It’s the most wonderful time of the year…unless you’re going through infertility/struggling to conceive. Then its one of the toughest times of year. No one warns you, it just sneaks up on you. You go from seeing family holidays to Halloween and its doable. You can still avoid it all if you want, however, Christmas looms its head and then its everywhere!
Going to somewhere so mundane as a supermarket, becomes a trip which you dread, because you know that there will be parents excitedly buying their kids presents. You see parents picking out Christmas outfits for their little ones. Or even hearing children throwing tantrums when they don’t get that toy that they want. For some reason, you can’t avoid children and babies this time of year.
I wish it was just being out and about that’s difficult though. I dread going on social media for the same reasons. Parents beaming with pride with their children taking part in nativity plays, family portraits with their children wishing everyone a Merry Christmas already. Or announcing their pregnancies, using Christmas baubles or hanging their first ultrasound pictures in the Christmas tree. Its just everywhere!
Adverts on the TV or on social media all show this ‘perfect’ family Christmas, and they all have one thing in common, there are always children or babies. So does that mean, we can’t have a ‘perfect’ Christmas because we can’t have what we want most?
The feelings of envy, anger, frustration, sadness, grief, emptiness and even depression, are all feelings that you don’t associate with Christmas. Yet here we are. A time of the year that we should all be joyful and full of happiness, and instead, we celebrate a day that we don’t cry or feel envy. All you want to do is hide under a duvet until January, and yet, we have to keep pushing on.
We are now at 2 years and 3 months of trying with not even the faintest positive line to show for it. Most of the year, I can get by. Yes it always hurts when I see another pregnancy announcement. Yes it always hurts when I see a family with their new born and the love that pours out from them. But, I can get by. I can distract myself with my wedding plans and my small business. But this time of year is the hardest for me. I just can’t avoid it. I can’t escape it. I feel suffocated.
No one warns you when you start your fertility journey about not only the financial toll it’ll take, but especially the emotional toll. There is such a lack of support from the healthcare system (especially the NHS). How is it that infertility is still such a taboo topic. We feel ashamed and to blame. But the truth is, its not your fault or your partners fault.
You are not to blame for this. One of my friends said that to me last night and it hit hard. Because I hadn’t realised how much I do blame myself for this. I’m the one that’s had 2 major operations on my womb in 5 years. I’m the one who has fibroids and various other health issues. Its the easy solution. But what good does blaming myself do? The blame hits the hardest at this time of year and I hadn’t noticed it. I’m to blame for not having the ‘perfect’ Christmas. Instead, shouldn’t we be in charge of what a ‘perfect’ Christmas looks like for us?
We are not to blame for our infertility. 1 in 6 couples now struggle with infertility, and the more I open up about our struggles, the more my friends admit that they are in the same boat as us. 1 in 6…so instead of blaming ourselves this time of year, lets be kind to ourselves and our partners. We are not to blame.
So instead of going into the festive season with dread, lets try and change the narrative in our lives. Instead of the ‘perfect’ Christmas that social media tells us to have, lets have our own ‘perfect’ Christmas. That might be one where its just the 2 of you. And that’s okay! If it takes being just the 2 of you for the festive season to get through it, then do it!
Infertility is a lonely and painful journey where you can so easily lose yourself. You can lose the joy in your life. But we have to keep reminding ourselves, we are not to blame and we can be happy. We will make it through this hard time of the year. There is no right or wrong way to celebrate this time of year. You do what you need to do to get through. Take those walks, do some crafts, read a book, spend time with those closest to you, take a bath, do any form of self care, but most importantly, be kind to yourself!
You are not to blame! You will get through this festive season! January and a new year is just round the corner!