Month one came and went. Not pregnant.
Are you pregnant yet? The dreaded words you don't want to hear when you're struggling to conceive. As the months passed, I started to cry every time I got my period. Why are we not getting pregnant? Will I ever conceive?
Will I ever become a mother?
Social media is the devil for people trying to conceive. It seems that every week there is another pregnancy announcement, baby shower invite, birth announcement, baby bump picture, baby, baby, baby... Everyone but you! Will you ever be on the other end?
Every month gets harder. Every announcement gets harder. You are genuinely happy for others, but you feel sad and empty. Each month feels like eternity. Your period brings on extreme disappointment and heartache, and then ends with optimism and hope for the new cycle.
Struggling to conceive feels lonely and depressing.
Unless they've been through it, no one understands the true struggle. People think they're helping when they offer "advice" like:
- Just get drunk and have sex.
- You just have to have more sex.
- Just stop thinking about it and relax.
- It took me three months to get pregnant, so it'll happen for you.
No. No. No. None of that is true. In fact, you're upsetting more than you're helping. If you are struggling to conceive, I feel your pain and your heartache. I know what it feels like when those words cut through you like a knife. People don't understand what it's like to struggle for a baby. Something that should be so "easy" and "natural". You are not alone. Ignore them or educate them, but don't be offended by their lack of understanding.