Creating a Family

Books to tell children about creating a family

How Babies are Made

Adoption Story

IVF Story

Egg Donor Story

Surrogacy Story
 

Recipes of How Babies are Made

Recipes of How Babies are Made by Carmen Martinez Jover
Product Description
Recipes of How Babies are Made, is a children's story which explains in a very simple way all the different methods used to conceive children today. This "how babies are made" story helps parents share the specific way their children were born. Through the illustrations children can easily visualize all the different methods and understand them in a simple and natural way.... egg donation, sperm donation, embryo donation, surrogacy and adoption.

Introducing the many ways babies enter our world...
This adorable book uses comparisons to explain complex infertility topics and how babies are made.

Most children understand ingredients are needed to bake a recipe and know where they come from (such as milk comes from the cow).

Using this concept, this book explains through illustrations the ingredients needed for making a baby. Plus signs connect cute drawings representing a male sperm and a female egg. The drawings conclude with an equal sign to an image of a baby making it very easy for children to understand.

The story quickly moves to what happens if an ingredient is missing, how the equation (so to speak) will change. A doctor, donors, and/or surrogates can help. Images and plus signs are adjusted respectively. What a wonderful way to show children that no matter how they came to be, families are treasured.

As a surrogate mom, this book would have helped immensely when explaining to my own children how the new twins would not be their brother or sister. It easily explains how babies are made and the many ways we can solve medical issues surrounding infertility. I would recommend it to all families who want to teach their children that there are many ways to enter our world. -- Tracy

I Want to Have A Child - Whatever it takes

I Want to Have A Child - Whatever it takes
by Carmen Martinez Jover
Product Description
When creating a family, we don't always consdier the struggles involved. After all, there is more than one answer when one considers how babies are made.

Learn More about Author Carmen Martinez Jover

In a clear, sincere and clear way, Carmen presents in her autobiography the problem of infertility, representing it through images in her pictures. After telling the story of the constant struggle between doctors and syringes, the author decides to paint chairs as a way of relief, chairs that express each one of her longings to create a family, each moment of sadness, each situation of powerlessness, as well as that of sharing with her partner, the frustrations which this kind of situation brings, and concludes with a beautiful lesson demonstrating that there is always a future and a reason why even if in the beginning we can t find the answer. You feel how the author drops into emotional free fall until she hits the bottom, and then, like a new person, lifts herself up, greater and stronger spiritually, transforming a nightmare into her present day strength and motivation. We perceive two different persons, one before and one after separated by infertility. The book is simple, beautiful and enriching and teaches us the true meaning of creating a family.

...my own emotions printed in her book
When I saw the explications of her painting, I understood perfectly and I identified myself, I could not let go until I finished reading it and when I finished I felt a lot of peace. --Lulu

I could not stop reading ...
I identified myself with Carmen from the very beginning...I wanted all the world to know how I felt and no one better than Carmen to explain this. --Olga

We are not blindfolded...
When you receive this book, you will know it is about the author's desire to create a family, her struggle with infertility, how she expressed it through painting, and ultimately became a new person.

I highly recommend taking time to view all the paintings prior to reading. This will allow you to see the art through your own interpretation, based on your own experiences and struggles in life. As a surrogate mother, I know I viewed the art in a slightly different light. Later, as you read the book, you will discover the artist's desired symbolism in each piece adding further to your own appreciation. (Similar to reading a book before viewing a movie, here I suggest viewing the art in your own eyes before reading the book.)

By far, my favorite piece for both the art and emotions represented was one titled, "There's Still Time to Change." In this painting the chair is blindfolded but its shadow is not. So often in life, not just with infertility, one can be so focused on a reaching a goal that it seems we are blindfolded. We strive to go down a single path, looking at one solution, not realizing or listening should others remind us - there could be another way. In the end, one must come to realize the answer is within oneself. We truly are not blindfolded. The answer is within us to make our choices in life. Happiness is found within oneself.

Another painting I was fond of (as I am passionate about the indigenous culture in Latin America) was an image of a "mother" chair with a "baby" chair wrapped around its back in a traditional Indian blanket (much as the Indians of Latin America wrap their infants while traveling the roads and markets). This is certainly an intriguing and creative book.

Doctors and fathers gain a greater understanding of the struggles and emotions involved in infertility and why women may retreat, keeping their pain inside. For the women, they will be reassured: they are not alone, everyone chooses different paths, and we can all find happiness when creating a family. Remember there is more than one answer when considering how babies are made. --Tracy