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Posted May 24, 2010 at 12:30 PM

Support from city to city

filed under: support, Minnesota, Seattle, Texas, Atlanta, SanFrancisco, NYC, WashingtonDC, Europe, event insights, UnitedKingdom, emotions, feature, resources, regional guides, LosAngeles, Australia, Canada, Chicago, NorthCarolina, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston, London, Baltimore

There has been a resurgence of interest from women in many parts of the United States, Canada and Europe to find connections with others on the Choice Mom journey. So I'm re-featuring this list of support options to help women find each other.

Read More... | 54 comments

Posted May 6, 2012 at 4:00 PM

Experiencing Miscarriage

filed under: miscarriage, waiting, emotions, support, doctor, fertility

A woman on the Choice Moms Over 40 yahoo group posted this weekend after learning from her doctor that the heartbeat of her 8-week baby in utero was gone.

Posted April 20, 2012 at 9:45 AM

On Turning 50

filed under: commentary, profile, support, being, thinking, trying, waiting, inspiration

I turned 50 on Monday, after a great weekend of community connecting. New and old friends (ranging in age from 23 to 73) came to my house Saturday for a music jam and conversation that was truly heart-warming and fun.

Posted April 8, 2012 at 12:00 AM

Meeting our Choice Moms in Chicago

filed under: Chicago, support, multiples, becoming

I've returned from a great spring break trip to Chicago -- where I hosted a Choice Moms networking event -- and Wisconsin Dells with my kids. My notes from the Chicago event will be coming soon. In the meantime, here is one of the women we met, with a powerful spirit....

Posted April 8, 2012 at 9:30 AM

Choice Mom Myth #1

filed under: support

1. If I become a Choice Mom, I will need to do everything alone.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted March 10, 2012 at 9:10 AM

Q&A: Missing support

filed under: support, being, emotions, QandA

A woman posted on the Choice Moms Over 40 discussion board about a friend on this journey, depressed because her family doesn't support her decision. She was looking for input from others who have experienced this.

Posted February 17, 2012 at 9:40 AM

One Year Later: A Choice Mom's Journey With Twins

filed under: ChoiceChat, being, multiples, support, work, embryo, IVF, stress, donor

In September 2010, we were discussing the importance of a support network on this website -- and how flexible we sometimes need to be about who we think we can count on. I featured this post from a woman who, accidents of timing, lost most of her support... after she found out she was pregnant with twins... shortly before she lost her job. Let's revisit her story now.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted February 10, 2012 at 1:20 PM

Q and A: Having Doubts

filed under: emotions, support, thinking, trying, ChoiceChat, QandA

After about five years of Thinking, a woman who has long been reading Choice Mom discussion board posts finally went in for her fertility tests and was happily ready to proceed.

Read More... | 6 comments

Posted January 13, 2012 at 8:20 AM

Patricia Mendell workshops in NYC

filed under: NYC, talking, egg, ChoiceKids, donor, support

Long-time Choice Mom support Patricia Mendell, who works with single women in the New York City area who are building families on their own, has announced a new monthly support group to help families (single and coupled) create healthy families using egg, sperm and embryo donation, as well as surrogacy.

Posted October 21, 2011 at 12:35 PM

Q: More IUIs? IVF? embryo donation? adoption?

filed under: trying, fertility, thinking, miscarriage, support, donor, emotions, adoption, embryo, QandA

For many of us, simply having sex with someone we love to produce a child is a great idea. But life being what it is today, women like us, busy with goals and options, have many more choices than we used to. We can delay child-bearing a few more years, generally into our 30s, sometimes into our early 40s. But when things don't go as easily as we would like, and we see the many options to motherhood available to us, how do we choose?

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted October 21, 2011 at 8:50 AM

Regional E-Guide for Toronto Choice Moms

filed under: Toronto, fertility, emotions, event insights, parenting, regional guides, support, Canada

I am happy to announce the launch of our regional e-guides -- compilations of resources and expert insight coming out of our Choice Mom Networking Events in particular cities. These e-guides will be of great help to women in those communities -- advice from local Choice Mom-friendly doctors, for example -- and some of the insights will certainly be of value to women everywhere, such as understanding what a doula might do for you.

