1:5 women in the UK/USA, Canada &amp; Australia are currently turning 45 without having had a child. Although some are childfree by choice, many others are childless-by-circumstance and are struggling in a life they didn’t expect and for which there are no roadmaps. Most people think that women without children either ‘couldn’t’ or ‘didn’t want’ to be mothers. The truth is much more complex. A mixture of autobiography, social history and self-help, "Rocking the Life Unexpected" is a book that blends the personal, the political and the practical to support childless-by-circumstance women to move forward with their lives. Its British author, Jody Day, is the founder of Gateway Women, the global friendship and support network for childless-by-circumstance women. Reading this book feels like sitting on the couch with a good friend, a bottle of wine, and a box of Kleenex. Yes, there'll be tears, but there'll be laughter and camaraderie, and at the end of the book, there'll be the feeling that it's all going to be okay in the end. Lisa Manterfield, author of the award-winning "I’m Taking my Eggs and Going Home" and the Founder of LifeWithoutBaby.com Each of the 12 chapters has a specific focus and contains exercises to help you look at your personal situation. The book can be read alone or as part of an online or local Gateway Women reading group. Week by week, this book will guide you as you work through the distress, confusion and isolation of your situation and towards your very own Plan B for a meaningful and fulfilling life without children. Now in her late 40s, Jody realised at the age of 43 that her quest to be a mother was finished. She presumed that she was through the toughest part but over the next couple of years was hit by waves of grief, despair and isolation. At times her reality felt almost unendurable, as was the way that her situation was trivialised by others. She looked in vain for recognition and support amongst her dwindling peer group, the therapeutic profession and online, but found nothing except childfree sites, some of which disturbed her deeply with their ‘anti-kids’ rhetoric. Rocking the Life Unexpected shares what Jody learned as she pulled herself from the pit of despair she found herself in and how she found a way to make her life feel meaningful again. It is unlike any other book about childlessness because of its three-tiered approach: • Personal: Jody’s own story of how she came to be a childless-by-circumstance woman through a combination of childhood issues, ambivalence, unexplained infertility, divorce and subsequent social infertility - at a time when it is still a taboo to be open about this. Most people refuse to acknowledge the stigma that surrounds childlessness, yet childless women experience it regularly from their friends, family, peers, colleagues and in the culture; • Political: how the women experiencing involuntary childlessness today are part of the ‘shock absorber generation for the sexual revolution’ and why motherhood (or not) has become such a hot button issue – and what we can do to increase societal understanding and create a more progressive and positive debate. • Practical: what childless women can do to themselves to recover from the pain, isolation and devastation of not becoming mothers, and how to move on and create a Plan B that is more than just a booby prize! As Jody says: These days, I love my life again. If I had my time over, I’d still wish to be a mother, but these days I’m genuinely fine with the way things have turned out. I find I’m able to enjoy the advantages of not being a mother, take pleasure in being around other people’s children without dying inside, and really look forward to my future again. I call that having a Plan B and this book is going to help you start moving towards yours.

Rocking the Life Unexpected: 12 Weeks to Your Plan B for a Meaningful and Fulfiling Life Without Children

Parenting & Relationships

Day, Jody

Fertility

Createspace Independent Pub

Across the globe, millions of women are reaching their mid-forties without having had a child. Although some are child-free by choice, many others are childless by circumstance and are struggling in a life they didn't foresee. Most people think that women without children either "couldn't" or "didn't want to" be mothers. The truth is much more complex. Jody Day would have liked to have had children, but it didn't work out that way. At the age of 44 she realized that her quest to be a mother was at an end. She presumed that she was through the toughest part, but over the next couple of years she was hit by waves of grief, despair and isolation. Eventually she found her way and created the Gateway Women Network, helping many thousands of women worldwide. Here she addresses the taboo of childlessness and provides a powerful, practical 12-week guide to help women come to terms with their grief, and to move on to live creative, happy, meaningful, and fulfilling lives without children. Previously titled Rocking the Life Unexpected, this inspiring and practical guide to a life without children has been extensively revised and updated, and includes significant additional content including extracts from the stories of 24 women and two men from around the world.

