Welcome, my friends, as we enter May and celebrate Mother’s Month! We are all sisters and whether you are a mommy, a mommy-to-be, or a mommy-in-waiting, I hope you all realize how special and unique you are. I am very lucky to have you all in my life!

My guest this week is Holly, who works at A Labor of Love Adoptions and is also an adoptee. She shares the story of how she found her birth mother and a new extended family but also shares how nervous she was at first and what she hopes will happen in the future.

So rarely do we hear the happy stories of adoption! Not every adoption story is like a television movie with sad endings. Holly’s story is one of hope and encouragement, especially for those of you who are considering adopting but are fearful of the process.

During Mother’s Month, I hope you find it in yourself to remember the birth moms and surrogates who gave the ultimate gift to you…your child. Heart Mark Designs offers cards and other gifts specifically to remember birth mothers. Even a simple gift from you will be a treasured keepsake for a birth mother.

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If you are struggling with infertility issues and need some reassurances, join me this week as I address some concerns from my listeners’ email. Sometimes knowing that others have also travelled your same path and have had similar experiences can help you deal with the emotional pain.

Two big concerns for some listeners are the fear of having a home study for adoption and how to get over the pain of infertility, even after some time has passed. I had these same fears and pain and I hope you can find some comfort in my own stories.

To find reputable case workers and adoption experts who can lessen your anxiety, you MUST do research and you MUST get references so you are not scammed. Finding the right people to work with you will take away a lot of the fear that couples often experience during the adoption process.

Mother’s Day is coming up on May 11th and if you have adopted your baby, please don’t forget to honor your child’s birth mother. They have truly given you the greatest gift of all. If you would like to send a unique birth mother cards, please visit Heart Mark Designs.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to be part of our prayer chain, please send an email to barbara@journeystomotherhood.com Please know that I have total faith that your baby is on its way to your arms.

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I am very pleased to be joined by my first male guest this week!

John Van Regenmorter from Stepping Stones Ministry shares his story of infertility and how it affected him and his wife, Sylvia, differently. He describes his confusion at why his wife would feel the need to see an infertility doctor and he talks about how his male ego was bruised when they found out his low sperm count was part of their infertility problem.

It was only after Sylvia wrote an article about infertility that John fully understood just how hurt she was during this ordeal and he describes his guilt about not being more supportive of her.

You will realize while listening to John that infertility is not just a woman’s problem. Nearly 40% of infertility problems involve male infertility. It’s very important for men to get checked as well so the doctors can have a full picture of what obstacles a couple needs to overcome to get pregnant.

Thank you, John, for sharing the male perspective of infertility!

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Welcome to Show #36!

This week I am pleased to continue my conversation with Jodi Panayotov, the author of Invitro Fertility Goddess and a sister from Australia. I am still amazed at her ability to find humor while longing for a child and we share some very special passages from her book. Each passage touched my heart and I could relate to everything she has described.

Jodi shares her invitro (IVF) experiences, some of which might surprise you. She even managed to overcome her fear of needles and found a way to laugh when faced with taking so many different drugs. No matter what stage you are at in your journey to your child, Jodi can help lighten your mood and your heart!

Also, if you live in the Pittsburgh, PA area and are contemplating adoption, our founding sponsor, Tina Tyra from A Labor of Love Adoptions, is hosting two workshops at the end of March.

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When a couple is faced with infertility problems, the common reaction is to be angry, upset, and confused. Very often women will ask, “Why me?” and question why it seems so easy for other women to bear children when it’s not easy for them.

Getting pregnant and giving birth are supposed to be “natural” and easy, so the idea of months or years of treatments can be overwhelming or depressing. Many women wallow in despair if the infertility lasts a considerable length of time.

My guest this week is Jodi Panayotov who is the author of Invitro Fertility Goddess. She is a fellow sister in the world of infertility and she reminds us that it’s alright to laugh in the midst of our problems.

Jodi managed to take the difficult subject of infertility and turn it into a comedic book. She tells about her adventures as a flight attendant, some good scoops about celebrity pregnancies, and her very own “Alien Theory.”

Rather than travel the path to depression, Jodi courageously transformed her own experiences into funny stories that will hopefully boost the spirits of other women faced with their own fertility problems.

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After seven years of infertility treatments and multiple failed adoptions, Colleen Geyer tells us how her strong faith carried her and her husband through those disappointing years. With the support of familiy, friends and church, they were able to stay positive and know in their hearts that their baby would come to them.

Colleen’s story does have a happy ending with the adoption of her son, Noah, and she shares how they were blessed with a second child, daughter Addison. But she also tells us about the emotional journal she kept during those discouraging years, her feelings of anguish while attending Mother’s Day services at church, and how important it is to voice your feelings of despair if you are experiencing infertility.

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Colleen will infect you with her spirit of enthusiasm. She’ll inspire and encourage you, being the quintessential example of the woman who refused to be denied…while keeping her faith intact, a smile on her face and an undying hope in her heart. Listen, and get jazzed about this courage and hope we can ALL have in our lives…this is Part 2 of the story of Colleen Geyer.

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This is our 32nd show of Journeys To Motherhood, and we welcome you with open arms! Today we have a guest that WAS just another trooper in the battlefield of infertility. And yes, I emphasis the word ‘was’. Colleen Geyer was tenacious in her quest for motherhood. She had faced numerous setbacks in the adoption arena, yet she never let it stop her forging onward.

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On this, our 31st show, we want to wish you the happiest of new years! We are hopeful that 2008 brings you all that you are wishing for, but most especially your baby. The new year always holds hope and promise. Embrace it, and remember to keep your head high. This could be YOUR year.

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We are happy to present to you the 30th installation of Journeys To Motherhood. In the midst of this very busy holiday season, we take a moment to remember the guests of this past year who have been gracious enough to share their most personal of stories. We have been so blessed by so many lovely women, and this show is a tribute to them.

Plus, I have included one of the most recent ’success’ stories, which has happened to one of the women on our poetic prayer chain! Her name is Addison, and her story is the quintessential Christmas story for reproductively challenged women.

It’s fabulous to hear of a miracle as it’s actually ‘happening’, especially when it’s happening to one of our listeners whom we’ve been praying for! The baby will be here December 20th! (what a Christmas gift!) But the route in which this baby has come into Addison’s life, is one that isn’t traveled often.

It reminds us that we never know from where, nor from WHOM, our baby is coming. And this story will also remind us that miracles DO happen! Addison wasn’t going to have a Christmas tree nor a Christmas dinner, no celebration, nothing. NOW she is preparing for the Christmas of her life!

If this wasn’t ‘your’ year yet…there’s a good chance 2008 WILL be ‘your’ year! Keep that in mind when those difficult moments arise. Holidays are rough, but you will be fine. Never give up. Press on. For nothing in the world can take the place of persistence when pursuing your dream.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!…and especially inner peace, joy and happiness as the New Year approaches!

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