BOOKS

The Art of Waiting: On Fertility, Medicine, and Motherhood by Belle Boggs - a beautiful and informative fertility memoir
Eggs Unscrambled: Making Sense of Egg Freezing, Fertility, and the Truth about Your Reproductive Years by Agnes Fischer

​Expecting Better: Why Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong -- and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster

The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson​

It Starts with the Egg: How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF by Rebecca Fett

Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes

Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives: A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Deepak Chopra, M.D.

The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howland

Mindful Hypnobirthing: Hypnosis and Mindful Techniques for a Calm and Confident Birth by Sophie Fletcher

Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood - and Trusting Yourself and Your Body by Erica Chidi Cohen

Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition by Lily Nichols

Spiritual Fertility: Integrative Practices for the Journey to Motherhood by Dr. Julie Von

Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler

What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood by Alexandra Sacks, MD and Catherine Birndorf, MD

Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: Natural Ways to Improve Your Fertility Now and into Your 40s by Aimee Raupp

PODCASTS

As A Woman with Natalie Crawford, MD - you guys, this is my incredible doctor! I am so thankful for her and her incredible work in the world. I have learned so much from this podcast, and I hope you will too!

Baby or Bust by Dr. Lora Shahine - a podcast hosted by fertility doctor and former fertility patient Dr. Lora Shahine. Every week we bust myths, shatter stigma, and provide important facts and encouraging best practices to help anyone struggling with fertility to make their baby dream come true and feel better and stronger about their journey along the way.

The Egg Whisperer Show with Dr. Aimee - “[Dr. Aimee’s] hope is to empower women, making them more aware of their personal fertility levels and allowing them to be better educated about their options.”

The Evidence Based Birth Podcast - I binged this pre-baby and learned so much!

The Expectful Podcast - Expectful is both a podcast and a meditation app that explores themes in fertility, pregnancy and new motherhood (no longer in production, but the podcast archives are good!)

Fertile Ground - A mind-body approach to getting pregnant without it taking over your life with certified Life Coach Spenser Brassard

IVFML - a HuffPost miniseries about one couple’s struggle with infertility

Practically Fertile - the “How to Get Healthy & Get Pregnant” podcast with integrative fertility expert Adrienne Wei

The Wholesome Fertility Podcast - Michelle is a fertility acupuncturist who has interviewed literally some of the VERY best in the fertility industry. Fun fact: Michelle is featured on episode 7 of the Single Greatest Choice podcast, and I am going to be a guest on her show as well!

Yoga Birth Babies - a beautiful and informative podcast from the Prenatal Yoga Center in NYC

APPS

Embie - this tracking app for IUI and IVF was created by a SMBC. Follow it’s creator , Ravid, on Instagram @embie2baby and here her interview on Episode 11 of the Single Greatest Choice Podcast.

Expectful - a meditation and sleep app for fertility, pregnancy, and parenthood

Mindful IVF - this is a favorite of mine and has seen me through many an injection, acupuncture appointment, and ultrasound! I chose to bring my headphones to most appointments and meditate throughout my treatments. Who knows if it helps, but it makes the process more calming.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Dr. Julie Von - Dr. Von is a holistic doctor who focuses on fertility. Her book is linked above, and if you purchase through her site you’ll have access to a free 4-week course on Spiritual Fertility

Ro - this company offers at-home fertility testing, but even if that’s not your thing - I would highly recommend perusing their extensive blog and subscribing to their email list. Tons of good scientific information!

The Positive Birth Company - this digital course on hypnobirthing was one of the best things I did to prepare myself for labor. The Freya App is great too!

The Practically Fertile Club - Adrienne Wei is an integrative fertility coach and acupuncturist

Spenser Brassard, Life Coach - Spenser offers fertility-specific online courses and coaching

The Wholesome Fertility Method - a 7-week online coaching program for enhancing your fertility naturally

BOOKS

Chosen Family: A Donor-Conceived Woman’s Journey to Redefining Family by Kiara Rae Schuh

Choosing Single Motherhood: The Thinking Woman’s Guide by Mikki Morrissette

Going Solo: My Choice to Become a Single Mother Using a Donor by Genevieve Roberts

Inconceivable: Heartbreak, Bad Dates and Finding Solo Motherhood by Alexandra Collier

Liv’s Alone: Amateur Adventures in Solo Motherhood by Liv Thorne

Panic and Joy: My Solo Path to Motherhood by Emma Brockes - this delightful memoir is a must-read, or better yet - a must-listen, since it is read in the author’s own British accent. Brockes is a fantastic writer and her story is worth reading for anyone considering the SMC route.

Motherhood Reimagined: When Becoming a Mother Doesn’t Go as Planned, An Infertility Memoir by Sara Kowalski - Sarah’s work is also listed below under podcasts and online resources

Single Mothers by Choice: A Guidebook for Single Women Who Are Considering or Have Chosen Motherhood by Jane Mattes - the OG of SMCs and founder of the SMC membership organization

This Might Be Too Personal: And Other Intimate Stories by Alyssa Shelasky - a memoir by SMC and New York Magazine’s “Sex Diaries”

PODCASTS

Half of Us - the second chapter of the original groundbreaking podcast Half of Me. In this new chapter, Ally, Jeremy, Meg and Shannon talk about what it's like to be donor conceived half siblings that met in their twenties. They talk about genetics, nature vs. nurture, and redefining family.

