babies

1. Dale & Kaerin's Adoption Story: Open adoption is a choice that many who adopt these days choose to consider. It doesn't mean co-parenting, and it may not even include face-to-face visits with a child's birth family - instead it's all about sharing information. Meet Dale, Kaerin and their 8-year old daughter, Mya, a family that values the open adoption experience.

2. Paula, John's Adoption Story: Next, meet an Anchorage couple who have adopted two little girls through Catholic Social Services – both of them Alaska Native. These parents share what they feel is important as they raise their daughters, Olive and Drew.

Both families invited producer Sarah Gonzales into their homes to share their adoption stories. 

SOMETIMES THE CONVERSATION is so good that we'll continue recording after the wrap! We get to have a few more questions answered by our terrific guests and then we'll include those extra bits here on the web for you.

 Below, check out three web extras from Show 53: Family Sleep Issues.

 1. Our guests give their 2 cents on whether or not we, as a busy culture, resist sleep, or even view it as lazy?

 2. How much coffee you drink and when you drink it could be signs of sleep deprivation says, Dr. Lada.

 3. Sleep deprived parents of infants say that their daily state is akin to being a "little bit drunk all the time" - physiologically what do lack of sleep and excess of alcohol have in common? 

 (Listen to all 3 clips after the jump - click "read more..." below)

SPEND ANY TIME with new parents and it won’t take more than a few minutes for the topic to turn to sleep. Getting your newborn to sleep – and getting enough sleep for mom and dad – can be all-consuming for a few months.

Contributor Jessica Cochran went to Cuddlers at Providence to speak with some new parents there to find out how much rest they are getting, and Dr. KTD Michelle Laufer comments on what is normal.

Cases of severe postpartum depression are just one of the reasons for Infant Safe Haven laws. Alaska’s Safe Haven law was passed in 2008, one of the last enacted in the country. Under the law, parents can leave infants up to 21 days old at a safe location like a fire station or hospital without fear of being prosecuted. When they leave the infant, they may be asked if they are giving up their child willingly, and terminating parental rights. And they may be asked for identifying information but they’re not required to provide it.

According to the state Department of Health and Social Services, no infants in Alaska have been dropped off under the Safe Haven law. That doesn’t surprise former state representative Gabrielle LeDoux (Kodiak) who sponsored the legislation...

Listen to the full story below...

A new baby is a reason to celebrate but the time after birth can bring with it a wealth of conflicting emotions that sometimes go beyond typical "baby blues". What does everyone need to know about recognizing and treating postpartum mood disorders and supporting those who are suffering?

Joining host Shana Sheehy in the studio are two perinatal mood disorder experts who join us to dispel myths and educate about recognizing the signs, symptoms and where to get help. Margi Clifford is the state of Alaska's coordinator for perinatal mood disorders and she runs the Maternal/Postpartum Support parenting groups at Providence Hospital. Dr. Diana Lynn Barnes is the former director of Postpartum Support International, and currently sits on the President’s Advisory Council for that organization. Dr. Barnes is a nationally known forensic expert in women’s reproductive mental health as well as the author of The Journey to Parenthood: Myths, Reality and What Really Matters.

DID YOU KNOW? These are the signs and symptoms of a perinatal mood disorder (including postpartum depression):

• Are you feeling sad or depressed?
• Do you feel more irritable or angry with those around you?
• Are you having difficulty bonding with your baby?
• Do you feel anxious or panicky?
• Are you having problems with eating or sleeping?
• Are you having upsetting thoughts that you can’t get out
  of your mind?
• Do you feel as if you are “out of control” or “going crazy”?
• Do you feel like you never should have become a mother?
• Are you worried that you might hurt your baby or yourself?

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, you can get help by visiting Postpartum.net, or in Alaska, by calling the Crisis Line at: (907) 563-3200

FEATURED STORIES:

• One woman's story of Sleepless Days - A few years ago when Susan Kushner Resnick was experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression she wanted to read about another woman who'd been through it and made it out okay - but she couldn't find anything. So after she survived PPD, she wrote a memoir, Sleepless Days: One Woman's Journey Through Postpartum Depression, all about her experience and to let others know that it gets better. She spoke with Sarah Gonzales.
(Read an excerpt of her book here.)