Posted April 24, 2011 at 6:55 AM

Meet Deanna: One of our Austin Coordinators

filed under: Texas, thinking, ChoiceChat, support, resources

Two women from our 2010 Austin event have emerged to keep the conversations happening and the resources shared in that part of the U.S. Here's the story of one of them.

Posted April 19, 2011 at 7:05 AM

Meet Kali: East Coast coordinator

filed under: ChoiceChat, resources, support, being, Philadelphia

When it was time to start finding coordinators to help Choice Moms do the work we do with the community, the first person I thought of was Kali, who has quietly been offering suggestions and moderation help for several years. Now you, too, can meet her as she steps out of the shadows to help manage our vast East Coast resources.

Read More... | 2 comments

Posted April 16, 2011 at 8:55 AM

Meet Jessica: an Atlanta coordinator

filed under: Atlanta, ChoiceChat, support, regionalguides, resources, NorthCarolina, Boston, Chicago, UnitedKingdom, LosAngeles, Philadelphia, Texas, Toronto

I met Jessica at our Raleigh event. She had driven in from Atlanta with Cyndi. They met after I let them know both were traveling from the same area, so they made contact, drove together, became friends, and will now co-moderate our new Atlanta conversation board.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted March 20, 2011 at 7:40 AM

Fresh and Raw Voices: Choice Mom Bloggers

filed under: resources, support, thinking, trying, waiting, becoming, being, ChoiceChat, NorthCarolina, LosAngeles, media, event insights

I'd like to refresh this "blog of blogs" and encourage anyone who is writing about her Choice Mom journey to include a link to it in the Comments field below.

Read More... | 13 comments

Posted March 14, 2011 at 9:30 PM

Talking Seriously About Guardianship

filed under: legal, money, Minnesota, being, support

From new Choice Mom-friendly estate planner Chris Tymchuck, of Unique Family Law: When we saw a man on the side of the road asking for money, my 3-year-old daughter asked, "what is he doing with that sign?" I braced myself for a difficult conversation.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted February 23, 2011 at 7:05 AM

My daughter is feeling sorry for me

filed under: commentary, fatherless, dating, stress, support

As we were driving through yet another snowstorm in Minneapolis the other day, so I could get my 11-year-old daughter to a birthday party, she suggested I get a husband.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted February 11, 2011 at 5:40 PM

Michele: Telling my grandfather

filed under: thinking, ChoiceChat, trying, fertility, talking, support

This Thinker shared her story on the Choice Mom discussion board after "lurking" for awhile, and there were so many good tidbits to share with the wider community that I asked for permission to excerpt it here.

Posted February 7, 2011 at 7:40 PM

What I've learned about Thinking

filed under: support, stress, thinking, trying, ChoiceChat, emotions

From a Thinker: I wrote a few months ago, when I was starting my Thinking journey. I think I wrote because I needed to make contact with someone.

Read More... | 4 comments

Posted February 1, 2011 at 8:10 AM

On birthdays, disappointments and joy

filed under: commentary, emotions, support, ChoiceKids

My youngest turned 7 the other day. That means we're about to do his flower, representing the important people in his life right now. It's a favorite new tradition we created when the "family tree" assignments started five years ago, when my daughter was his age.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted January 21, 2011 at 8:40 AM

Choice Chat: The ups and downs of adoption

filed under: adoption, thinking, Texas, trying, emotions, ChoiceChat, stress, waiting, support

Writes Valerie: "I've been at a bus stop for a month now.

Read More... | 2 comments

Posted December 9, 2010 at 6:30 AM

How "alone" can we be as parents?

filed under: support, thinking, commentary, stress

This arrived as a comment to another post, and I thought it was a great conversation starter as a blog. "As a Thinker I tend to over-think everything. I believe learning to ask for help is a good philosophy for life. But what if all your plans fail and you have to do it ALL alone?

