Getting pregnant not as easy as you figured?
For most people ‘Family Planning’ is a relatively simple thing. Decide to start a family, engage in sex and in a year or so, tada,
the woman produces a baby! Most couples don’t even put much of a plan in place, or the plan is more about keeping the family to a
restricted number of children. For a small population, pregnancy sometimes just happens, whether they want the children or not. Unfortunately
for an ever growing minority, things do not go so easily. Almost 10% of all couples will find creating a family to be much more difficult
than they had considered. Infertility is an ever growing problem. For these people, ‘Family Planning’ could mean going through infertility
treatment, considering adoption or choosing to live childfree.
Often the choice to live child-free, or adopt a child bring other
issues or problems. As an adoptive mom, I totally support adoption and would never trade my wonderful little girl for any child. She
is my daughter as much as if I had given birth to her. Unfortunatly, like many children who are adopted, she has specail needs that
are genetic as well as special needs that are due to pre-natal and post natal issues. The majority of adopted children are perfectly
fine children with no issues more, or different than a child you would have given birth to, but a higher than normal rate of these
children do have some sort of special need and because they are adopted there are issues that we need to address that we would not
need to with our biological children - they do have a history and genetic background that they will need to know about. A coach can
help you deal with any of these issues, specially if they have a strong background in working with high needs children and families.
If they have been there done that, they will also understand the extra challanges that go with raising a non biological child and
can help you walk through this different path.
‘Family Development Coaching’ often involves working with one person who is trying
to work things out with a partner who isn’t sure about what they want to do. It could mean working with a couple, helping them look
at all the alternatives and making a life plan for developing a family. It could mean looking into all the family creation options,
going through assessments and considering treatment plans. And finally, it could mean that you need to look at further options and
find an alternative means of creating the family you are aiming for. ‘Family Development Coaching' could help you walk through
all the steps to either adopt or live childfree. 'Family Development Coaching' should not be limited to 'Infertility Coaching',
'Adoption Coaching', 'Parenting Coaching', 'Grief Coaching' or 'Relationship Coaching' since all of it goes hand
in hand!
Whom do you speak to when creating a family doesn’t go as easily as it should? What if your relationship is stressed because
of family choices that are difficult but must be made? Where do you go if your child/children have special needs and you have to determine
a different direction for your family. How do you deal with the relationship issues that can arrive from any of the above? Your friends
and family are not always the best, they don’t know what to say and they don’t want to hurt your feelings. So, who is there to help
you work through all of this? There are those who honestly believe many of these things can cure themselves or are not as serious
as you feel they are. Of course those of us who have ‘been there done that’ know that their idea does not work. Often people suggest
counseling or therapy, most people don’t need either of these, that is not the way to go! You have plenty of access to medical personnel,
but they can’t help you decide what you need to do with the personal part of your ‘family planning’. It isn’t advice that you need
anyway, it is a sounding board so you can look at all your options and make a choice that suits your needs. You need a coach to talk
to, someone who isn’t there to judge, but to help walk you through to the end that works best for you.
A good coach is there to listen
to you while you consider ALL of your options. They can help you look into each one of them so that you can make an informed decision
that works for YOU! Dealing with fertility treatment is a long and difficult battle. The biggest thing to deal with is your emotions
and your personal decision making plans. Your ‘Family Planning Coach’ is not there to judge what you do, or how you feel. They are
there to support you while you work your way down the difficult road toward having the family that makes you happy.
To discuss ‘Family Development
Coaching', contact Judi. As an adoptive mother, (a widow and a mom of a child with a number of special needs) who has faced many family
development issues, she is not just trained to help you work through your difficult times, she has been there as well!