To Spawn or Not to Spawn?

Best friends Ren Lu and Emi Nietfeld, both 31-year old new moms, contemplate the question: what have we done?! 

So many people are deciding not to procreate. (Emi was almost one of them.) So why did we say yes? And why now? (Spoiler: “now” isn’t always Plan A.)

We dish on reluctant partners, cultural expectations, f-ed up families, and the real F-word (fertility) as we navigate through the fog of war and ask: who are we? And: “was it worth it?” 

01:14 Ren's Journey to Motherhood: wanting to be a mom but struggling to find the right guy who’s ready

02:25 Emi's Journey to Parenting: why she wasn’t sure she wanted to be a parent, and the things that changed her mind. 

09:00 Ren’s devastating diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve

13:45 Maternity leave as a self-employed mom 

20:42 Emi’s egg freezing journey gone wrong 

22:22 Why Emi doesn’t want to be called a “Mom” 

29:38 So, have our screaming potatoes changed us yet? 

35:12 Is mom brain real? Are we more productive than ever?

37:01 Is Having a Kid Worth It?

RESOURCES:

New York Times Story - Kids? A Growing Number of Americans Say, ‘No, Thanks.’ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/25/well/mind/child-free-adults-pew-study.html

Ariel Levy’s New Yorker Piece - Thanksgiving in Mongolia

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/11/18/thanksgiving-in-mongolia

// CONNECT WITH US //

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Emi Nietfeld

Web: eminietfeld.com

Insta & X: @eminietfeld 

Read Acceptance: bit.ly/AcceptanceMemoir

Newsletter: https://eminietfeld.substack.com/ 

Yiren Lu

Web: yirenlu.com

X: @yirenlu

Ren’s Technical Content Agency, Frindle: https://www.tryfrindle.com/