This week, every year, is Infertility Awareness Week. It’s the week set aside to give the families affected by it a voice, and to show those who haven’t felt like they can talk about it that it’s really, truly okay not to hide what they’re going through. 10% of women have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. Anywhere from 10-25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, but over half of those are usually “chemical pregnancies” where the pregnancy ends shortly after implantation, so the mother may or may not know that she was even pregnant. There are so many painful parts of infertility, beyond the obvious.
Below, you’ll find a “library” of three posts that I pray will help those of you who are struggling with infertility, as well as those who love someone who is. If you’re one struggling with this painful part of life, please know I’m praying for you and here if you need someone to vent to, cry to, or just talk to. If you’re someone who loves someone who is struggling, I’m here for you as well. It’s hard to be on the outside looking in, not knowing what to say. I hope these posts help you, too, during this Infertility Awareness Week.
Infertility Awareness Week Posts
Struggling with Joy
Struggling with friends’ joy when you’re going through a miscarriage or infertility feels like you’re drowning. Facebook and Target can become your worst nightmares, filled with pregnancy announcements, pregnant women, and newborns. You don’t WANT to be hurt or jealous, but it’s so hard to get outside of your own pain to be happy for them. Here’s my raw, unadulterated experience with just that.
Secondary Infertility
Secondary infertility means joy and sorrow every day. It means loving a baby while yearning for more. It also means not apologizing for that. There are so many people who mean well, but what they say comes out wrong and it ends up being extremely painful. Because of that, many people just don’t say anything at all, which is a very lonely place to be. Someone once said something that made me cry, so I turned it into a post that I hope will help those going through this strange mix of joy and heartache know that they aren’t alone and they aren’t wrong.
Miscarriage Support Books
Finding a way to make your way through the mess that is grief after losing a child is rough, no matter what kind of person you are– the talk it out type or the silent type. If you’d prefer to try to get a handle on it yourself before fielding the well-intentioned-but-often-hurtful comments, I have 5 books that have helped me greatly. Some are religious, some aren’t, and one seems silly but might be the most helpful of them all.
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