1. My book "Choosing Single Motherhood: The Thinking Woman's Guide," which I originally self-published in 2005, continues to be a top seller in the "single parenting" market on Amazon. It has more than 400 pages of insight from experts and other Choice Moms in all stages -- Thinking, Trying, Waiting, Becoming (newborn moms), Being.

2. Can you afford this choice? Read the 'money matters' keyword on this website for expert insight. Download a PDF from Choice Mom Jessica about the costs she estimated when she was Thinking/Trying. Coming soon: an excerpt from the chapter in "Choosing Single Motherhood" that covers this topic in detail.

3. Are you emotionally able to take this step? Read the 'emotions' keyword to learn what single women have been through. Read the 'support network' keyword to understand the most essential advice I give women based on the stories I've heard over the years: no one -- regardless of self sufficiency, strength and excitement about this choice -- can do this without the village, so make sure you know how to build one before and after you embark on motherhood. Read the 'stress' keyword to get a better sense of the ways you can make this easier on yourself.

4. Does your community accept this choice? How do you talk to them about it? Read the growing library of posts in the 'telling and talking' keyword to learn more. Read the 'growing up without a father' keyword to understand the arguments about the impact it has on a child to grow up without a dad.

5. How have other women managed? Read the Profiles on this website of other Choice Mom stories from all stages of the journey. Such as Diana, who was stuck in the Thinking phase, and Stacey, who wrote a wonderful memoir about her Trying, Waiting and Becoming stages, and Anne, who produced an excellent documentary about the Thinking stage and Felicia, who talks about how she found her tribe.

6. Express your opinions and concerns about this choice. I've written a lot of commentaries for this website about the kinds of issues I'm hearing about from women, and insights I want to share about them. You can read those here. And I'm always looking to share stories and insights from others on the journey, so send your contribution to me.

7. Find people to communicate with honestly about this choice.

• Use the Comments field on this website, at the bottom of most posts, to share your own concerns about that topic. (Use first name only or pseudonym for privacy.)
• Join the private Discussion Board to communicate with other women online
• Come to a Choice Mom networking event to meet other women in the same space. Use the "Events" tab at the top of the page to learn what's coming up.
• Listen to the Choice Chat podcast to hear others in your own environment
• Make connections with a local support network
• Talk to a professional. We have many Choice Mom-friendly advisers listed in the Thinking section of this website.

More than anything, you need to make connections and be able to communicate honestly about what's going on in your head. This is the right place to help you find those resources.

Mikki