Paths to motherhood: Solomotherhood and donor-conception
Have you always dreamt of becoming a mum but the traditional path didn’t seem to play out for you? Or you always knew you wanted to be a mum but not necessarily with a partner?
I’m a single mom by choice through donor conception. Bringing my child into this world has been a process full of intention, questions, uncertainty, inspiration, and creativity. Through my own experiences and conversations with many other women who have walked a similar path, I know that coming to this point isn’t usually straightforward.
Questions I’ve encountered on the way – either myself or through conversations with other solomums – are:
- How do I let go of a type of family I had imagined for myself? For some, there’s the mourning of the more traditional family they’d envisioned.
- Do I want to become a single mum by choice? Or find a co-parent? Or continue dating, maybe freeze some eggs? For many, it’s firstly figuring out if solomotherhood is actually right or right enough for them.
- How do I even select a donor? Will I select open-ID, known or anonymous donor? What characteristics are important to me in a donor?
- What alternatives to solomotherhood are there for me?
- How do I make choices in this whole world of fertility treatment? Evidently, doctors are the specialists here to advise on treatments, but there can be a huge emotional component to making these decisions – especially on your own.
You don’t have to walk this path alone! If you’re currently stuck or in the process of figuring out any of these or related topics, I’d love to support you on your journey through counseling sessions that are tailored around your needs and questions. I’m well equipped to support you both in decision-making and emotional processing through my professional expertise as a psychologist combined with my lived experience.
If that’s you, I’d love to hear from you and accompany you on your path.