after a two week break, cam returns to talk with tori freund (she/they), a full spectrum doula and childbirth educator based out of milwaukee, wi. tori shares of their experience as a women and gender studies (soon-to-be) graduate and how it relates to their work in the birth sphere and how school communities are important to feeling supported in all you do.

tori moves into the topic of chosen family and how it resulted from their lived experience of coming out to family that didn't support them. they talk about the need for boundaries and how that relates to choosing the right people to walk with them on their journey, both in life as a whole, but during their most treasured moments as they try to conceive with their partner, chris.

tori touches on their continued journey to conceive, using a known donor, after they navigate the loss of their first babe due to ectopic pregnancy. they chat about what the process looks like for themselves, their partner, and their known donor, including donor contracts, parental agreements, and second-parent adoptions. because of the weight this process carries, tori explains how they lean back on their chosen family for support along with a virtual queer parenting group.

by the end of the episode, tori and cam chat about the changing landscape of birthwork and ttc during a global pandemic. we talk about how tired we are of zoom meetings and cam shares of a christmas song that makes her cry every time she listens to it. so join is as they chat about all the things!