There are a lot of forums and Facebook pages for women who are having fertility issues. I’ve actually spent a great deal of time reading and even chatting in these forums. I’ve also been invited to some infertility support groups but just hadn’t gotten to a point where I was ready to speak so openly about my struggles. Sometimes you find really great information in these forums and other times, they can do more harm than good. There are simply some people who think really negatively and they sometimes tend to project that negativity onto other people. Lately, I’ve been trying to stay away from these forums as I want to make sure I protect my mental space. Well, recently on Facebook, someone that I know posted a long post announcing their pregnancy. This wasn’t just the normal “FB announcement” but this was a testimony about her fertility struggles.
She talked about how her and her husband had been told that they could never have children so early in their marriage, after trying for awhile, they just decided to go through with IVF. So their first child was conceived through IVF….BUT then they went on to conceive THREE MORE children naturally. After being told that they had like a 1 in a million chance in this happening. I was so touched by this story that I decided to message her to talk more about it. She ended up telling me about a support group that she has with other Christian women who are going through infertility and they meet once a month just to discuss various topics and to support one another.
I’m planning on going to the next meeting that they’re having and I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s important to have a support group or just people that you can talk to that have beliefs similar to your own. We all need support from those around us but with something like infertility, many people choose to suffer and deal with it in silence. Everyone needs an outlet and I encourage you to find that if you’re reading this post. I’ll update and let you know how it goes soon!
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
Kristen D. Johnson