Read More... | 3 comments

Posted November 24, 2010 at 6:40 AM

Stacy: how I coped with pregnancy loss

filed under: emotions, support, ChoiceChat, miscarriage, fertility

A Choice Mom had to terminate at 17 weeks because of chromosomal issues with a baby who was conceived after seven IUI attempts. She was heartbroken, and turned to the discussion board for support. Stacy is one who responded with her story of how she coped after loss.

Read More... | 2 comments

Posted November 23, 2010 at 10:30 AM

Tips for happiness

filed under: stress, commentary, support

I went to a talk by a well-respected neighbor of mine, Dan Buettner, whose latest book, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, is about tips he gleaned from worldwide research, database correlations, and conversations with individuals in the happiest cities in the world.

Posted November 22, 2010 at 11:05 AM

Felicia: How I found my tribe

filed under: support, thinking, becoming, being, dating, childcare, work, ChoiceChat

It is always surprising to me how often I seem to be in a state of revising my plans. I meant to grow up, meet my prince, get married and have kids. I really did. It just didn't work out that way.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted November 15, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Choosing a guardian

filed under: legal, being, waiting, becoming, ChoiceKids, money, Minnesota, resources, support

I've been reminded in the last week just how fragile life is. A Choice Mom friend unexpectedly lost her younger sister last week -- a mother of three -- in a tragic accident. And a neighbor couple are BOTH battling cancer, one of them terminal, with 7- and 9-year old daughters at home.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted November 11, 2010 at 11:40 AM

Arlene: taking part in a support group

filed under: Seattle, thinking, support, emotions

Arlene is a Seattle-based counselor and Choice Mom of a teenage daughter. I met her when she participated in one of my New York City networking events. She specializes in working with Choice Moms-in-the-making. Here are some of her thoughts:

Posted November 5, 2010 at 2:05 PM

Linda: on the verge of my first insemination

filed under: trying, thinking, support, stress, emotions, ChoiceChat, insemination, dating, fertility, waiting

I love getting "thank you" emails from women on the journey. I recently heard from Linda, who allowed me to share her story here.

Read More... | 3 comments

Posted November 3, 2010 at 9:45 AM

Ways to extend your inner circle

filed under: support, stress, Minnesota

Some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Dan Buettner, a noted explorer with a special interest in healthy living and a particular gift for making things happen.

Posted November 1, 2010 at 11:15 AM

Do we trust people?

filed under: commentary, being, support, stress, talking

Tis the season. There is fun in Halloween tricks and treats with our kids. But for many, also the conflicts that come from the community time of Thanksgiving, Chanukkah, Christmas, New Year's. Feelings of isolation as summer frolicking turns into the more contemplative Fall and reclusive Winter seasons.

Posted October 6, 2010 at 10:05 AM

Our Top 20 Choice Mom-friendly therapists

filed under: emotions, thinking, resources, support, trying, SanFrancisco, nyc, stress, Minnesota, Philadelphia, LosAngeles, Seattle, Texas, Toronto, Canada, Boston, NorthCarolina

When you are feeling isolated, angry, depressed or confused about the Choice Mom path, the discussion boards have become a good place to vent and share. But sometimes we need someone who not only understands the Thinking to Being stages, but is specifically trained to talk with us about our emotions.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted October 2, 2010 at 7:00 AM

Our discussion boards: hot topics

filed under: resources, support, ChoiceChat, QandA, numbers

I am frequently asked by reporters how big the Choice Mom community is. While there is no census-taking data that reveals the answer, I can use our discussion boards as a way to gauge growth -- and the types of things we are most interested in talking about.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 1:25 PM

Kim: When single parenting is hardest

filed under: support, being, ChoiceChat, parenting, childcare

I've had two experiences recently where I've definitely felt the difficulties of being a single mom.

