National Infertility Awareness Week

National Infertility Awareness Week

For the first time in over five years, I find myself on the other side of infertility. Well, not entirely the other side. I feel like I am sitting on the fence. I’m not holding my baby yet, but I am holding her safe within my body. I’m in a place most hope for, but still not quite where I want to be. Soon, though. I’ve seen her wiggle on the ultrasound screen, and witnessed her growth over the past several weeks. And as of last week, we learned that she’s a genetically healthy baby.

I’m entering my second trimester and further along in this pregnancy than I’ve ever been with any of our other sweet babies. In addition to our first loss in November, we also had two chemical pregnancies and another miscarriage that followed, all within a year’s time. Our journey with our first three donated/adopted embryos didn’t end how we hoped. I want to believe the days of loss are behind us. I’m breathing easier as each day passes. And full of gratitude that we will be meeting this sweet girl sometime this fall.

{Right before we got it on with making our baby; (mostly) fully clothed and in the comfort of a sterile operating room. Isn’t that how everyone wants to make a baby? Science babies are the best babies!}

I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t still feel infertile. While I’m beyond thrilled to be where I am today, infertility has left scars that have made this pregnancy less than blissful. Absolutely nothing with this baby has given us reason to fear, but given I’m overly informed in all the ways this could go wrong, I tend to let myself go there. Too often. Because of that, I still feel so passionate about sharing how infertility has touched my life and the lives of so many I love.

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. From RESOLVE, the national infertility association, they state the following: “We believe all people challenged in their family building journey should reach their resolution by being empowered by knowledge, supported by community, united by advocacy and inspired to act.” Their goal is to help build public awareness when it comes to issues around infertility and family building. Their hope is for anyone who cares about the infertility community to feel empowered to do something that makes a difference, either in their own family building journey or to help someone else. Infertility impacts millions of Americans and does not discriminate… [let’s] become part of the movement!

For more information please visit this RESOLVE website.

There are so many misunderstandings and cliches that surround infertility. I encourage you to do your part, be educated in what infertility is, who it affects, and how you can best love and support those on this path.

This article was originally published on April 24, 2017, but the hope remains the same: to support one another within this beautiful community of women through the journey of infertility.