{"podcast":{"title":"AllPaths Podcast","slug":"allpaths-podcast-7028681","podcast_index_feed_id":7028681,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/allpaths/","website_url":"https://allpathsfb.org","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/deec4420-b495-4e23-a8bf-63722a5915c2/APFB-Podcast-Cover-8-2025-SM.png","author":"AllPaths Family Building","episode_count":90,"summary":"Building a family can be a complicated, messy, lonely, and sometimes heartbreaking process, but you don't have to navigate this challenging journey alone. Join the AllPaths Family Building community as we talk with people who are currently trying to grow their family, those whose family building journey has come to an end, and experts in the fertility and family building space. Together we'll: *Hear family stories, providing real-life perspectives that highlight the many different paths a family building journey can take. *Explore different fertility treatments and family building options with experts in this space. *Get connected to a variety of supportive resources so you feel better equipped to tackle any challenges that may arise in your family building journey. *Learn about ongoing advocacy work that promotes access to fertility care and family building options - and you can get involved. No matter what you encounter on your journey - struggles while TTC, IUI, IVF, donor conception, surrogacy, adoption, pregnancy loss, pregnancy and parenting after, or remaining childless not by choice - the real-life insights from people who have traveled those paths can provide connection,…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T02:20:59.914112+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/allpaths-podcast-7028681"},"episode":{"title":"Her First Decision as a Mother","slug":"her-first-decision-as-a-mother","published_at":"2026-06-09T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/allpaths-podcast-7028681/her-first-decision-as-a-mother","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/allpaths-podcast-7028681","url":"https://allpathsfb.org","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/424aae03-44d0-495b-9a79-3d6fa7f20184.mp3","summary":"In this moving episode of the AllPaths podcast, we sit down with Katie Gilliam, a Massachusetts mom and community advocate, to discuss her complex and emotional journey to parenthood. After an initial PCOS diagnosis and a difficult encounter with a fertility specialist who labeled her \"the problem\" due to her body size, Katie and her husband Chris achieved a successful pregnancy through IUI. However, their joy was met with devastation at a 19-week anatomy scan when they learned their daughter, Elvera Claire (Ellie), had a severe brain abnormality called holoprosencephaly. Katie shares the heart-wrenching choice to terminate the pregnancy at 23 weeks, a decision she describes as her first as a mother, to ensure her child would never experience the pain and suffering her condition would have caused during her brief life. The episode explores how Katie navigated the \"absolute agony\" of loss by leaning on support from AllPaths and pursuing genetic testing, which ultimately revealed a family mutation that helped other relatives navigate their own family-building journeys. Turning toward a new chapter, Katie details her subsequent IVF journey at Brigham Fertility, where specialized embryo testing led to the birth of her daughter Francesca, who is now a \"wild\" and thriving toddler. Now the Community Engagement Coordinator for The Lemon Grove , Katie reflects on her parenting after loss, the importance of mental health support, and the necessity of reproductive agency during traumatic family-building events. Her story is a powerful testament to the resilience required when navigating a \"Plan Z\" path to family and the power of sharing your story to help others feel less alone. TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Fertility treatment, IUI, PCOS, PMOS, body neutral healthcare, fetal M…","meta_description":"In this moving episode of the AllPaths podcast, we sit down with Katie Gilliam, a Massachusetts mom and community advocate, to discuss her complex and emo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3203,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/allpaths-podcast-7028681/episodes/her-first-decision-as-a-mother/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/allpaths-podcast-7028681/her-first-decision-as-a-mother.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}