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted September 24, 2010 at 2:25 PM

Week 10: Being the Choice Mom to a newborn

filed under: becoming, support, ChoiceChat, stress

This priceless -- and honest -- gem from Cathi about new motherhood comes from the archives of the Choice Moms blog, and I wanted to re-offer it to our new moms.

Posted September 18, 2010 at 2:05 PM

Dealing with the exhaustion of newborn days

filed under: becoming, newborn, support, stress, ChoiceChat

A new Choice Mom admitted her exhaustion with the first months of motherhood. Women in the community chimed in with support. Here are two of the responses.

Posted September 17, 2010 at 12:50 PM

Therapists who understand the Choice Mom journey

filed under: emotions, thinking, trying, resources, stress, support, nyc, sanfrancisco, losangeles, chicago, boston, minnesota, philadelphia, Seattle

These mental health therapists have an interest in working with single women about grief, fertility, adoption, and other aspects of the Choice Mom journey. They have been recommended by Choice Moms.

Posted September 13, 2010 at 11:40 AM

What Choice Moms are listening to

filed under: podcast, adoption, fatherless, emotions, fertility, insemination, known donor, legal, miscarriage, money, newborn, parenting, resources, sperm, stress, support, ChoiceChat

Lately I have been hearing from women who would love for me to return to creating new podcasts. I took 2011 off from the work, but hope to return this year with new shows -- and perhaps a webinar series! I currently have 46 shows available, with more than 39,000 downloads. Here's what's available.

Posted September 10, 2010 at 3:05 PM

Choice Mom Guide to Building a Support Network

filed under: support, stress, miscarriage, newborn, fertility, waiting, becoming, being, emotions

By now I hope you've had a chance to explore the "support_network" keyword on ChoiceMoms.org, because I think this is the most important and valuable information any parent needs. But if you haven't seen everything we've offered here from fellow moms and experts, here's a shortlist of some of my favorite items in it.

Posted September 8, 2010 at 7:45 AM

Thinking fears in South Africa

filed under: talking, ChoiceChat, thinking, emotions, support

I've been hearing more lately from women (and men) who don't have the easier community acceptance that many of us have grown accustomed to in North America. Here is one woman who reached out from South Africa, looking for community.

Read More... | 3 comments

Posted September 1, 2010 at 3:55 PM

Losing support -- and regaining it

filed under: support, thinking, being, emotions, multiples

After a single dad wrote in who was feeling isolated with his young child, ChoiceMom.org readers chimed in with their own insights. One of the comments was about something we've talked about here before -- your support network often won't be what you expect it will be -- and is worthy of new discussion here.

Read More... | 3 comments

Posted August 30, 2010 at 10:50 AM

Shannon: Help in the TTC process

filed under: support, fertility, emotions, 2ww, waiting, stress, ChoiceChat

This excellent Choice Mom-in-the-making blog and post came to my attention when the author, Shannon, posted it on the discussion board. Anyone in the trying-to-conceive stage should read it.

Posted August 30, 2010 at 8:05 AM

Query from single dad: can Choice Moms expect help?

filed under: support, being, QandA, stress

My blog about pivot points having more impact on our kids than a "lack" of something in their life prompted a comment from a single dad. His comment was long, and I thought it was good fodder for a new post on the "support network" theme of the month on ChoiceMoms.org, so I'm using it here.

Read More... | 15 comments

Posted August 20, 2010 at 7:15 PM

Book excerpt: Waiting and Delivering

filed under: waiting, resources, support, ChoiceChat

There are many things I like about Stacey MacGlashan's Choice Mom memoir "Just you and me, kid." One of them is the wonderful, honest detail she offers about the delivery process.

Posted August 18, 2010 at 9:50 AM

Minnesota: Choice Moms Guide

filed under: Minnesota, support

We had a wonderful Choice Moms Expo in Minneapolis in April 2010. Here are notes that grew out of that session.

