Delightful Donor Conception: Discovering Donor Conceived Siblings, Raising Donor Conceived Children and Joyfully Navigating Self Identity With Sydney Sharon
In this week’s episode, I am joined by Sydney Sharon, who discusses the topic of donor-conception. Sydney is one of the rare people who has experienced donor conception from all angles: she has used donor sperm, is raising donor conceived children, has a father who was a donor and is building relationships with her newly expanded “BioFam” of siblings. In this episode, Sydney discusses her upbringing, meeting her lovely wife Britt, their Jewish beliefs, and how they have worked through their decisions regarding selecting a donor for their children. She also talks about how she learned she has six siblings through donor conception from her father, referring to her siblings as BioSibs, who was a sperm donor before having his children. We dive into identity after becoming a mother and how to help donor-conceived children determine their identity as they grow up. This episode is packed full of advice and storytelling of The Sharon Mom’s journey to creating a family of their own.
In This Episode:
[2:23] Introduction to Sydney.
[5:58] Journey of becoming a mom and her relationship with her wife Britt.
[11:05] We discuss Sydney's roles in life: motherhood, being a wife, Judaism, and more.
[17:21] How did Sydney and Britt choose a donor?
[28:35] How many vials should the donor have for future children's decisions?
[34:04] How does Sydney think about helping kids form their identity and donor conception history?
[39:33] Your life sounds too good to be true; is it really this filled with joy and happy circumstances?
[42:16] Issues that are coming up and data that is becoming more aware surrounding male factor infertility.
[44:30] Anonymity and privacy around sperm donors with technology like 23 and Me and ancestry.com.
[47:20] How has being in a donor-conceived family shaped Sydney’s definition of family?
Takeaways:
Every person will look at their donor's information differently and prioritize how they choose a donor differently. There is no one size fits all way to selecting the right donor. Sydney and Britt chose based on blood type, hair color, and height.
Family is what you make of it. Being related through blood isn’t what makes you a family; instead, choosing who your family is and creating supportive people is what makes a family.
Knowing your identity and who you helped you feel confident in your decisions. Sydney and Britt are Jewish and gay, but there were never any other options because it’s just who they are
Guest Links:
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