014: Jackie C.: Moving From Co-parenting To Sperm Donor and Post-Partum Depression

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.

Build your village early. Whether it is your girlfriends, a single moms club, your family, friends, build it early and strengthen and extend it and you will lean back in different ways and be in a position to give back. - Jackie Click To Tweet

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.

This was my lifelong dream to be a mom and I had this amazing newborn, and all I wanted to do was sleep, never wake-up and not have to deal with it. The doctor explained once you have those thoughts you need intervention. - Jackie Click To Tweet

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.
(co-parenting) I'm almost kind of happy that it didn't work out. The dynamic of the relationship would be different. I have my own challenges as a single mom, but I deal with arguments and heartache if we don't agree. - Jackie Click To Tweet

Resources

Oakland Choice Mom Blog

Oakland Choice Mom Facebook

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Motherhood Reimagined Tribe

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Thank you for joining us for Motherhood Reimagined. You can contact us through the website or Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. I am currently looking for guests for the show so if you have an alternative path to motherhood, I’d love to talk with you!  Also, Tribe is live! So check it out and connect with women who are exactly in your shoes and can relate. Please join us for our next episode when we talk to another inspirational mother!