Talk About Trying

This post is part of a paid sponsorship by Ferring Pharmaceuticals. All opinions are my own.

Motherhood has been such an incredible journey for me and I feel like every day is a new adventure. Whether I am running around like a mad woman or having a zen moment with my kiddos, I am grateful for each and every day with them. I can’t imagine my life without these three little people, really!

We, the collective we, are constantly celebrating kids and pregnancy and all the exciting and challenging aspects of motherhood without appreciating how difficult it is for some couples to conceive. I was very lucky when I got pregnant with Ryder, we were able to conceive with no issues. Jason and I talked about trying for kids and we were pregnant. But getting pregnant was not as easy the second time around.

Like most moms fantasizing about family life and planning for the future, I had a very clear plan for spacing out my kids. I knew I wanted three kids and I wanted them close in age so they could experience many milestones and adventures together. So when we tried for Siella a little over a year and I couldn’t get pregnant, I was more than shocked. Pretty devastated actually. Jason and I wondered where this unexplained infertility was coming from because I was young (under 30) and had no history of infertility. We were heartbroken and so confused.

We eventually sought out a fertility specialist to help figure out what was happening in my body. And so began my journey through fertility treatment and eventually a successful IVF (and healthy baby girl, Siella). The whole ordeal was exhausting—not because we chose to have IVF but because we waited so long to seek treatment. So many couples can’t or are advised to wait and keep trying when they probably should learn more about what fertility options they have. I regret not taking action a little sooner to save us months and months of stress and fear, which definitely took a toll on me and on our relationship.

Jason and I have always been solid as a rock but we felt so helpless during the two-year ordeal and took our frustrations out on each other sometimes when each month felt like a failure. Infertility is such a taboo topic and it is perfectly natural to feel embarrassed to open up to friends and relatives about fertility challenges. It is such an emotional and touchy subject—but it doesn’t have to be! It is so important to share stories and resources. For National Infertility Awareness Week let’s support each other and open up about our experiences. We need to #TalkAboutTrying together.

And if you are wondering what happened in my case when trying to conceive Siella, turns out I wound up getting an infection internally after I had Ryder, and it was never detected and destroyed one of my fallopian tubes. After the ordeal we went through with Siella, I didn’t think much about trying to conceive number three. Jason and I both decided if it happens, it happens, and turns out we got pregnant right away with Gemma. I’m still baffled but super thankful about my situation and really know just how blessed we really are.

My Fertility Navigator is a program designed to give women and couples resources and guidance along their unique fertility journey.. I might have been quicker to learn about my fertility issues if I had a resource like this eight years ago. According to the CDC, 1 in 8 couples struggle to get and stay pregnant. I have plenty of friends who have gone through and are still going through this scary and unexpected journey. Many have experienced the elation of a getting pregnant only to miscarry soon after. It is so overwhelming and every little bit of help makes a difference.

If you have been trying to get pregnant for a year (under 35 years old) or 6 months (over 35 years old) and nothing seems to be working—you might have fertility issues. My Fertility Navigator is designed to help women and couples navigate the fertility process with advice, answers and resources to help you plan and prepare.

As a little incentive for women and couples to speak up about fertility issues, My Fertility Navigator is having a contest to win an all-inclusive weekend getaway for two to Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa. All you have to do is visit MyFertilityNav.com/contest and share your fertility story for a chance to win. Let’s all make this process feel less isolating by coming together and #TalkAboutTrying! AND for every social media post shared with #TalkAboutTrying, Ferring Pharmaceuticals will donate $1 to RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.