Donath interviewed 23 mothers, each of whom emphasised the difference between their feelings of regretting motherhood and how they felt towards their children. A 2023 study conducted in Poland estimated 5–14% of parents regret their decision to have children and would opt to be childfree if they had their time again. Carmen realised she was not alone when she joined the Facebook group I Regret Having Children, which has 96,000 members from around the world. " The I Regret Having Children Facebook group was created in 2007 and its content comes directly from parents - largely women - who have privately messaged their stories, to then be posted anonymously. The group's moderator, Gianina, 44, a laboratory scientist from the US, says, "the aim has never been to shame parents or promote a particular lifestyle". "I have people coming to me in their 20s and 30s who know they want to have children, but are still kind of worried about the challenges, and would like some support to navigate it.