pregnancy decision

Over my years of working at Mea Centre I have heard many stories from women, before, during and after their pregnancy of the pressures they felt when they were making their pregnancy decision. Many have commented that they had family members, friends, their partner, school counsellors and even health care professionals who were telling them they should choose one option over the other. Such a situation, where someone tries to influence a pregnancy decision, is referred to as coercion. Coercion can take many different forms and can be challenging to detect.

Every day presents us with a million little choices; choices that we may put little thought into, like what to eat for breakfast, or choices that we labour over, like what post-secondary school programs we should apply to. No matter the scenario, making decisions can be helped or hindered by the mind frame we find ourselves in when faced with these choices. One factor that can greatly influence our ability to make a balanced decision is our level of stress.