I think we all as woman can benefit so much from sharing our stories with each other. So when I was asked to write a sponsored post about the Women Rise Above It all Sweepstakes from the makers of Pine-Sol® Products, I knew exactly what my story would be about. Here it is…
I ROSE ABOVE INFERTILITY
“When my husband and I decided it was time to start a family I was so excited! I stopped taking my birth control and I figured I would be pregnant within a couple of months. A few months passed and I wasn’t pregnant. I began to feel worried and sad but we figured it would just take time. So we continued to try having a baby for another 6 months. Still no baby. I was thinking, “Isn’t this supposed to be easy?” I have friends and family who can just get pregnant in a month. Not having control over something this important in my life was hard.
We figured it was time to see a Doctor and see what the problem was. So I went to my OB-GYN and she did some tests and we decided to take Clomid (which is a fertility drug that causes you to ovulate).
I cannot even begin to describe what Clomid can do to a woman. It is scary, crazy and not a lot of fun! Hormonal imbalance anyone? Let’s just say that there should be a safe house for the husbands while Wifey dearest is on Clomid!
It turned out that the only dose of Clomid that works for my body is the highest dose. So that may explain why my side effects are so strong. I took the Clomid and tried to have a baby that way for 5 months. No baby. The Dr. said I had to take a break from the Clomid. So I did. When my “break” was over I called in to set up another appointment and they informed my that my OB-GYN was no longer seeing women who weren’t pregnant. Ouch. That hurt. I felt abandoned, I felt sad, I felt like there was a piece of me that was missing and I had absolutely no way to fix it. I felt like it wasn’t fair that I couldn’t just start my family. I felt cheated. I didn’t know what to do.
We started to look into adoption and we were both very excited about it. I have a brother and sister who are adopted and so adoption is a beautiful and very normal thing to me.
During this time I began to detach from everyone around me. I found myself sinking into a dark depression. I wanted so badly to have a child and just felt like it wasn’t ever going to happen. I couldn’t be around anyone who was pregnant or had children (I live in Utah so that means I basically couldn’t leave my house). I was happy for them, but it just hurt to much to see it.
After a while we decided to try again to get pregnant. This was about 2 years into our journey. I found another OB-GYN and we decided to try the Clomid again for 4 months and if I wasn’t pregnant we would try an IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination). I didn’t get pregnant and so as planned we went in for the IUI procedure.
I have to admit it was very hard to get to this point. Creating a baby is something private, I feel like I should be allowed to do in the privacy of my own home. Going into a clinic, laying on a table, bringing Doctors and nurses into it, it all just felt unnatural and unfair.
We waited 2 weeks after the procedure and took a pregnancy test. I was PREGNANT! I cannot even begin to say how happy I was! My pregnancy was great and my handsome son was born healthy.
For those women who are struggling with this, don’t suffer alone. So many women go through it and it’s actually more common that you would think. Find women around you who have been through it or are going through it. Online infertility forums are also a great way to reach out to women and get support. Being able to talk with people who could relate was very important in the process and I wish I would have found this kind of support earlier in my journey.
Trying to conceive my daughter was an even bigger struggle than with my son. We lost a baby. The procedures weren’t working. It was hard and 3 years total. But I’m so happy to say that…
I ROSE ABOVE infertility and have come to a place of acceptance and peace. I know now what it takes to get a baby in my belly. Just because it isn’t the “normal” way to do it, it is still beautiful to me and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything else! My children are a beautiful blessing to my life and every tear, every struggle, every heartache was worth it to get them here.”-Heidi
“WHEN LIFE GETS TOUGH, WOMEN RISE ABOVE IT”
You can enter the “Women Rise Above It” Sweepstakes by submitting your own story.
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- Once a week for 12 weeks, Pine-Sol will award one lucky winner small tokens of appreciation.
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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States & D.C. 18 years and older. Ends 1/31/14 at 11:59 a.m. PT. To enter and for Official Rules, including odds, and prize descriptions, visit www.womenriseaboveit.com. Void where prohibited.
This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Pine-Sol blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.
