New book: Hiring a nanny is a complex, emotional decision

Whether you choose to stay at home with a child, use family or friends as caregivers, or hire outside help, it seems that the decision is often a tough, imperfect one.

That’s what Megan Stack, former foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, discovered when she had her first child.

Stack was living in China at the time and kept hearing that she was fortunate to have affordable nanny options ... though she quickly realized that hiring a nanny wasn’t as clear-cut and dispassionate as, say, hiring a plumber.

She wrote a book about the experience, Women's Work: A Reckoning with Work and Home, and reflected on some of the emotions involved in it during an interview with Morning Edition’s Rachel Martin.

You can listen to their conversation below or read an edited transcript on NPR’s website.