My clients face the same pressures and stresses as you do. Many have grown up hearing stories about how once people reach a certain age they may have never wanted kids, but all of a sudden “biological clocks” start ticking and suddenly the world starts expecting kids. Some of my clients have always thought they’d end up having children and being parents, and then later in life realize, they don’t have anyone they want to have kids with, having children is expensive, and they’re not so sure that parenting is something they want to do.

Meanwhile their parents are pushing them to “give them grandkids,” but they’re already looking at their bank accounts, not entirely sure how they can ever afford a home, let alone supporting and raising entire humans.

Suddenly targeted ads and reels start showing parenting life hacks and babies start to look even cuter than usual, but again something in the back of their mind says maybe this isn’t for me. They hear messaging around how they’re being selfish not to have children, but sometimes find it overwhelming to manage their own life. My clients often haven’t had ideal childhoods themselves and think about not wanting to pass any trauma on to a following generation, or cause harm themselves unknowingly. Yet when they share their intentions and thoughts with others, they’re met with invalidation and encouragement that anyone can be a parent and a lot of people don’t even plan on having kids when they end up pregnant.

In a day and age where states like Florida and South Carolina have strict rules around abortion, it can feel scary to explore if maybe a stronger approach or medical procedure to interfere with fertility might feel necessary.

Managing the stigma, negative messaging, unsupportive responses from family and sometimes even friends can be a lot. The choice to have children or not is very personal and individualized for each person.

If you want to explore this area of life and find it difficult to navigate the noise, I’m here to help and can approach exploring parenthood in a nonjudgmental way to help you make the best choice for you.