Posted August 11, 2010 at 2:55 PM

Finding the support we need

filed under: support, thinking, trying, waiting, becoming, being, commentary, talking, WashingtonDC, resources

It's hard for self-sufficient women to ask for help -- or even acknowledge to ourselves that we need it. But we do. Even more than we care to admit, because we tend to be so hard on ourselves. This month I'm thinking about the kinds of support Choice Moms need, and how we can get and give it as a community.

Posted July 24, 2010 at 3:20 AM

Notes from the U.K.

filed under: support, UnitedKingdom, Europe, research, money, event insights, having two

Thanks to the generosity of Choice Mom Emily, I've been able to spend a wonderful 10-day holiday in London with my kids and parents. While here I met in Coram's Field with 14 women, including Moms, Thinkers and Tryers from Belfast, Dublin, Belgium and many others in the United Kingdom. I also met with a large group of Ph.D. students in Cambridge, who were interested in the Choice Mom story.

Posted July 12, 2010 at 9:40 AM

Report from D.C. Event

filed under: WashingtonDC, fertility, event insights, regionalguides, support

I’m on the Amtrak from D.C. to NYC, having finished the first of back-to-back Choice Mom networking events. In D.C. we shared stories, tips and insight about:

Read More... | 1 comment

Posted July 12, 2010 at 9:35 AM

How to get to "yes?" to this choice

filed under: event insights, thinking, WashingtonDC, emotions, support

My favorite part of Choice Mom networking events this year is our opening large group discussion, when we talk together from all stages about the issues and concerns we have faced. In the D.C. event, we had several Thinkers who wanted to know how women moved comfortably into the Trying stage. The question being, "How did you get to yes?" In response, Tryers and Moms reported:

Posted July 12, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Tips for building a support network

filed under: support, WashingtonDC, thinking, waiting, becoming, UnitedKingdom, event insights

At the Choice Moms networking event in D.C., Birthing Hands doula Claudia Booker offered many great tips for women about how to build a support network. She reiterated the importance of preparing for this well before the baby arrives. Some of her suggestions:

Read More... | 2 comments

Posted June 21, 2010 at 3:40 PM

7 Ways to Reduce Stress

filed under: SanFrancisco, stress, fertility, support

Stress is natural. No matter how much we might put into place to avoid it, stress comes -- daily. According to Caylie See, of Acupuncture Kitchen (San Francisco), "It’s important to focus not only on what causes us stress, but on how we deal with it." Here are her seven tips, courtesy of her affiliation with Choice Mom sponsor Laurel Fertility Care.

Posted June 18, 2010 at 9:40 PM

The stress of fertility

filed under: emotions, podcast, trying, fertility, Minnesota, support

One of the best gifts of Choice Mom networking events is when small groups of women on similar paths find each other to discuss their joys and concerns. Here's what women in the Trying stage talked about with counselor Krista Post.

Fertility stress

As strong-minded women, we can underestimate the anxiety of the fertility process. As someone who has experienced fertility challenges herself, Krista Post offered great insight on the importance of understanding what the success rates do and do not tell us. She also opened up the conversation for women to share the stress they were feeling about multiple attempts at conceiving.

Success rates (3.5 minutes)

Fertility Anxiety (7.5 minutes)

Posted June 18, 2010 at 9:00 PM

Telling others about this choice

filed under: emotions, Minnesota, talking, support, thinking

A group of women at a Choice Mom networking event discussed, with the help of counselor Krista Post, the nuances of talking about taking this path with close friends, family and colleagues.

How do we tell others?

At a recent Choice Mom networking event, counselor Krista Post facilitated a discussion about how women tell family and friends and colleagues about taking this path (15 minute).

Choice Moms talk frankly

Posted June 2, 2010 at 7:00 AM

The politics of defining who we are

filed under: commentary, being, support, fatherless, ChoiceKids, parenting

I returned from a primitive island camping trip with another Choice Mom, two dads, and the seven kids we have who have known each other for years. And one of the 30 emails waiting for me from the long weekend was the link to a blog from Kat Wilder, who is trying to understand who Choice Moms are, and why we do what we do.

