My guest today is Jackie, a single-mom-by-choice who wanted to have a co-parenting agreement at the beginning of her journey. The plans for co-parenting fell through and Jackie conceived her child with a sperm donor.
Jackie talks about how she approached the co-parenting arrangement and why it didn’t work out. She also discusses her difficult pregnancy and recovery. Jackie dealt with postpartum depression after her delivery. She shares what it was like to cope with those startling feelings and how she reached out for help.
We also talk about how to build a support system and why it is good to start early to build your village. Jackie authors a blog called Oakland Choice Mom and hopes to encourage women to consider the single-mother-by-choice option.
Some highlights of today’s conversation:
- Jackie’s early ideas of motherhood and family.
- Why she wanted to pursue the single-mother-by-choice option.
- Jackie’s attempts to arrange a co-parenting relationship and why it didn’t happen.
- How she approached the co-parenting agreement with her friend.
- How Jackie underestimated the difficulty of the donor process.
- How she chose her sperm donor.
- The importance of not having expectations with your donor experience.
- How Jackie coped with postpartum depression and found the resources to help.
- Jackie’s support system and how she built it.
- The Oakland Choice Mom blog.
Resources
Motherhood Reimagined SMC Community
Motherhood Reimagined: When Becoming a Mother Doesn’t Go As Planned: A Memoir by Sarah Kowalski
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