Our Infertility Story

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week {April 18-24, 2021}. The goal of the week is to raise awareness, share stories, educate, de-stigmatize. 1 in 8 couples walk the road of infertility, so chances are, you know someone who is struggling. They may not have shared with you about their struggle; there are so many that struggle in silence. It took me a couple of years before I felt comfortable sharing our story.

Every story is different, but a lot of the emotions and experiences are similar. The struggle to build a family and the shame or fear that comes in that process. The feelings of loss and failure. The grief. The invasion of privacy. The waiting. The mountain of decisions. The triggers. 

But when we share our stories, I believe it helps others who are on a similar path feel a little less alone, a little more understood. I know it helped me to read other people's stories when we were in the thick of it all. And so I share mine today. I have blogged about our journey on multiple occasions, but this is a high-level view:

I am lucky to be "on the other side," now chasing after our 3 crazy kiddos. But when I look back on our journey, distilled down to these brief bullet points, it brings all of the emotions back. And I am reminded of all that it took to get here. I realize how far we have come, how hard we had to fight, how much of a miracle it is that we're here.

Not everyone's journey ends the same, but there is hope and help, and you are not alone. Now that I am able to look back on our journey {rather than be in the midst of it}, I am filled with gratitude for all that the Lord has done. How he walked with us, guiding every decision and comforting us in every heartbreaking moment. How he provided a beautiful way for us to build our family. And how He used that time to grow us and draw us closer to Him. I have often said that I would have never chosen the path we were placed on, but now, looking back, I wouldn't change a single part of it. And I am so thankful for the beautiful rainbows that came after our storm.