This comes to no surprise to you by now, but I LOVE to find other blogs and perspectives on Infertility and came across a pretty cool conversation between two women: one "fertile" and with natural and adopted children, the other struggling with infertility and with an adopted son. Below is a post with the question, "What do you say - and do you not say - to a friend who is dealing with infertility?" and below that is the other blogger's very insightful response. Both posts gave me a lot of think about, especially the perspective from the "fertile mom". If you have the time and perseverance to read through it all, I think you will be glad you did. :)
http://www.itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/
Mom to Mom - What to say to a friend who is dealing with infertility
"Recently my friend Hilary and her precious babies came over for a playdate and this topic came up. A friend of her's who lives overseas had just lost another IVF baby in her long quest to be a mom, and Hilary didn't really know what to say to her. We thought it would a great topic for this carnival.
Those of us who get pregnant very easily, like Hilary and myself, have a huge sense of guilt amongst our friends who are having trouble conceiving. I have even avoided acquaintances (not friends - acquaintances) when I was pregnant or had all my kids hanging off me because I feel like I am flaunting my fertility in their faces, just by existing.
I am always thrilled when friends become moms, but if y'all had to move mountains (or even good sized hills) to make a baby, like this chunky redheaded hunk of love, my joy knows no bounds. And if your child comes to you through adoption, like this gorgeous dainty sugar bear - oh. Overwhelmed with delight.
I also admit - full on honesty here - that because I am such an adoption proponent, it is hard for me to watch my friends suffer through so much disappointment over and over when this voice inside me is saying "Oh, please, sweet friend, go get you a baby!! You can still try and get pregnant, but when you are at your doctor's appointments there will be a precious little one waiting for you at home!!"
But, because I am a fertile myrtle and know that I have absolutely no clue what y'all are going through - I usually just keep my mouth shut. Which may or may not be the best thing to do.
Sisters, please school me and Hilary and the rest of us.
What do you say - and do you not say - to a friend who is dealing with infertility?
I thank you in advance for discussing this painful topic. It is going to be very helpful to us, the clueless ones. And the Lord knows, we do want to be helpful."
http://graceisstillenough.blogspot.com/ - Response
::what to say to a friend who is dealing with infertility::
"A friend sent me a link to this post written by a mom who wants to know how to relate to the infertile woman.
I've thought about this post all morning....there is much I want to say, but there are two specific things the blogger addressed to which I want to respond. I so appreciate her attitude of compassion, wanting to treat her infertile friends with tenderness but not knowing how to do so without flaunting her overflowing quiver of blessings. I guess I can start by addressing that very issue.
:::
When we first began dealing with infertility, I think I had this crazy expectation for the rest of the world to stop reproducing until I could get pregnant. Needless to say, that didn't happen. Not even in my own circle of friends. Despite month after month, year after year of disappointments, people kept getting pregnant and delivering beautiful children. It was a ridiculous notion, of course, and one I never realized I had until I dealt with the bitterness towards my fertile friends that I had allowed to take root in my heart. It wasn't their fault they had no trouble having babies! What I ultimately had to deal with was God's sovereignty over my (in)fertility. Once I got to a place where my wrestling was with the Lord's plan for my life and not how He chooses to bless others, I was able to truly see the blessing of children in the life of others as a wonderful thing for them. My fertile friends shouldn't feel badly about their large families. I hope they know that!
Before adopting Isaiah, however, the constant "mom-talk" was the thing that wounded me so often. As is natural for women when they get together, the talk often goes to parenting (and bragging rights on their littles!). This is perfectly understandable. But, I cannot tell you how many times I felt completely isolated with absolutely nothing to contribute to the conversation. More times than I can count, I often wanted to flee the scene and cry my eyes out. The talk of children, parenting, and especially those who complained about parenting were like a continuous pouring of salt on my openly wounded heart. I can think of a few specific times where my eyes were filled with tears and I surreptitiously backed out of the circle of women.
This is NOT to say that you can't ever talk about your children! That would be absolutely absurd. You should talk about your precious babies! However, if you know an infertile friend is present, keep in mind that the constant mom-talk is a knife to her broken heart. Consider changing the subject from time to time. And whatever you do, don't complain about wanting time to yourself around her. What she wouldn't give to be caught up in the chaos of a house full of children!! Even after becoming a mother to one child, I still long for the chaos of a quiverful!
The other issue that's very close to my heart: adoption. Let me say this loud and clear: Adoption is NOT a cure-all for infertility. It's just not.
Adoption is a totally different, emotionally packed, heartrending, difficult experience. It is not a band-aid for infertility. And while I am an adoption advocate and want to encourage all families (not just infertiles) to at least consider adoption, it is not for everyone. Some people have histories or health problems that will prohibit them from adoption. For others, it is a financial hardship they may never be able to overcome (although that is not the case as often as people tend to believe).
I can't tell you how many people told us to "just adopt". As an adoptive mother, I can tell you that you never "just adopt." It is a purposeful, difficult decision...and one that involves many other people.
