The fear of being childless not by choice (and what the other side actually looks like) - with Melissa from Live Childfree

It's the biggest fear when we're trying to conceive, right? The fear of being childless not by choice. In fact, there are just so many fears. The fear we'll lose our identity The fear we'll be hopeless and sad forever The fear we'll never recover from the trauma And I love the way this article from Melissa from Live Childfree penned that talks about whether you can ever get over infertility and all of those fears. The answer though is: you can. And Melissa joined me today on the podcast to share their story of a really traumatic experience through infertility, what the decision process looked like when her and her husband, Erik made the call to stop fertility treatments and live a childfree life, and what the other side actually looks like. Even if you're still committed to continuing your fertility journey, I think it's so important that we don't glamorize fertility treatments as having a 100% success rate. The truth is that not everyone will walk away from treatments with a baby.... And the more we can help break down that stigma (listen to the end of the podcast) and 'societal norms' that a woman's life purpose = get married and have babies, the more we can help support families through different life paths. About Melissa Melissa Jones, co-host of the podcast "Live Childfree with Erik and Melissa," suffered through six years of infertility before she and her husband, Erik, made the decision to stop pursuing parenthood. Through their podcast, they've given a voice to the experience of transitioning from infertility to childfree living. Melissa and Erik believe passionately that it is possible to have a fulfilling life without children and hope that by sharing their story, others like them will feel heard, understood, and empowered to live unapologetically. •Blog: livechildfree.com •Podcast: livechildfree.com/the-podcast/ •Instagram: @livechildfree •Email: [email protected] Want more? •Follow me @robynbirkin on Instagram for fertility tips, real talk and big time mindset help when it comes to trying to conceive •Get your copy of the Get Pregnant Pronto Pack •Discover the 3 biggest game changers I had on my journey to get pregnant If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to pop into Apple iTunes and leave a podcast review. It would mean the absolute world to me and it means that more people will be able to find and enjoy the podcast.