Geriatric Happy Hour: (In)Fertility, Santa Claus & An Update on Paris Hilton!
On this ‘Geriatric Happy Hour’ episode, Sonia and Jessica discuss coping with infertility during the holidays, the story of Santa Claus for older children, an update on the tragic Tamika Thomas IVF Medication case, Potty training using the Oh Crap! Potty Training Book, instagram poll results on geriatric celebrity mamas being responsible for reminding us that we have biological clocks, why Paris Hilton decided to go the surrogacy route to have her babies and our thoughts on the viral TikTok video about Mom’s Christmas stockings being empty.
Topics discussed in this episode:
The Story Of Santa Claus For Older Children AKA How To Or Not To Ruin Their Childhood (8:26)
Coping With (In)fertility During The Holidays (17:25)
An Update On The Tragic Tamika Thomas IVF Medication Swap (33:03)
Instagram Poll Results On Celebrity Mamas Having Babies In Their Late 40s (40:29)
Financing Options For The Cost Of Growing A Family (43:13)
Oh Crap! Potty Training Book, Sonia & Mike Are In The Thick Of It (50:08)
Why Paris Hilton Decided To Go The Surrogacy Route, Her Netflix Documentary, Changing Diapers, Etc. (59:01)
Us with the bouffants we said we wouldn’t be getting in ‘Geriatric Coffee Convos’.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
“A Las Vegas woman undergoing IVF to expand her family was mistakenly given abortion medication — not fertility medication — by her local pharmacy, terminating her pregnancy in its early stages.
“They just killed my baby,” Tamika Thomas told 8 News Now. “Both my babies, because I transferred two embryos.”
The mom of 4 had been undergoing in vitro fertilization, a lengthy process in which fertilized embryos are implanted in the uterus to lead to a successful pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic. She and her husband had turned to IVF after having her Fallopian tubes removed, and they had paid for the expensive procedure out-of-pocket.
Thomas had just had two embryos transferred when she went to pick up medication to help her body “think it's pregnant.”
But pharmacy technicians at her North Las Vegas CVS gave her Misoprostol instead, which is used for “medication abortion,” according to the National Institute of Health.”
We recently found an article on FaithfullyMagazine.com with an update on Tamika’s situation:
“A CVS pharmacy in Nevada that gave a pregnant woman the abortion drug misoprostol when she had been prescribed a fertility treatment has been fined $10,000 and two of its pharmacists have been penalized.
The penalties were issued last month for the incident that occurred in 2019 when the woman, Timika Thomas, a mother of four at the time, was undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) in an attempt to have another child.”
https://faithfullymagazine.com/cvs-fined-tamika-thomas-abortion-pill/
Celebrity Mamas Responsibility Poll on Instagram:
On the ‘Advanced Maternal Aged’ Celebrity Mamas & Their Journeys to Geriatric Mama-hood episode, we asked if it was the responsibility of these celebrities to remind women that we have a biological clock… and we voted no, absolutely not! But we also took this question to the polls on instagram stories. Here’s what listeners had to say:
The question we asked: “What do you think? Are celebrity moms who are able to have babies in their late forties responsible to share how they had their babies so that women don’t get ‘false hope’ that they can too? Do they need to remind us that we have biological clocks and share their journeys to geriatric mama-hood?”
Poll results: 38% said yes and 62% said no
Comments on the episode instagram post:
@NutritionByAnastasiia says: This is such an important topic that has to be talked about and discussed! So many of my clients in their late 30s or early 40s were told by the doctor that they should see them after a year of trying to conceive without getting the proper bloodwork done. Women have to keep their hormone levels in check to see where they are when it comes to fertility and perimenopause.
@ErinBHelmer says: I turned 40 and BOOM- my clockwork 28 day cycle became shorter and closer together- perimenopause didn’t waste any time. Despite this, thankfully I was able to conceive (now 20 weeks pregnant with my first at age 40). We hope to give the baby a sibling around 18 months but are trying to manage our expectations because of perimenopause. Grateful there are interventions available when it comes to perimenopause challenges for AMA ttc mamas!