When someone who is fertile decides to have a baby, you just make the decision once. Get pregnant. Wait 9 months. Have a baby. Boom...you're a parent. With adoption, you decide over and over and over and over again that you will parent a child. You decide with paperwork, you affirm your decision with personal interviews and questionnaires, you decide again when you are put on a waiting list, when you sign loan papers, you decide again when an adoption plan falls through, again when you relist yourself on a waiting list, when your heart breaks after meeting the woman who wants to place her child with you, when you are placed with a child you are not sure you will be allowed to keep, when you give your heart to a child you didn't bear, when you wait out termination periods, when you finalize in court, when you finally allow yourself to believe that you are this child's adoptive parent. The decision to become an adoptive parent is not one you simply make once. You make it over and over and over again.
I'm definitely not out to make adoption seem insurmountable. It's not. I definitely want to encourage families to pursue adoption. We plan to pursue it again in a couple of years, Lord willing. But, it doesn't heal your infertility. It's not meant to. It's meant to provide a home for a child who needs it. I am still infertile even though I have a beautiful 14 month old son. And on that note, I wouldn't trade him for all the biological children in the world. Had we been fertile, Isaiah wouldn't be my son. Sometimes it's easy to see God's purpose for infertility. Sometimes it's not. What I should make clear is that though adoption seems like the logical step for an infertile couple (from the vantage point of the fertile couple), the two aren't really related. Adoption doesn't exist to make infertile couples parents. It just so happens that infertile couples are often chosen as adoptive parents because adoption does exist. I hope that makes some sense.
Let me break it down for you: don't be quick to suggest adoption to an infertile couple. Chances are they've already thought about adoption. And if the Lord leads them down that path, then so be it. But I can say for myself, that I had to settle some things in my heart before beginning the paperwork. I needed to be able to give my heart completely to the adoption process...to be able to set my pregnancy dreams aside at least for a little while. No amount of recommendations to "just adopt" is going to make it easier for your infertile friends. [A caveat: I should say that I write all of this from a woman's point of view, obviously. For my husband, it was much easier to just dive into adoption. But, he didn't have to deal with visions of pregnancy, delivery, etc. as I did.]
If you have had many conversations with a close friend about her infertility, perhaps you will have the opportunity to ask her if adoption is an option for her. But, don't let it be your first bit of wisdom to pass to her.
This next point was not one addressed in the blogger's original post, but it's one that I have mentioned before. When you, the fertile woman, have a pregnancy announcement, write your friend a letter. That is my first choice. The next would be a phone call. Then a private face-to-face. Never in public. Why, you ask? Because I needed privacy to be able to handle my emotions. If I got "the news" in a letter in the privacy of my own home, I can cry and deal with the ache in my empty arms alone. Then, after gathering myself together, I can call or meet you and find a way to truly rejoice with you as I am called to do in Scripture. But please, take seriously the other call from that same verse in the Bible: weep with those who weep. Looking for something to say to a broken-hearted infertile friend? Tell her how sorry you are that she can't achieve her dream. Hug her. Tell her you will always listen, always pray, always love. While the infertile woman doesn't really want to be treated with kid gloves, sometimes a little extra compassion can go a long way. I have one close friend who has given me a card every Mother's Day for the past several years. With tears in her eyes, she handed me a card telling me how she prayed that this would be the last year to endure Mother's Day with empty arms. I was so pleased to not receive a card from her this year but instead a hug of rejoicing!!
Let me close this with a letter I received from a very dear friend several years ago. She and her husband were married about 4 months after my own wedding. We were bridesmaids in each other's weddings and lived mere blocks from one another. She was pregnant within 6 months of marriage. With twins. And then had another baby. And another. She was put in the difficult place of being extremely fertile and yet close friends with infertile me. She put up with distance from me, bitterness, apologies. She prayed for me often. She asked how I was doing. She cried with me. In closing, let me share her words of encouragement with you. What a balm they were to my wounded heart:
Dear Glenna, I just wanted to let you know that you are my mind this morning. I have been praying for you. I do want you and William to know that we are faithfully praying for you both during this time...as you trust the Lord and His timing. Glenna, I pray that the Lord would bless you with a child! I pray this deeply--I don't know how else to say it. My heart longs for that for you my sister. I don't have the right words to say and I have no idea how to encourage you--but know that I love you and that I am before His throne making my request known to Him on your behalf. You are precious to me! Love, Carla (dated March 16, 2005)
:::
Now that I have meditated on all of these thoughts and emotions, my heart aches. My eyes are full of tears as I remember the many years of hope and despair mingled together. My burden of infertility has been one filled with brokenness and weeping. And yet...it has been other people, the gift of communion with brothers and sisters in Christ who have helped me to bear this burden--who have gladly come around me and held up my arms in Moses-like fashion, so to speak. God can and does use infertility to make me more like Christ. And He can and will do the same for you other infertile believers. His plan, though hard, is good. He can also use your infertility to break down thick walls around your heart...walls that were erected at the beginning of your infertility diagnosis. He can use it to teach you to let others who might not completely understand to still be a soothing balm to your soul. Let Him! Trust Him! He is GOOD!
I can say now, with tears streaming down my face, that as a barren woman, an adoptive mom to my beautiful Isaiah, blessed wife of William, and totally unworthy follower of Jesus Christ that infertility has been for my good. It has been a while since I really lived these deep seated emotions that infertility has wrought in my life, but it is good for me to remember the faithfulness of God to me through many difficult years.
I hope that this has been of some encouragement to you whose quivers are full, and for those of you dear ones who continue to long and wait with empty arms. The Lord is faithful."
So what do you think?
