Tuesday 20th June 2023 – 8pm (BST)

Waiting is hard. Whether it be on a long and uncertain fertility journey or through pregnancy following a complex path to get there, many can experience heightened stress and anxiety during these times. It can be a time where it's easy to question decisions, wobble and feel doubts creep in. I'll be joined by Julianne Boutaleb, perinatal psychologist and founder of Parenthood in Mind, as we explore how we can help manage the wait. We'll explore why the wait can conjure up more questions and doubts and how we can manage our emotions through this time.

Tuesday 27th June 2023 – 8pm (BST)

For this live webinar we will be diving into the findings of this fascinating study with one of its lead researchers Dr Leah Gilman. We will also be exploring how some of the conclusions of the study may go on to shape the future of DNA testing for our donor conceived families.

Wednesday 26th July 2023 – 8pm (BST)

For our final session of this series we'll explore the age that I know I hold the most fears about - the teenage years. A time where hormones are dominant, identity formation is more at the forefront and we might expect to hear the words "you're not my real mum/dad/parent" thrown at us at some point, a fear that I've heard many times that can be much more prominent for parents who don't share a genetic link. So what is happening to their development during these years? And what can we do as parents to maintain that safe space and to really understand the developmental phases at this time in their lives?

Tuesday 19th September 2023 – 8pm (BST)

One of the biggest emotional challenges I've faced since becoming a parent through donor conception has been the feelings of guilt I've experienced relating to using an anonymous donor to conceive. I wanted to hold this session because I know many others who feel this way too and that there's little support out there as to how to navigate the complexity of emotions when this may lead us to feel more anxiety about how our children may react, regret for taking a choice away from them and even shame, with some online forums placing blame on recipient parents for these choices.

Tuesday 24th October 2023 – 8pm (BST)

Do we ever truly move on from grief? This is a question many of us ask. When it comes to genetic loss, it's very often a grief that we as individuals can grow around, whilst other emotions can co-exist and grow around too. I'll be joined by Julianne Boutaleb, perinatal psycologist and founder of Parenthood in Mind, as we explore what is meant by the phrase 'ghosts in the nursery' in relation to fertility trauma and genetic loss. We'll talk about what might cause unexpected triggers throughout our lives and how we might support ourselves through these if they occur.