National Infertility Awareness Week

April 24 - May 1st is National Infertility Awareness Week.

Before I suffered from IF...I had no idea that there was a need for National Infertility Awareness Week.
Before I suffered from IF...I didn't know so many people could be suffering from Infertilty
Before I suffered from IF...Infertility wasn't something we talked about
Before I suffered from IF...I thought being childless was always a choice
Before I suffered from IF...I thought I was strong

I now understand how we need Infertility Awareness. IF is not a choice, it happens. Sometimes we can work around it (IUI, IVF), sometimes it kicks us in the butts (Hormones). But more people need to know that it isn't easy, and it is okay to talk about it. We endure so much during our IF journey, from timing and cycling, to injecting and retrieving. Our carefree life becomes a calendar of testing, drugs and procedures.

During my journey through IF, I have learned so much. Not just about what can cause IF, or about things we can do, but also about myself. I am no longer the same person I once was. I am stronger, more emotional, more sensitive, more fragile. I suffer through secondary IF. Some people dismiss the fact that because I have a child, I don't suffer...but I hurt too. Just because I have a child doesn't mean my IF is any different. It hurts me when others around me just decide to get pregnant. It hurts me when others say "When are you going to have another baby?". It hurts me that I can't give my DH a baby, my DS a brother or sister. I have one beautiful 8 year old son. I know I am so lucky that God picked me to be his mom. But I feel that I want to give more.

IF has made me a stronger person. I have always been strong. But IF requires more strength than you can even imagine. You have to reach deep within, and when you think you can't find any more strength, you have to find more. It's not just the scheduling, the drugs, the injections, but also the failures, the mood swings, and the people around us.

I have learned to be more open about who I am, what I want, and what I plan to do to get it done!! I am learning to ask for the things I need: support, someone to listen, hugs. I am learning that it is ok to cry. It is ok to show my sensitivity.

So...next time you hear that someone is having a hard time having a child (whether #1, #2, #3...), remember they need your support. Listen. Be there. Ask questions. It is ok. At times we will be unreasonable, over emotional, hormonal. But we are moms-deep-at-heart willing to do whatever it takes!!