Welcome to Familyhopes.com, the website
centered around the hopes, dreams and wishes we all have of becoming
parents. This is a place where you can get your questions answered
or express your own concerns, hopes and dreams with others who
are going through the same thing that you are. Familyhopes.com
grew out of my own experiences with adoption, fertility issues
and multiples. While going through my own journey, I discovered
that there was a need for individuals and couples to have a place
to come together to discuss what they are going through, give
and receive emotional encouragement and empower each other through
personal experiences and knowledge.
While I was able to start a local support with a friend a few
years ago for couples going through the fertility process, we
often talked about the need to expand our group to those who did
not live in our area and who did not have a local support group
to help them know that they are not alone in what they are going
through. It is from this support group and our own personal experiences
that Familyhopes.com was born.
I decided to incorporate information about adoption and multiples
in this site because both subjects can be related to fertility
issues, depending on your own personal journey. Being an adoption
counselor for 9 years, I have worked with countless families going
through the adoption process and have incorporated my experience
as an adoption counselor into the adoption part of Familyhopes.com.
We have a local support group for couples going through the adoption
process, but I wanted to reach other families who have questions
or concerns or who just want to talk with others going through
the adoption process.
Finally, I added the multiples section to Familyhopes.com because
many couples going through fertility treatments end up having
twins, triplets or more. After four years of fertility treatments,
we were blessed with our twins through IVF. Couples experiencing
parenting and pregnancy through multiples have their own distinct
questions and concerns, so I wanted to give support and information
to those who might not have a parents of multiples club in your
area or those of you too busy to be able to attend a multiples
meeting. It is my hope that you will find this site to be a place
where you can get your questions answered and a place where you
can share your own hopes, dreams, wishes and wisdom with others
who are going through the same thing that you are.
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Fertility Help
The journey through the fertility process is an emotional,
physical and financial journey. It touches every aspect of
our lives. Unless you are going through the process or have
been through the process, you can't possibly understand how
profoundly it can touch every aspect of your life. Everyday,
hundreds of couples are going to fertility clinics and having
fertility tests and treatments, yet it is still one of the
few medical conditions that nobody talks about it. After four
years of going through my own fertility problems and starting
a local support group for others going through the process,
I decided to start Familyhopes.com/fertility to offer support
to others who are going through the process, to help break
the silence and let others know they are not alone. We call
our fertility support group RAFT (Reclaiming and Accepting
our Fertility Together). Our goal in the group and my goal
in this site is to help you reclaim some of the control that
you may have lost during the fertility process and to help
you accept what you are going through so that you can begin
to move forward on your fertility journey. The way to reclaim
and accept is through the knowledge and support of others
who know exactly what you are going through.
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Recent Fertility Articles
Risks, Symptoms and Prevention of Ovarian Torsion
When I started my IVF cycle, I decided to stop all exercise and take it easy. Although I was never given any strict guidelines or instructions to stop exercise all together, I was given a list of a few dos and don’ts. In the middle of my cycle I decided to take a stroll down [...]
Causes, Risks, Prevention and Treatment for Ovarian Hyperstimuation Syndrome ...
Any time someone is going through fertility treatments that involve the use of fertility drugs to increase follicle stimulation, they run a risk of developing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). OHSS occurs when too many follicles develop and the ovaries become enlarged. While many people using fertility drugs report discomfort during the time of ovulation, those [...]
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Help with Multiples
Parenting and Pregnancy with multiples has its own unique
qualities and challenges. Every day couples are welcoming
their twins, triplets and higher order multiples into the
world. Having support and helpful tips and suggestions is
essential to helping you through your pregnancy with multiples
and helping you begin your journey through parenthood with
multiples. I am the mother of two-year-old twins and am also
blessed to have friends with multiples and the support of
a local parents of multiples support group. I designed Familyhopes.com/multiples
to help offer support, encouragement and wisdom to other parents
of multiples.
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Recent Articles on Multiples
Developmental Milestones and Multiples
When you become the parent of multiples, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that because they were born just minutes apart, they should be doing everything else at the same time, or at least in close proximity. You lose site of the fact that they are each individual little human beings [...]
Making Time for Your Spouse with Multiples
Before our twins arrived, my husband and I had dated for 2 years and had been married for 5 ½ years. We had more than 7 years together where it was just the two of us. For seven years we only had to basically worry about each other. We would go on day trips, fix [...]
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Adoption Help
As you are beginning your journey to build your family through
adoption, there are many questions and concerns that you may
have about how adoption works, the Home Study process, Birthparents
and other adoption related issues. Whether you are just looking
into adoption, are in the middle of the process or already
have your child in your home, making sure that things are
done the right way both legally and emotionally is essential
for you and your child. For the past 9 years I have worked
as an adoption counselor at a local agency, working with hundreds
of prospective adoptive parents and Birthparents. I have designed
Familyhopes.com/adoption to help you get your questions answered,
to express your concerns and to find support from others who
going through the adoption process.
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Recent Adoption Articles
The Basics of Adoption Facilitators
An adoption facilitator is a person or organization whose sole purpose is to connect Birthparents wanting to make an adoption plan with prospective adoptive parents. They are not necessarily licensed child placing agencies. Some attorneys act as adoption facilitators, but they are often independent organizations.
They often charge a fee to prospective adoptive families who wish [...]
What to do When Birthparents Speak a Different Language
Many people who are planning to build there families through adoption are open to children of races and cultural backgrounds than that are different from their own. In order to do this, you must first do some soul searching as well as taking a good look at your family, friends and community to make sure [...]
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