@any Thank you for that and welcome to Reddit !
I don’t think any of us ever wished to be a part of this kind of forum for infertility, but I know we’re all so very thankful for it.
I really believe that I would be in a much worse place mentally and emotionally without the support and solidarity in these forums.
You are not alone.
You are SO valid in those feelings.
I used to feel so guilty and ashamed at the level of envy and disappointment I felt when facing these kinds of announcements. Don’t get me wrong, I always react to them appropriately in the moment, with the hugs and smiles and the congratulations. But inside I’d be dying a little. Every. Time.
And then I go home and let myself cry and mourn the love and connection I should be carrying with my own baby.
But afterwards, we pick ourselves back up because we are strong. We are patient (sometimes). We are determined. We deserve this. We will go through the heartbreak in order to make our dreams of holding our own little one, one day come true.
No one truly gets this journey. Not our siblings, in-laws, parents, friends, coworkers, cousins. Especially (and through no fault of their own) those who have no difficulty whatsoever.
Only those of us who have experienced the rollercoaster of emotions of infertility or difficulty conceiving understands the complex feelings of navigating life with this heavy weight on your shoulders, sometimes day in and day out. You may be doing other things but it’s always there in the back of your mind. So many things you see and hear remind you of what you want so badly. Sometimes it makes you want to give up.
I just want to thank you so much for being here and sharing that with us, a bunch of strangers. It can be hard, but it’s so freeing to let it out in a place where there isn’t judgment, because all of us here are in the same boat.
Thank you all. I could never adequately express my gratitude and love for you all.
Wishing you all the very best.