She found her answer -- talk about it early and often -- through someone in the widespread network, Single Mothers by Choice.

CNN: Out-of-wedlock births hit record high

She renovated, began hosting parties, went freelance, tried Internet dating, and made contact with Single Mothers by Choice, a support organization for unattached women hoping to raise a child.

NEWYORKER: The Disconnect

While she and many other single mothers by choice can afford this option, David Popenoe worries about the example they're setting in a society where children still benefit most from married parents, he said.

CNN: Out-of-wedlock births hit record high

Risman adds that other groups, like single mothers by circumstance or by choice, are more numerous these days, and this group may have a particularly difficult time balancing work and home.

FORBES: From The Mommy Wars, New Groups of Women Emerge