Becoming parents and carers Biological PArents

Becoming parents and carers Being a parent or carer is one of the most demanding jobs there is. Children need to learn: How to be strong, and develop the ability to make decisions How to be responsible and trustworthy Confront and deal with difficult situations should To love and be loved To care about people To show respect to their families and others

Biological Parents Biological parents are the parents who produce and provide the genetic material for a child. This type of parenting begins at the moment of conception (when the sperm fertilises the ovum in the fallopian tube).

Biological Parents - Pregnancy Pregnancy is the result of male and female intercourse or artificial insemination (without sexual intercourse).

Planned pregnancy Preconception planning can assist the parents by ensuring that they are psychologically and physically ready to parent a child. Some considerations that could be made include: If the parents are psychologically prepared for the change that the baby will make to their relationship Parenting styles they wish to adopt Childcare arrangements they will make Discipline practices they will follow Cost of raising a child Housing arrangements Whether both parents are in good health, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly

Unplanned pregnancy An unplanned pregnancy can be one of life’s most difficult experiences. Thoughts and feelings are often confused and it may be difficult to ask for help and support. When an unplanned pregnancy occurs, the first major decision needs to be made by the mother and father: To parent the baby, make a plan for adoption or terminate the pregnancy This decision needs to be clearly thought through before a decision is made.

Assisted reproductive technology Assisted reproductive technology (ART) includes a range of medical treatments to assist couples to conceive. Most people seeking ART are infertile, meaning they can’t conceive a baby naturally after trying for an extended time. STATS: Infertility affects APPROX 15% OF Australian couples of reproductive age Causes of infertility can lie equally with males and females 20% of couples infertility is unexplained

Some drawbacks of ART Relatively low success rate Can be expensive Emotionally draining Ongoing debates about the ethical, moral and legal aspects

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) In a laboratory, sperm and eggs are put together in sterile dishes or tubes After fertilisation, the embryo(s) are transferred to the uterus There are several types of IVF, depending upon whether the man or woman is infertile The first successful IVF treatment in Australia was performed in 1979 and the baby was born in 1980 Routinely carried out in most IVF clinics

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) A procedure where both gametes (oocytes and sperm) are transferred to the fallopian tubes First used in Australia in 1985 Not used as often as other ART

Intracytoplasmic single sperm injection (ICSI) First developed in the 1990s Involves retrieving sperm directly from the testes and injecting the single sperm into an egg in the laboratory The embryo is then used in an IVF procedure Allows success for many couples, especially males with very low sperm counts

Artificial insemination (AI) Involves the women having sperm from her partner or a donor injected into her vagina, cervix, uterus or fallopian tubes

Activity Read through the article ‘I was the first test tube baby’. Comment on Louise Brown’s emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Research the procedures of one of the following : Assisted hatching Blastocyst culture Embryo freezing and replacement