The baby decision : how to make the most important choice of your life

FROM CONFUSION TO CONFIDENCE IN FIVE STEPS SECOND EDITION COMPLETELY REVISED AND UPDATED The Baby Decision is a clear, compassionate guide to making a parenting or childfree decision with confidence. Many women of childbearing age and their partners find it hard to make this life-changing decision. Without a crystal ball, what can you do? Some women say “I like the idea of motherhood, but how do I know I’d really enjoy it? What will happen to my job, my relationship, my sanity?” Or they say, “I’m leaning toward being childfree, but will I be sorry later?” Merle Bombardieri, MSW, LICSW has been helping people make this decision for over thirty years in her therapy and coaching practice and in her Baby Decision Workshops. With a depth that only a psychotherapist can provide, she shows you strategies for dealing with doubt and ambivalence and uncovering your deepest self-knowledge. Through anecdotes, exercises, guidelines, and checklists, she leads you to your best possible choice. Imagine the relief of finally cutting through the tangled vines of pros and cons and seeing a clear decision emerge. Merle helps you not only to make a decision but to use it as an opportunity for you and your relationship to grow. You will learn how to: •Use dozens of “Secret Doors” exercises to uncover hidden feelings and wisdom. •Separate your own needs and preferences from societal myths and expectations. •Give full consideration to the rewards and opportunities of living childfree. •Talk constructively with your partner even if you disagree. •Manage work-life balance and keep your relationship strong. •Make decisions about one-child families, single and gay parenting, fertility and adoption. •Borrow some of the benefits of the other choice. You will also learn how to trust your decision and make the most of it. •Includes resources and bibliography. •Bonus section: Preparing your body for a healthy pregnancy. Upcoming Events "The Baby Decision" Parenthood Decision Making Workshops October 30, 2016 Cambridge Center for Adult Education (ccae.org) FROM CONFUSION TO CONFIDENCE IN FIVE STEPS SECOND EDITION COMPLETELY REVISED AND UPDATED The Baby Decision is a clear, compassionate guide to making a parenting or childfree decision with confidence. Many women of childbearing age and their partners find it hard to make this life-changing decision. Without a crystal ball, what can you do? Some women say "I like the idea of motherhood, but how do I know I'd really enjoy it? What will happen to my job, my relationship, my sanity?" Or they say, "I'm leaning toward being childfree, but will I be sorry later?" Merle Bombardieri, MSW, LICSW has been helping people make this decision for over thirty years in her therapy and coaching practice and in her Baby Decision Workshops. With a depth that only a psychotherapist can provide, she shows you strategies for dealing with doubt and ambivalence and uncovering your deepest self-knowledge. Through anecdotes, exercises, guidelines, and checklists, she leads you to your best possible choice. Imagine the relief of finally cutting through the tangled vines of pros and cons and seeing a clear decision emerge. Merle helps you not only to make a decision but to use it as an opportunity for you and your relationship to grow. You will learn how to: • Use dozens of "Secret Doors" exercises to uncover hidden feelings and wisdom. • Separate your own needs and preferences from societal myths and expectations. • Give full consideration to the rewards and opportunities of living childfree. • Talk constructively with your partner even if you disagree. • Manage work-life balance and keep your relationship strong. • Make decisions about one-child families, single and gay parenting, fertility and adoption. • Borrow some of the benefits of the other choice. You will also learn how to trust your decision and make the most of it. • Includes resources and bibliography. • Bonus section: Preparing your body for a healthy pregnancy. Upcoming Events "The Baby Decision" Parenthood Decision Making Workshops at The Cambridge Center for Adult Education A Warmly Empathic, Wide-Ranging Manual Kirkus Reviews"This valuable unbiased book skillfully shows readers how to stop fretting over the choice and take time to make the right one. Blue Ink Starred Review and Notable BookFeatured in The Washington Post and The New York TimesBaby or Childfree? Which will it Be?Is this decision keeping you up at night? Do you feel terrified you will regret your decision? Are you paralyzed by this high-stakes choice? Now you can get off the fence and get on with your life. Imagine your relief when you discover the right choice and break free from obsession. Picture yourself enjoying the pleasures of parenthood or the freedom and spontaneity of living childfree. The Baby Decision is a powerful, unbiased guidebook by a professional coach/psychotherapist who has specialized in the topic for forty years. With wisdom, depth and humor Merle will help you take this overwhelming decision and break it down into a digestible sequence of five steps. During this discovery process you Dissolve fear and doubt.Use thirty visualization exercises and thought experiments to uncover your answer.Have deep talks with your partner, even if you disagree.Resist pressures from family and friends, and fully consider the rewards of the childfree choice.Learn the latest on one-child families, single, LGBTQI+ and older parents, fertility and adoption.Steal a few benefits from the opposite choice.Merle Bombardieri, MSW, LICSW is a psychotherapist, coach and workshop leader. Although she enjoyed raising her daughters, she has been a childfree advocate since 1978. She has contributed to Our Bodies Ourselves, The Boston Globe Magazine, Glamour, Self and Brides and has appeared on national news, talk show, and documentaries. Please see her Author Page for more information and to visit her blog for free advice and resources. Discover your personal answer to the baby question. Click Play on the Audible sample or Look Inside to preview the book. "Are you having trouble deciding whether or not to become a parent? Are you under pressure from family and friends? Unsettled by feelings of guilt or ambivalence? Unsure whether you will regret your decision in later years? The Baby Decision offers a clear path to finding the answers to all of these questions"-- Back cover