Carolyn Savage has one of the most chaotic family building stories you’ll ever hear. Now mom to 6 children, Carolyn was the perfect person to write the foreword to my book 7 years ago.

Why? Because as a book by and for both adoptive parents and birth parents, Carolyn was in the position of having experienced both sides of placing and receiving a baby —

— with a few twists and turns.

It was my pleasure and honor to catch up with Carolyn Savage in the latest episode of my podcast, Adoption: The Long View. Though she can’t technically be classified as either an adoptive mom or a birth mom, her family building story includes essential elements of both.

You may recall hearing Carolyn’s story in the news back in 2009 because of the stir it caused then, or in her book that came out a few years later, Inconceivable.

Episode 103: Carolyn Savage

Prefer to read? Here’s a transcript.

In this episode, you’ll hear Carolyn’s thoughts on:

• Normalizing conception and birth stories in a developmentally appropriate way;
• Her guiding star in relationships with the child’s other parents;
• The difficulty of unresolved grief and loss, of living in the Ghost World of children and parents who aren’t there;
• The guilt borne by receiving parents, and how that can impact relationships;
• The responsibility parents have in helping a child build and integrate their complicated identity;
• How much secrecy is OK in situations like this? Not only for the person at the center, but also for their siblings? 
• Her best piece of advice for placing parents and for adopting parents.

Listen in for the inside scoop, lessons learned in placing a baby and receiving twins, and an update on the latest with the Savage family’s relationships with the other mothers in their family-building story.

Show Notes from the Carolyn Savage Episode

Facebook: Carolyn & Sean Savage
Book: Inconceivable: A Medical Mistake, the Baby We Couldn’t Keep, and Our Choice to Deliver the Ultimate Gift
News clip: Fox36 in Toledo

Ways to Tune In to More Episodes

You can find us on Adopting.com, and on these and other platforms.

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Amazon Podcasts
• Castbox
• Search for “Adoption Long View” on your preferred podcast platform.

A new episode comes out the first Friday of the month. Thank you for sharing, subscribing, and rating this episode!

You’re going to love hearing from Carolyn and the other fascinating guests I have lined up. I can’t wait to hear what you think!