Considering having a child, but am worried.

Becoming a parent is a huge responsibility. If anything, I think there are more people that don't give it enough thought or get pregnant by accident than there are folks that worry too much about the pros and cons.

This morning, on a contemporary Christian radio station, I heard a woman call in to share her inspirational story. She has some medical condition that was not called by name on air, but she said doctors had told her it meant she would be infertile and would likely develop cancer eventually. She was proudly sharing the fact that she was able to conceive a child and was three months along with a second pregnancy. She said her doctors were amazed by this and were also amazed she hadn't yet developed cancer.

Part of me understands how she certainly must feel very blessed, but part of me also wonders how in the world a woman could choose to get pregnant not once, but twice, under those circumstances. (She mentioned having at least two miscarriages, too.) I think you have to carefully consider the impact on the mother's health, the baby's health, the long-term prognosis (whether or not you will be healthy enough to raise a child) and whether the other parent is willing and able to take on the burden of single parenthood in a worse case scenario.