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The Baby Decision

By: Merle Bombardieri MSW LICSW
Narrated by: Kathleen Godwin
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Summary

“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." (BlueInk starred review and notable book)

Featured in The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Baby or child-free? 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 child-free.

The Baby Decision is a powerful, unbiased guidebook by a professional coach/psychotherapist who has specialized in the topic for 40 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 will:

  • Dissolve fear and doubt, using 30 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 child-free 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 child-free 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 visit her blog for free advice and resources.

Discover your personal answer to the baby question. Click “play” on the Audible sample to preview the book.

©2016 Merle A. Bombardieri (P)2019 Merle A. Bombardieri

What listeners say about The Baby Decision

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Still undecided

This won’t be the magical solution to finally making your decision but it has given me a lot to think about that I may not have considered otherwise. I think it may help me reach the decision after a few listens.

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Read it if you aren't sure what's next.

Making this decision isn't straightforward, and even more complicated if, like me, you've also experienced multiple miscarriage, meaning that you aren't sure you are even making a choice, or if it's something imposed on you. couple that with feelings of ambivalence towards motherhood, but still mixed with some natural urges and a loving husband you can imagine as a dad, and it all becomes a bit of a psychological mess. This book helped immensely in giving validation to my feelings and also context into how to think about it more critically and less emotionally. This remains and serious source of tension in my life and one I don't think will be alleviated overnight but the book has helped.

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  • Evaldas
  • 23-02-20

insightful guide for most important decision

the author gives the reader a framework how to make decision that will change ones life completely - have or nit have baby

1 person found this helpful

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  • Christina Brooks
  • 28-01-23

Extremely helpful

Extremely helpful, unbiased approach that helped me not only make my decision but feel confident about it. Cannot recommend enough if you’re struggling with this decision yourself!

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  • Matt Foreman
  • 26-06-21

Finally!

Finally feels like there is someone who can help me make the biggest of all decisions. If you’re on the fence at all about having kids read this book twice.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 10-05-21

Helpful

This is a really good book. I'm going to have review parts and redo exercises but it is really helpful to answer that all too important question...