• A father's perspective on PPD - The partners of those experiencing postpartum depression will not only support their partners during a very hard time, but they will most likely have to take on more household responsibilities while mom gets better. Steve SueWing's family recently weathered PPD, and we asked him to share with our listeners why dads need support, too. (Steve's new blog - "Capitol Letters: Notes from a Juneau Dad" - starts Thursday here at KidsTheseDays.org!)

• Parents talk about self-care - At a recent “parentTalk” meeting held by thread, parents shared their tips for sneaking some “me” time into the day – even if it’s just in 2 or 3 or 5 minute doses. Jessica Cochran spoke with the guest-presenter and some of the participants to share those tips with our listeners. (Thank you to thread and Wells Fargo for supporting this story from our our Early Childhood Desk.)

In addition to considering one's own physical and mental health when starting a family, financial health is also a serious consideration - whether it's your first child or you're planning for baby number three. Let's face it - kids are expensive - the USDA's Expenditures on Children by Families 2010 report estimates that raising a child from birth to age eighteen will cost around a quarter of a million dollars - and that doesn't even include college. How can parents best prepare for these costs?

• USDA's Cost of Raising a Child Calculator

Producer Sarah Gonzales speaks with Stacey Bradford, author of The Wall Street Journal Financial Guidebook for New Parents and Family Finance columnist for CBS Money Watch, to get her two cents.

We’re blessed in Alaska with wild fish and game, plenty of open space and fresh air so it’s easy to think of our environment as “clean”. But it may be that Alaskans are exposed to just as many or more pollutants and chemicals as our lower 48 counterparts and and they may be affecting our fertility and reproduction for generations to come.

Resources for more information on avoiding harmful toxins:

• Alaska Community Action on Toxics
• Chemicals and Reproductive Health
• The Collaborative on Health and the Environment
• Bad Plastics

As contributor Jessica Cochran reports, a slew of researchers are working to figure out just how different chemicals affect reproductive systems.

THE FIRST IN A SERIES of programs on starting a family, we're focusing this episode on having children through pregnancy. We ask: "How can future parents best prepare their bodies and their minds to bring home baby?" And when conception is difficult, what are the options for achieving a successful pregnancy (while also remaining confident and calm)?

IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Joining host Shana Sheehy to offer advice on preconception care are two guests. Dr. Michael Opsahl is a board certified doctor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive endocrinology. He practices at Seattle Reproductive Medicine and joins us by phone. Caryn Gonzales is a psychiatric and family nurse practitioner working in Palmer where her practice, Family Life Matters, specializes in behavioral health, including support for families during preconception, birth, postpartum and lactation.

DID YOU KNOW? If a woman 35 years of age or younger is unable to become pregnant within 12 months of actively trying, she should seek the advice of a reproductive specialist. For women over 35, this benchmark is 6 months.

FEATURED STORIES: • Toxins & Fertility - We’re blessed in Alaska with fresh, wild fish, plenty of open space and fresh air, so it’s easy to consider our environment as “clean”. But it may be that Alaskans are exposed to just as many - or more - pollutants and chemicals as our lower 48 counterparts - and they may be affecting our fertility and reproduction. As contributor Jessica Cochran reports, a slew of researchers are working to figure out just how different chemicals affect reproductive systems. • Alaska Community Action on Toxics • The Collaborative on Health and the Environment • Bad Plastics • How Much Do Kids Cost? - Let's face it - kids are expensive - the USDA's Expenditures on Children by Families 2010 report estimates that raising a child from birth to age eighteen will cost around a quarter of a million dollars - and that doesn't even include college. How can parents best prepare for these costs? Producer Sarah Gonzales speaks with Stacey Bradford, author of The Wall Street Journal Financial Guidebook for New Parents and Family Finance columnist for CBS Money Watch, to get her two cents.