Register Now — SMC’s 40th Anniversary Celebration!
Single Mothers by Choice (SMC) is turning 40!
We’re excited to mark the occasion with a two-day virtual celebration event which will take place on Zoom on October 16th and 17th. Connect with our members at every stage of the SMC journey — thinkers, tryers, and mothers — as well as SMC founder, Jane Mattes. We’re putting together an exciting line-up of speakers and panels. Our goal is to provide support, information and connections to those who are considering, or have chosen, the SMC path. Register below, and plan to join us!
Some of Our Panels:
- Adult SMC Children: What was it like growing up?
- Dating and Relationships: How do we manage them?
- A Day in the Life of an SMC: What’s it really like?
- Moms of Adult SMC Children: What was it like raising your children?
- Different Paths to SMC-hood: How do we get there?
Women considering the path of single motherhood by choice often experience many fears. One fear is that they will never date again if they start a family without a partner. This fear is most commonly experienced by women who are romantically interested in men.
Four years ago today, I held my beautiful little boy for the first time. The nurse escorted me to the operating room at noon for a scheduled c-section, and by 12:45 I had become a mother. I felt the warm skin and tender breath of my son, as his grandma held him to my chest. Amazed at how quickly and efficiently the delivery took place, I reflected that in less time than I have spent going to the post office and waiting in line to mail a package, I had a baby. I was not prepared for the next four years to pass just as quickly. The happiest and most fulfilling days of my life were those four months of maternity leave when my days and nights revolved totally around my newborn love. Even through the sleep-deprived and chaotic early weeks, I felt an inner peace and contentment. How quickly … 
I waited for a long time to find Mr. Right and start a family but that never happened. Finally, I was at an age where I needed to make a choice. I investigated adoption and hit many barriers. So, I decided to see a fertility specialist. I decided against insemination because of my advanced maternal age (I was 45 at the time), but decided to go the IVF route. I initially wanted to use my own eggs, and according to my test results, I could have tried. However, after much research of my own, the percentages I was finding for successful term pregnancies using my own eggs vs. a donor egg were about 5% vs. 50%.