Founder of Paths to Parenthub
Talking to your child about donor conception can feel both daunting and emotional. Over the past 18 months through my DefiningMum Instagram platform I’ve shared a number of moments from our own parenting-after-donor-conception journey; some planned and some...
What does pride mean to me? An excuse for a party, dancing all night at my friends’ gay club night followed by an after party where I’d usually be first to fall asleep? Yup, that’s what it was for me in my early 20’s. Good times. But with every passing year it’s...
Over recent years there’s been much-needed talk about what not to say to someone facing infertility, but what about donor conception? Inspired by the amazing Alice Rose and her 'Think, What Not to Say" campaign about fertility, I wanted to provide some similar advice...
If you’re reading this blog post as someone wishing to support a loved one who is (or has) needed to use a donor to grow their family – thank you. Thank you for taking the time to better understand and support them in this huge decision, one that will require love,...
This blog post has been on my mind for a while now, almost a year in fact. For those who didn’t follow me a year ago, I posted about the decision within our story which involved us using an anonymous donor from Czech Republic. I was clear back then as I am now that I...
Jana Rupnow has, yet again, sparked realisation in me! This relates to Jana’s post on ‘Conception Gratitude’. It’s something I want to share and bring to life from the viewpoint of the parent. Jana explains that this is: "1. Forced feelings on a child for a choice...
I've been meaning to write about this for a while now, especially since Jana Rupnow and I talked about it in a recent episode of Three Makes Baby podcast - click here to listen. It was another 'lightbulb moment' for me and a concept that really lessened some of the...
I’m sharing because I believe sometimes we can overthink this, particularly when it comes to fears around bonding before we have our children. Think about all of the people you love in your life that you aren't genetically related to. Simply put, genetics are not a...
One of the most important skills I've always wanted my children to have is empathy. Above anything else I believe it is so important to have the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes, without prompting, and take notice of how they might be feeling. It's not...
As I've been busy planning my DefiningMum event (announcement coming soon!) I've been thinking a lot about the different fears and challenges that we inevitably face as parents who don't share genetics with our children. One of the worries that I often didn't share...
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I’m Becky, a grateful mum to three daughters, a fertility patient advocate, writer, speaker, podcaster, and creator of fertility support specifically for donor conception and the workplace.
I’m looking for personal reflections around donor conception from the perspectives of recipient parents, parents-to-be, donor conceived people, or donors – all with the aim of providing insights into your perspective, validating experiences, and creating those safe spaces where shame dies and connection begins.