Read More... | 8 comments

Posted May 27, 2010 at 3:25 PM

Building your fertility support team

filed under: fertility, support, SanFrancisco

In this week's tips from Choice Mom sponsor Laurel Fertility Center (San Francisco) we discuss the importance, and methods, of building a fertility support team for yourself.

Posted May 18, 2010 at 1:10 PM

San Francisco resources

filed under: SanFrancisco, childcare, support, resources, regionalguides

There were a lot of new and pending parents at the San Francisco event in May 2010. Here are some of the great resources that were suggested by attendees.

Posted May 18, 2010 at 12:10 PM

Talking out loud about sorrow

filed under: commentary, SanFrancisco, waiting, emotions, fertility, support

At the recent San Francisco event -- as was the case in Austin and Atlanta -- women spoke to me individually, or with the group, about the intense emotions they felt in not being able to yet BECOME Choice Moms.

Read More... | 3 comments

Posted April 30, 2010 at 5:15 PM

Special idea for Mother's Day

filed under: Minnesota, stress, support

At our recent Choice Moms networking event in Minneapolis, participants brought donations for the many single moms who are served by a local homeless shelter. If you'd like to do something like this in your community of women, or with your family, here's what we collected.

Posted April 26, 2010 at 11:25 AM

Minnesota resources: emotional support

filed under: Minnesota, emotions, support

We had a wonderful first-ever Choice Moms Expo in Minneapolis (April 2010), with more than 60 adults mingling with insight and support -- as well as great childcare fun for 20 Choice Kids. Here are some of the tips and connections made.

Posted April 19, 2010 at 10:20 AM

Yee-ha: The public debate is on

filed under: fatherless, being, ChoiceKids, commentary, emotions, news, parenting, politics, research, support, talking

Well here it is...the public debate between a Glenn Sacks father's rights crony (Robert Franklin) and myself on PublicSquare.net. Read, laugh, seethe, comment. I actually love the opportunity to offer a rational perspective, even if my opponent has a decidedly different viewpoint. Such as Franklin's view that Choice Moms often trick men into having kids and then lie to keep them out of the child's life. Here's a synopsis, with links to the full debate.

Read More... | 7 comments

Posted March 16, 2010 at 1:00 PM

Creative solutions to simplifying life

filed under: support, Minnesota, Seattle, Texas, Atlanta, SanFrancisco, NYC, WashingtonDC, Europe, UnitedKingdom, resources, regionalguides, LosAngeles, Australia, Canada, Chicago, NorthCarolina, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston, London, Baltimore

At the Austin Choice Moms event we started to talk about ways to simplify, and add flexibility to our work life, so that we can enjoy more time with our kids. How do we do it?

Posted March 5, 2010 at 7:20 PM

The Trance of Scarcity

filed under: emotions, book, thinking, commentary, support

Are you thinking that life is unfair? That you might not be worthy of having a child? That Choice Motherhood is a path of defeat? That no one has chosen you? That you are an oddball for even considering this voyage? That your child would be branded as an outsider? Before you embark on this journey consider these words from Victoria Castle, author of The Trance of Scarcity.

Read More... | 2 comments

Posted February 23, 2010 at 3:10 PM

Comparing childcare options

filed under: becoming, childcare, support, QandA

A Choice Mom made a list of the pros and cons of nanny vs. childcare center, as she prepared to go back to work. Here is her list, and the comments elicited from other Choice Moms:

Posted January 25, 2010 at 8:10 AM

Who disapproves? Here's who...

filed under: talking, support, parenting, fatherless, thinking

One woman on the Choice Mom discussion board noticed a pattern -- that others have agreed with -- about who tends to disapprove of the Choice Mom path, and who does not:

Posted January 24, 2010 at 9:35 PM

How-to guide for conceiving as a single woman

filed under: insemination, fertility, podcast, ovulation, IVF, drugs, stress, support

Q: I am looking into having a child with donor insemination, but I am not sure where to begin, and what to expect about cost. What should I know?