When a baby may not be the right idea... Are you ready? - Social Emotional

1. Be aware that many people simply do not think through having a baby with great clarity. Motivations for having a baby range from "everyone else is having one" to "it's what my body was designed for".

2. Consider your state of being. Are you emotionally sorted? Are you in a fit state of mind? If you're going through grief, depression or you're feeling majorly lonely, this might not be the right time to make a decision that has lifelong consequences

3. Consider your caring abilities. Caring for a baby is not necessarily innate but it is a skill you can learn. However, the high level of dependency involved may be something you're not ready for yet

4. Be aware of marital satisfaction studies. Multiple careful studies of marital satisfaction revealed a dramatic decrease in happiness after the birth of the first child, despite the claim that "children bring joy". Reduced levels of marital happiness persist until the last child leaves home

5. Consider the wishes of your partner, spouse or other baby co-parent. Does this person want a baby too? Is this person happy to set aside part of his or her life for many years to come to actually be there for the baby and help raise the child in an engaged manner?