Are you having trouble sleeping at night because of this decision? Do you find yourself constantly swinging like a pendulum between yes and no? Maybe you are having trouble talking with your partner. We personalize our coaching techniques to fit your unique needs and situation. We will guide you to the decision that is right for you!
First, we start with a free 15–20-minute call — usually with Merle Bombardieri — to talk about your needs and how The Baby Decision Coaching sessions may help you.
Then if you want to move forward we will welcome you into our streamlined Smart Start Program: three strategically designed sessions that identify your goals, calm your panic, and get you started on actions that will lead to an answer.
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Smart Start sessions
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If you choose to participate in The Baby Decision Smart Start Program, here’s what you can expect with each session:
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Step 1: Story Discovery
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Your current struggles with the parenthood decision likely sit in the middle of the story of your life. In this 90-minute Story Discovery session with TBD Coach Vanessa Bombardieri, you will identify the chapters of your life so far, including plot points and characters that contribute to your decision success or block it. For example:
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Megan’s plot points include: vowing to be childfree as a teenager; meeting her partner, who wants to have a child; falling in love with a newborn niece; and learning that recent fertility tests suggest that she should try soon if she decides to have a baby. The characters in her story are herself, her partner, and her friends and family who may pressure her to have a child and/or discourage her.
As you and Vanessa identify and play with the elements of your own story so far, you will work together to formulate questions to address in the subsequent sessions. This first session provides a springboard for telling your story in a way that facilitates goal setting. Possible discoveries during this first session might include:
- Realizing that you want to be childfree but are looking to find more confidence in this decision.
- Discovering that you’ve already decided to be a parent but are too scared of pregnancy to call it a choice.
- Figuring out if you are really attracted to parenthood or if you are primarily trying to please your partner.
Step 2: Launching your discovery journey
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In this 50-minute session your coach will work with you to answer the questions you formulated in Step 1, recommend exercises from The Baby Decision, or invent tailor-made exercises for you. We will offer you food for thought including relevant books, podcasts or websites.
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Step 3: Making a plan and starting your journey
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This 50-minute session will preferably take place two weeks after Step 2 to give you time to work on the exercises. We will discuss your reactions to the exercises, give you our preliminary sense of your leanings. You’ll tell us whether our thoughts resonate with you. If they don’t, you’ll set us straight on where you are. Then we’ll set goals and strategies for continuing our work together.
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Optional steps beyond:
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After completing the Smart Start Program, most of our clients decide to continue with us, typically meeting every two to three weeks. Clients often come for 7-10 sessions beyond the Smart Start Program. Please note, if you and your partner are disagreeing on whether or not to have a child, the typical time for resolution is 12 to 15 sessions. If you would prefer to work with a therapist or continue working on your own, you’ll still be able to benefit from our recommendations.
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On coaching:
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Please note, coaching is different from therapy. It focuses on setting goals and taking action. We often take into account your life philosophy and values. Unlike psychotherapy, coaching does not focus on healing mental disorders. We work with you to focus specifically on your parenthood decision-making journey. That being said, our work can often complement what you may already be working on in therapy.
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How we work together:
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Vanessa and Merle are a mother-daughter coaching team. We have different specializations and focus areas. With your permission, we will share information about your sessions with each other and brainstorm a personalized plan to bring you and your partner, if you have one, to clarity. We will work together to create a plan that uses the most efficient techniques and approaches to streamline your baby decision-making journey.
After your discovery session, Merle and Vanessa will meet to discuss the best plan for you and recommend the coach we believe will be the best fit. However if you have a strong preference for one of us, we will offer you the opportunity to make a request after Step 1, Story Discovery.
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Pricing and questions:
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For our current coaching session rates, see our Pricing page.
Questions? Please do not hesitate to reach out to us — either via our Contact Page form, or at babydecision@gmail.com or by calling 917-703-9144.
