112. Tess Pereira on Changing Her Mind About Motherhood

In this episode, Keltie speaks with mom-to-be Tess Pereira, about how she went from wanting to stay childfree — to deciding to have kids.

You'll hear about:

Why Tess never planned on having kids — and her biggest fears about motherhood.

What the conversations looked and sounded like between her and her husband, who wanted to become a father. Why it was important to Tess that she doubled down on the pragmatic parts of her decision — and why self-trust has been a huge part of the equation.

How Tess's confidence tipped to 51% in favor of having kids — and how she feels about her choice today.

The potential dangers of romanticizing motherhood — and the things that matter way more than your baby's nursery color.

(0:29) Meet Tess & her Kids or Childfree choice; (15:30) Shifting views on motherhood/parenthood; (34:15) Overcoming fears about having a kid; (45:14) Becoming pregnant at 35 (50:06) Pragmatism vs. romanticizing motherhood

About Tess:

Tess identified strongly with the childfree perspective for most of her life and deeply questioned whether motherhood aligned with the life she wanted. Over time, she became open to the idea of becoming a parent and now finds herself pregnant. She brings a nuanced and honest perspective on the emotional complexity, fears, relationship dynamics, identity shifts, and personal growth that shaped her journey. Tess joins the podcast to share her experience navigating the kids versus childfree question from both sides, including what changed, what didn't, and what it feels like to move through such a major life transition without simple answers. When not preparing for the arrival of her baby, Tess works as a product manager and strives to be a better home cook.

As mentioned in the episode:

Want to be one of my 50 Decision Conversations? DM me on Instagram at @kidsorchildfree or email me at hello@keltiemaguire.com.

You can connect with Tess by email at tess711rp@gmail.com or on Instagram at @tess.pereira.