This article has haunted me since I've read it. I'm not a mother myself, I just turned 40 and have dabbled with the idea of motherhood since my early 30s. I have wavering mental health and suffer huge anxiety around pregnancy and that awful bit at the end. I had a miscarriage last year, it was awful and sad but I knew that it wasn't a healthy baby. I once thought that if I could get pregnancy out the way, I would be pretty set with a kid. Now I think not so much. It's a whole different ball game, motherhood, it just looks and sounds so damn hard all the time. Now my friends are  on their 2nd or 3rd and I'm living my life, with my husband, and we're having a wonderful time. I have to realise that I just don't think I want to put myself through this, and I could fully relate with Jo, losing yourself, your identity, for a non guaranteed outcome. There is also the state of the world, the planet, viruses, the economy. I think if women were more honest from a younger age, is THIS something they really want? I know for a fact that if none of my friends had babies, I wouldn't give them a second thought but society has a lot to answer for and as a woman, you can't help feel the pressure. I haven't got a clue if we will go for parenthood, in one sense I romanticise the idea of a Sunday afternoon day with my kid talking about life, putting it to bed, that intimacy and bond,  but what then follows shortly is the absolute monotony, the exhaustion, the stress. No one can tell me, I either go for it or possibly regret. It's not easy but I applaud Jo for being so frigging brave, for bringing this ever so important subject to the surface. Jesus, we all need it! To all of you suffering, keep going. It will get better. Is there a right or wrong way to go? Who knows. Take care xx