Living the Life Unexpected: 12 Weeks to Your Plan B for a Meaningful and Fulfilling Future Without Children

Self-Help

Bluebird

'The book to recommend to patients when they face coming to terms with unavoidable childlessness.' - British Medical Journal In Living the Life Unexpected, Jody Day addresses the experience of involuntary childlessness and provides a powerful, practical guide to help those negotiating a future without children come to terms with their grief; a grief that is only just beginning to be recognized by society. This friendly, practical, humorous and honest guide from one of the world's most respected names in childless support offers compassion and understanding and shows how it's possible to move towards a creative, happy, meaningful and fulfilling future - even if it's not the one you had planned. Millions of people are now living a life without children, almost double that of a generation ago and the numbers are rising still. Although some are childfree by choice, many others are childless due to infertility or circumstance and are struggling to come to terms with their uncertain future. Although most people think that those without children either 'couldn't' or 'didn't want' to be parents, the truth is much more complex. Jody Day was forty-four when she realized that her quest to be a mother was at an end. She presumed that she was through the toughest part, but over the next couple of years she was hit by waves of grief, despair and isolation. Eventually she found her way and in 2011 created Gateway Women, the global friendship and support network for childless women which has now helped almost two million people worldwide. This edition, previously titled Rocking the Life Unexpected, has been extensively revised and updated, with significant additional content and case studies from forty involuntarily childless people (mostly women) from around the world.

Living the Life Unexpected: How to find hope, meaning and a fulfilling future without children

Happiness

In Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness, Lesley Pyne uses her life experience as a childless woman, the experiences of other childless women from all over the world—who she calls her storytellers, and her skills as a coach and NLP Master Practitioner to gently guide readers through their pain to help them get to the other side to find their joy. Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness helps you: Understand why the story you tell yourself is important and how to change it if it’s holding you back.Learn different ways of moving through the grieving process including, letting go, connecting with your feelings and body, self-acceptance, and exploration through writing. Recognize the importance of gratitude and teach you how to find joy again. Explore how you’ve changed during the process and gently show you how to find fulfillment now and in the future. With clear and practical advice and exercises, Lesley will gently guide you to that fulfilling life you deserve, which is yours for the taking. Lesley Pyne spent the first 50-plus years of her life putting everything she didn’t want to feel in a box, including her grief following multiple failed fertility treatments and the loss of both parents. Now she says confidently ‘I absolutely love my life, the adventures I’m having, and I’m excited about what will happen next.’ Praise for Lesley and Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness‘With a combination of professional assuredness and survivor’s empathy, Lesley Pyne offers reassurance and inspiration to women facing a life without children. Through the honest telling of her story, and the stories of other childless-not-by-choice women, Lesley guides readers through the challenges of making peace with an unanticipated life path, and offers exercises and suggestions to inspire transformation. Like a trusted friend, this book dishes up frank advice with a healthy dose of compassion.’ -- Lisa Manterfield, author of Life Without Baby: Surviving and Thriving When Motherhood Doesn’t Happen"There's nothing quite so daunting as personal reinvention in the wake of trauma and loss. In sharing her story and the learnings of others who patched themselves up the hard way, Lesley Pyne gently guides readers down a path to discover and embrace one's true self." -- Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos, Author of Silent Sorority‘Lesley’s work has been an inspiration to me, and I know this book will help many people find new purpose and passion for their life without the children they always dreamed of having.' -- Jessica Hepburn, author of The Pursuit of Motherhood and 21 Miles: Swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood.

Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness

Pyne, Lesley

Lesley Pyne

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Day, Jody. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Day, Jody

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Day, Jody. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Rocking the Life Unexpected: 12 Weeks to Your Plan B for a Meaningful and Fulfiling Life Without Children

Living the Life Unexpected: 12 Weeks to Your Plan B for a Meaningful and Fulfilling Future Without Children

Living the Life Unexpected: How to find hope, meaning and a fulfilling future without children

Finding Joy Beyond Childlessness