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Building a Family

Research family building basics including fertility, getting pregnant, adopting a baby, surrogacy and much more. eHow's How To experts tackle familiar issues like getting pregnant and Lamaze, to highly sensitive matters of prenatal tests, miscarriages and birth defects. From predicting ovulation to avoiding morning sickness, the legalese of adoption to naming your son or daughter, eHow offers step-by-step assistance on a wide range of family building topics. Whether you’re researching for yourself, a friend or family member, eHow’s practical advice will prepare you to discuss family building matters with doctors and other professionals.

Categories in Building a Family

Articles in Building a Family

How to Decide to Adopt From Foster Care

By eHow Parenting Editor

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There are hundreds of thousands of children in foster care waiting for permanent homes. If you are considering opening your home to one or more of these children, you are probably both excited and a little anxious. Knowing how to make the ... more »

How to Decide to Adopt Internationally

By eHow Parenting Editor

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There are many different options to choose from when you're considering adoption. One option that people are considering more often is international adoption. This type of adoption has many potential unknowns, but it can also be a wonderful way ... more »

How to Decide to Adopt Siblings

By eHow Parenting Editor

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The decision to adopt is a big one—and the decision to adopt siblings is even bigger. It can be overwhelming to consider adding not just one, but two or more children to your family at one time. Yet, for some families, adopting a sibling group is ... more »

How to Decide to Adopt Transracially

By eHow Parenting Editor

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Many adoptions are transracial adoptions, with the adoptive parents being a different race from their adopted child. For some families, there seems to be no concern about their differences in race. For others, it is a constant struggle. Learn how ... more »

How to Decide When You are Ready for More Children

By meatloafkend

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Having your first baby is an important decision in anyone's life. Making the decision to have another child, however, is just as important. How do you know when you are ready to have another child? This decision should not be based on your other ... more »

How to Decide Whether to Adopt After Infertility

By FaithAllen

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Some couples who struggle with infertility decide to end infertility treatments and grow their family through adoption. However, adoption is not right for everyone. Not every person is ready to embrace "a stranger's child" as his own child. The ... more »

How to Decide Which Adoption Health Risks to Consider

By FaithAllen

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One of the most difficult decisions to make during the adoption process is which health risks to consider. Some adoption applications provide a long list of possible health risks, from the expecting mother smoking during the pregnancy to a family ... more »

How to Decide Which Mother-to-be Classes are Right For You

By nashvillebecky

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Having a baby is exciting, but for most parents-to-be, it can be daunting, especially when they realize how much there is to learn. There are plenty of books and websites to read through, but an alternative is a class (or two, or three) that ... more »

How to Defend a Decision to Have Many Children

By eHow Parenting Editor

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Families of all sizes represent choice. Stopping at 1, 2 or 10 children is really about having the freedom to decide what size family you want. Often families who have more than 2 or 3 children are looked upon with a certain amount of disdain. ... more »

How to Defend Having Children

By eHow Parenting Editor

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Having children is a major, life-changing decision. Happy families do not require little ones, but if you decide you would like to parent, remember that it is a personal decision between you and your partner. There is not a right or wrong answer, ... more »

How to Demonstrate the REAL Meaning of Christmas to Your Kids

By psychonurse

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Christmas hints being dropped already at your house?? Well, though it may be a lean gifting Christmas for most of us, it will be a non-existent one for many families. And, it might just be time to relay this message to your kids, not by words, ... more »

How to Determine the Father of a Baby by Conception Date

By eHow Parenting Editor

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For some women, determining their baby's father can come with great difficulty. If you had multiple sexual partners and don't know the identity of your baby's father, use the following steps to help you determine your baby's father by first ... more »

How to Detox to Improve Conception

By eHow Parenting Editor

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Over 9 million Americans experience infertility, and part of the problem stems from diet. Trans fats, white flour and processed snacks comprise most of the calories in the American diet. Detox your body to make an optimal environment for the ... more »

How to Develop a Close Relationship With Grandparents Long Distance

By kgben

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Many children live far away from their grandparents. They may only get to see them a couple of times a year--during holidays and summer vacations. This doesn't allow children as much of an opportunity to develop a close relationship. Now ... more »

How to Discuss Parenting Concerns

By thembeka

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Parenting is challenging. It requires constant communication and constant compromise between the mother and father. It can become difficult to discuss parenting concerns with each other because different opinions may result in arguments, ... more »

How to Dispose of Old Cleaning Products

By StarPower

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With the new movement of Eco-friendly household cleaners, the issue of how to correctly dispose of your old toxic hazardous cleaners have become an issue. Follow Emily Main's top advice on how to safely do so..... more »

How to Do Hospital Birth Paperwork

By eHow Parenting Editor

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The birth of a baby is a joyous experience. In the midst of all the excitement, here comes a necessary fact of life: paperwork. But don't despair. It's really not as complicated as it seems. Do yourself and the hospital staff a favor by preparing ... more »

How to Eat Your Way To Pregnancy: Foods That Promote Fertility

By spartica

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Practicing procreation known to most as “getting pregnant,” “making bread” or “doing dirty laundry” or “gettin’ knocked up” can be one of the most fun and frustrating activities for a couple. It’s easy to place blame when a couple’s diligence is ... more »

How to Embrace Your Traditional Side When You Become a Parent

By Beren deMotier

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You've protested outside furriers, pierced or tattooed half your body, bungee jumped off bridges, worn black for the last two decades, espoused sweeping social change and rejected everything your parents taught you. But once your bundle of joy ... more »

How to Encourage a Spouse to Interact With the Kids

By eHow Parenting Editor

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In almost every household with children, one parent usually does more with the kids than the other. Your spouse may have a busy work schedule or feel uneasy around children and doesn't know how to interact with them. If you want to strengthen ... more »

How to Entertain Kids on School Vacation

By Juliet Myfanwy Johnson

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School gets out for the summer or winter holiday and suddenly there's all this time and all these little people to entertain. Take each of your children's interests and personalities into consideration and you can create some fun diversions for ... more »

How to Evaluate Adoption Options

By eHow Parenting Editor

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If you think you're ready to begin the adoption process, there are a number of factors that you need to consider. Each of these steps can become a part of a natural selection process, or it can become a stress-filled journey. It all depends on ... more »

How to Explain a Semi-Open Adoption to an Adopted Child

By FaithAllen

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The concept of a semi-open adoption can be confusing to an adopted child. Understanding adoption itself is hard enough, with working through the fact that a child has “two moms” and “two dads.” Getting into the mechanics of maintaining contact ... more »

How to Explain to an Adopted Child Why the Birth Mother Closed the Adoption

By FaithAllen

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Sometimes birth mothers choose to walk away from an open or semi-open adoption, which effectively closes the adoption. When an adoptive family enters into an adoption with the expectation that the adoption will be open or semi-open, they can be ... more »

How to express feelings through poetry.

By spayne

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Learn how to express your feelings through poetry. Poetry is such a wonderful way to put your thoughts and feelings down on paper so that others can better understand you... more »