14. Hayley's Story: Perspectives as a Donor Conceived Person and a Mom to Donor Conceived Children
Hayley is an amazing human who is not only donor conceived but is also a mom to donor conceived twins. In today's episode, Hayley and I talk about her story of learning she was donor conceived, how her own experiences have shaped the way her and her wife approach parenting their children, and our shared thoughts on how, as recipient parents, we have to do our own work in navigating our feelings around using a donor.
This episode is packed with personal stories, shared experiences, lots of great tips and tricks and a little fun along the way.
About Hayley Darknell-King
Hayley Darknell-King (she/her) currently lives in the UK with her wife. They've been together for over 12 years and have two beautiful children via donor sperm IVF. Her wife carried and they used her wife's eggs. In a twist of fate, Hayley is also a donor conceived person. Her parents used an anonymous (sperm) donor to have her as part of pioneering IVF treatment in the 1980s, however she didn’t find this out until much later in life. In 2019 she DNA tested herself and has located her biological father and 3 other donor siblings. It’s been something of a journey!
She recently started speaking openly about her story and taking part in some educational and advocacy work around donor conception. Her hope is to raise awareness and help others on their parenting journeys.
You can find Hayley on Instagram @dcp_journey_2_rp where she has been documenting her journey and connecting with others in the donor conception community.
Grab a copy of Hayley's free download, which is a collection of resources for parents of donor conceived people. Click here to download it!
Resources Discussed During the Show
What Makes A Baby Book (on Amazon)
Donor Conception Network Books
Happy Together Children's Book
Dr. Patricia Hershberger/Tell Tool
Connect with me on Instagram
Did you just learn that donor conception might be your path to parenthood? Or maybe you think it might be but are not sure yet? Or, maybe you already know but need some more help. Get my free PDF download, The Donor Decision Guide
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