In messages, one listener named Alexis shared her take: “I think that they have some responsibility to admit that due to their millions of dollars they were able to use interventions that the average person can’t even dream of accessing, and sometimes don’t even know they exist.”
In the episode we forgot to talk about the loans, grants and insurances that help to cover the costs of fertility interventions at the end, so Sonia left information in the show notes the episode. Click here to go to that episode’s notes.
Future Family (The Company Jessica & Adam Used):
Premium fertility financing built just for you
Our flexible, financing plans make it simple for you to get started quickly with IVF, egg freezing, and all your fertility related expenses.
Everyone’s fertility journey is unique. That’s why our plans come packed with benefits and dedicated expert support to fit your needs.
“The ‘Oh Crap’ potty training approach is designed to teach children to recognize their own body cues and take action (i.e. get to a potty and sit on it!). It is not a quick-fix method, so it might take longer than some other training methods, but the end result is worth it. What you'll get is a child who can tell you when they need to pee, as opposed to a child who pees when you tell them to. This promotes more independence over the long term.
The method consists of a series of "blocks" through which your child progresses. Blocks are not done at a designated age or for any set amount of time. You start when you feel that it's time to potty train, and you stay in each block as long as it takes.
In Block 1, your child is fully naked, which means you need to stay home with them all day. During this stage, you keep a close eye on them and watch for any body cues that signal they need to use the potty. When you spot one, move them to the potty.
In Block 2, the child can wear clothes but no underwear yet, and go on very short outings. In Block 3, the outings get longer, and in Block 4, they can start to wear underwear. (VeryWellFamily.com)
The Potty Book for Boys is a stress-free, low-pressure, routine-building toddler potty training book, charmingly illustrated and told in rhyming verse!
Your little boy will follow Henry and his teddy bear friend as he discovers that he's ready to be a big kid and use the potty! With humor and heart, this potty training book uses a gentle approach to encourage independence and help toddler boys get ready to go potty all on their own.
This book features:
Positive messages of perseverance and accepting mistakes
Encouraging language to build independence and introduce a routine
Bright illustrations and engaging activities to keep toddlers busy on the potty
Sturdy cover and thick pages that will hold up to reading again and again
Why Paris Hilton Chose Surrogacy:
On the Advanced Maternal Aged Celebrity Moms and Their Journeys to Geriatric Mama-hood episode we shared that Paris Hilton’s second child was born via surrogacy. We found an article on romper.com
Why did she decide to use a surrogate? “I just have so much PTSD from what I went through as a teenager,” she says.
In her 2020 YouTube documentary, This Is Paris, and in her memoir released in March, Hilton alleged that as a teen she’d been physically, sexually, and emotionally abused during an 11-month stint at Utah’s Provo Canyon School for troubled youth, including being woken in the middle of the night and subjected to non consensual gynecological examinations. “I cried while they held me down & said, ‘No!’ They just said, ‘Shut up. Be quiet. Stop struggling,’” she recalled on Twitter last year. (Provo Canyon School has since been acquired by a different company, Universal Health Services, which said in a statement to Romper that it cannot comment on prior “operations of student experience.”)
Lingering trauma made it feel untenable for Hilton to carry her and Reum’s children; she has said she fears childbirth almost as much as death. “If I’m in a doctor’s office, I get a shot, anything, I will literally have a panic attack and I can’t breathe,” she tells me. “I just knew that would not be healthy for me or the baby, growing inside of someone who has such high anxiety.” (Romper.com)
This Is Paris YouTube Documentary:
TiKTok Video of Mom’s Empty Christmas Stocking:
Let’s just fill it up with mini coffee tasters & tiny wine bottles!
Thanks for listening and checking out the show notes!
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