There is great value in sharing our thoughts and feelings with each other. It is nice to see the perspectives of others and to get ideas that are tried and true. As our community at ldsInfertility.org grows, I'd like for us to feel comfortable sharing our experiences with each other so that we can all gather strength. In the next few months, I will be launching "Think & Share".
Each month, I’d like to introduce a topic that we can individually think about and then share with each other. The topic will be introduced on the 1st of each month. I encourage you to think about the topic, research it (if necessary), and then share your opinion or feelings about it. The topics will cover a range from family building options to issues facing infertile couples, so be prepared and ready to think, share, and discuss. The intention of this process is to first help you and then secondly, to help others. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Think & Share Guidelines:
As we progress with Think & Share part of the website, the format may change, but it will always be focused on meeting the needs of our community.
- The monthly topic will be announced on the 1st of the month. This month's topic can be found here.
- Once the topic of the monthly Think & Share is announced, you will be able to submit your thoughts here.
- The deadline is the 15th of the month.
- There is no word limit for responses.
- Please cite resources used (we all like to add resources to our box of treasures).
- Always remain positive about the Gospel. We all know that there are negative feelings associated with infertility. Let’s acknowledge the feelings, but make sure that the Gospel is not the unfair scapegoat for those feelings.
- Of course, replace any names with fictitious ones to protect our friends, family, and acquaintances.
- I reserve the right to remove any posts or comments that do not follow the guidelines or support the goals of this community.
- Check back on the 16th or 17th of the month. A sampling of entries will be posted and will be open for discussion for the rest of the month.
Kerstin,
I love this website. It will be a tremendous support to countless husbands and wives who are dealing with infertility. Hopefully people can find strength in realizing that this struggle is more common than we may suppose. I also hope it will give people a sense of worth, understanding that there is so much that we can contribute to this world and our families, even if we do not have a score of children.
I am so greatful for the website. My husband and I have been dealing with infertility for almost 8 years now and were to afraid to talk about it. Now I feel that we can now educate ourselves! It has been really hard to admit that we had a problem in the baby making area. Now I think that with this site all who deal on a day to day basis the heartache that comes with infertility can find the way that is right for us. We can become one in our fight to tell people that we are okay and not to judge us because we are unable to have a child. Which, let’s face it, is why I have not told anyone about my problem is the fear of what people might think of me. Thank you so much Kerstin, I love the site.
I am so glad to have this website, thank you! I never thought that it would be a struggle to get pregnant, and even though it was only a year long struggle for us, it was still the hardest most trying year of our life. We were lucky enough to be able to find out what our infertility issues were and were even luckier to have a successful pregnancy after receiving medical intervention, but infertility is something we will most likely struggle with each time we want to have another child. It is comforting to know there are others out there who have the same struggles as us and who can relate to how we feel and have felt. There really is strength in numbers!
I appreciate your tips for dealing with Mothers Day this month. I think I finally found peace with my infertility this year. I realized during the last year that I will probably never be a mother, in the sense that I will never have children. My husband is against adoption and I will never be able to have a successful pregnancy. However, I know that Heavenly Father gives us each our own special challenges to overcome, and this is mine. I can still be the world’s greatest aunt! I can love and serve children in a variety of ways. Not having children does not mean that my Heavenly Father loves me any less or does not trust me with one of his special spirits, which is how I felt for a long time. I am thankful for this website and the knowledge that I am not alone in my struggles, even if they are very personal.
Motherhood does not require giving birth!
I have been dealing with infertility for nearly 30 years. I, too, experienced a “miracle” pregnancy with my daughter. Gratefully after ten years, we realized “the stork” is alive and well and delivers. We adopted our son. Therefore, I have experienced it all – infertility, pregnancy and adoption. Though I am the mother of two children, my heart cannot forget the aches of infertility. I feel like part of my challenge that Heavenly Father has given me is to help others to deal with infertility, give them comfort, educate and direct them to sharing like this website. Thank you for publicly talking about infertility because it is a dark-closet-like topic. Thank you for providing a “safe” place to share such deep, intimate feelings that usually no one understands unless they have been there.
Heavenly Father KNOWS our challenges and He is there to listen.
I am so glad that you have this website! Mother’s day was especially hard for me this year because my mother came down and couldn’t stop looking at all the babies in our ward. Also my sister in law is 19 and pregnant. Our ward is a married college ward with tons of pregnant bellies and little babies. It is so difficult to look at the positives right now. We have decided to wait a year because of debts, but I have such huge mixed emotions about waiting. I love my husband. He is so supportive and loving about it all. Where we fail to concieve we succeed in being parents to everyone and everything else. Our babies at the moment are our fish, our garden and our lizard. We talk baby talk, feed and play with them all..even the plants(ok it’s really just me who is doing that to the plants). I love my father also. My father is more understanding than my mother at the moment. He looked at me and my hubby fonding over our “Babies” and said, “Boy, you two need a baby bad.” I know that he means that as a joke and he is not pressuring at all, but it hurts when my mother gives me “That look” everytime she sees a baby. I hope that with your help I can start to look at the positives and feel the support that you will give. Thank you again!