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Carolyn Savage Inconceivable

Both Sides Now: Carolyn Savage on Pregnancy & Placing a Newborn

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.

Carolyn and Sean Savage with the newborn they placed in the arms of another couple.

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.

Ep103: Inconceivable Yet True

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

Podcast for Adoption: The Long View

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

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!

guide to living in open adoption

Lori Holden, mom of a young adult daughter and a young adult son, writes from Denver. She was honored as an Angel in Adoption® by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

Her first book, The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole, makes a thoughtful anytime gift for the adoptive families in your life. Her second book, Standing Room Only: How to Be THAT Yoga Teacher is now available in paperback, and her third book, Adoption Unfiltered, is now available through your favorite bookseller!

Find Lori’s books on her Amazon Author page and catch episodes of Adoption: The Long View wherever you get your podcasts.

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