Saturday, November 30, 2013

The child in the mamas' hearts: a story of assisted reproductive technology births for families with two mothers

The child in the mamas' hearts: a story of assisted reproductive technology births for families with two mothers 
by Paul Janson, M.D. 
illus. by Kevin Scott Gierman 
Language: English 
Lulu, 2013 
20 p. : col. ill. ; 22 x 22 cm. 
ISBN: 9781304640314 
Summary: A children's picture book to explain Assisted Reproductive Technology in a loving and understandable way for families with two mothers. 
My annotation: Two women love each other very much but feel something is missing in their house and in their lives - a child, yet both women feel that there is a child somewhere, it just resides in their hearts. They look everywhere for that child, but cannot find it. Eventually they see a doctor to help them have a child of their own and the doctor calls on others to help. With all the help they receive, one of the women becomes pregnant and they are very happy. When the baby finally arrives, both women know that this was the child that resided in their hearts all along. This is a touching story about the love one can have for a child that does not yet exist. The book does not indicate exactly what the “help” is that the doctor provided - whether it was sperm donation or egg donation or embryo donation or IVF, but one of the women does become pregnant and several people are depicted as doctors who were the helpers. No donors are depicted. This book is a starting off point for lesbian couples to explain to their child that a third party was necessary for them to come into the world. Full color, cartoon-like drawings depict a multi-racial family. Recommended for children ages 3-5.
Available: http://www.lulu.com/shop/paul-janson/the-child-in-the-mamas-hearts/paperback/product-21310684.html

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