Motherhood Reimagined - I linked Sarah’s book and coaching site in this section as well. Her podcast seems to focus more heavily on women who’ve moved outside the United States as SMCs as well as women who used egg donors, as these are both part of her own story.

No Need for Prince Charming - Alisha is an Australian SMC podcaster whom many of you probably already know and follow. If not, find her on instagram and in the podcast world!

Not by Accident by Sophie Harper - Sophie became a single mother by choice, not by accident. She recorded her life for seven years to tell this story, about making choices and taking action to live the life you want. If you’re a parent, want to be a parent, or just love good storytelling, this podcast is for you.

Spermcast - I was lucky enough to stumble upon this gem in it’s early days and followed Molly’s story in real time. This podcast is funny and heartfelt and has provided me with a level of emotional support I really cannot express in words. And, it’s chock full of really interesting and useful information! I knew exactly what questions to ask my doctor when I started IVF because I’d gone along with Molly on each of her appointments and heard her experience. So much appreciate for this girl…plus, she’s hilarious! Her story is hard, but so beautiful!

ONLINE RESOURCES

Motherhood Reimagined - Resources for Single Moms by Choice, Infertility, and Egg & Sperm Donor support. Sarah has several membership support groups, including one that helps SMCs plan to move out of the U.S. for better cost of living and lifestyle.

Single Mothers By Choice - the oldest and largest resource out there for SMCs, this is the first place you should go if you are considering this path. Fantastic resources for those who are thinking, trying, or already parenting. A sweet friend gifted me a membership to SMC, which provides discussion forums and articles on every topic you can imagine. The biggest benefit for me has been the connection to the Facebook groups, both local and widespread. SMC also has a Facebook page for SMCs who are Trying to Conceive.

BOOKS

The Bottom Line for Baby: What the Science Says about Your Biggest Questions and Concerns by Tina Payne Bryson

Brain-Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids by Mona Delahooke

Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster

The Danish Way of Parenting: What the Happiest People in the World Know About Raising Confident, Capable Kids by Jessica Joelle Alexander and Iben Dissing Sandahl

Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy

Raising Feminist Boys: How to Talk with Your Child about Gender, Consent, & Equity Bobbi Wegner (this is a great read regardless of whether you are raising boys)

Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids Hunter Clark-Fields MSAE and Carla Naumburg PhD

PODCASTS

Big Fat Positive - “an irreverent and funny show that follows two moms-to-be on their journey through pregnancy and into new motherhood, week by week” - if you dig back to the beginning, Laura and Shanna go week-by-week through their pregnancies. Now their babies are toddlers and they talk about all things parenting.

Good Inside with Dr. Becky - Dr. Becky is a clinical psychologist who took everything she knows about attachment, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and internal family systems theory, and translated those ideas into a new method for working with parents.

The Longest Shortest Time - oh, how I loved this show! It truly was a parenting podcast for everyone. The stories and both of the hosts, Hillary Frank and Andrea Silenzi, were so fantastic. This show wrapped in 2019, but it’s totally worth digging back into the archives to listen. In Episodes 208-210, Andrea even teases her own possible journey towards becoming an SMC.

Unruffled: Respectful Parenting with Janet Lansbury - Each episode of Unruffled addresses a reader's parenting issue through the lens of Janet's respectful parenting philosophy, consistently offering a perspective shift that ultimately frees parents of the need for scripts, strategies, tricks, and tactics.

Upbringing - Way more than a podcast - this is a movement that empowers parents to show up & grow up alongside their kids for sanity + social change. Check out their membership community and instagram account too!

Because honestly, being in the right mindset is a HUGE component of this journey, with all of its joys, disappointments, and unexpected turns. Here are some of the teachers who have contributed to my own personal growth.

BOOKS

Expectation Hangover: Overcoming Disappointment in Work, Love, and Life by Christine Hassler

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your LIfe by Byron Katie

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff, and The Mindful Self Compassion Workbook

The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith by Gabrielle Bernstein

PODCASTS

The Life Coach School Podcast with Brooke Castillo - Brooke is probably the coach that has made the biggest impact on my mindset. I don’t connect as much with her more recent work, but I absolutely love her foundational teachings. If you want to explore the podcast, I would suggest scrolling WAY back to the first 200 episodes or so.

Over It & On With It with Christine Hassler - When I discovered Christine’s work, I was smitten. I have been personally coached and trained by her, and it changed my life and my fertility journey. In my opinion, she offers the perfect balance of practical and spiritual as well as past and future focus.

UnF*ck Your Brain with Kara Loewentheil - a feminist approach to thought work and coaching

We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle - honest talk about so many topics, with the intention of “helping each other carry the hard so we can all live a little bit lighter and braver, more free and less alone”

Your Kickass Life Podcast with Andrea Owen - So much goodness here. Make sure to dig back into the archives!