It’s National Infertility Awareness Week and Cesarean Awareness Month. Normally I try to keep things light-hearted and fun-focused around here but these are two issues that are important to me. I have personally struggled with primary and secondary infertility and have experienced both a cesarean birth and a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Last year I shared my infertility story and this week I will be sharing a little more about infertility. I will also be sharing both of my children’s birth stories this week.

This week April 22-April 28 is National Infertility Awareness Week.
Why should you be aware of infertility? Because there’s at least one person that you know that has struggled with infertility or suffered a miscarriage or infant loss. It’s much more common than people think. People don’t know what to say when they hear that a couple “can’t get pregnant” and more often than not they say the wrong thing. “It’ll happen”, “Just be patient”, “Try to relax”, “You can have my kids ;)!”, “You have plenty of time”. Learning more about infertility can help you to be more sensitive to those who are struggling. If you educate yourself on the issue then you can possibly be a source of help and comfort to a hurting couple rather than another source of pain. Women (and men) struggling with infertility can feel very isolated and even embarrassed and it’s time that it’s brought out into the light where hopefully we’ll find compassion and support.