mothers by Choice 'Dr. Ehrensaft tackles your medical questions, your psychological questions, and your parenting questions, all in one readable, authoritative volume.' - Susan H. McDaniel, PhD, Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Above all, Ehrensaft's book is a reassuring one....Ehrensaft uses her experience as a therapist to break down the potential parent's insecurity, gently encouraging her to face her fears, the better to overcome them....An essential addition to the literature--and an unusually well-written one. /m-/[ital]Parents' Press[/ital] (11/06) Diane Ehrensaft brings the insight of a clinical and developmental psychologist to all the big questions that arise both before family creation with donor conception and afterwards....A pleasure to read and accessible to all who enjoy getting information from books....She addresses not only the obvious feelings and practicalities faced by would-be parents, but also some of the more difficult emotions and fantasies that are often around but rarely spoken about. All this is undertaken with great empathy for the would-be parent(s). -- Donor Conception Network <br>.,. sparks insightful discussion about the grand new experiment of baby making in the era of rapidly expanding assisted reproductive technology (ART)....She addresses the psychological struggles and unexpected feelings that may arise, counsel on the sensitive subject of disclosing the truth to children and why it is so important, and examines the larger picture of what birth-other families look like to outsiders and why it matters....this is a great resource for anyone involved or affected by ART. Highly recommended. (starred review). -- Library Journal <br> [An] honest, down-to-earth manual to help parents work through the problems....This is a terrifically useful book for nontraditional families and everyone (teachers, ministers, therapists) who work with them. -- Publishers Weekly <br> Amust-read for anyone thinking of having a child with the help of a 'birth other, ' in Ehrensaft's coinage, this book can help all of us understand these new families. We are luck Ehrensaft has given us this intensely knowledgeable and humane book. -- Today's Parent <br><p> The highlight of the text is the variety of experiences covered....This book helps to increase our understanding and awareness of families impacted by assisted reproduction in all its many forms. -- The Family Journal

Author Information

Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, is a developmental and clinical psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area and Director of Mental Health and founding member of the Child and Adolescent Gender Center, a partnership between the University of California San Francisco and community agencies. Dr. Ehrensaft’s research and writing focus on the areas of child development, gender, gender-nonconforming and transgender children and youth, parenting, parent–child relationships, LGBTQI families, and psychological issues for families using assisted reproductive technology. She has published several books and articles in these areas and lectures, serves as an expert witness, and makes media appearances nationally and internationally on these topics. Dr. Ehrensaft has a clinical practice in Oakland, California, where she sees adults, children, and adolescents.

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