raise your hand if you’re tired of crying because of pregnancy announcements.
holidays are probably the most popular time for people to announce their pregnancies. so buckle up because here they come. which means for people enduring infertility there are one of three options:
1. stay off social media completely
2. scroll REAAAAALLLLLLLLLY fast & hope you just miss them
3. learn to be happy for your friends and family members who are announcing
honestly, all of these options are completely okay. honestly, i’ve done all of the above, so i totally get you. the pain that pregnancy announcements brings is real & valid. BUT i can also tell you which option will be the best option for you in the long-run.
i’ll tell you right off the bat that learning to simply be happy for people who are pregnant and announcing isn’t easy... at first. but it gets easier. i made a very conscious decision about 18 months ago to tell people who were announcing congratulations and that i was happy for them as soon as i saw their announcement. like i said, at first it wasn’t easy & i was still super bitter. but quickly, i began to truly be happy for people. the weight of bitterness that i was carrying began to be lifted & life has been so much better.
typically, i tell people to take their time grieving and to feel all of the feelings that may come with infertility, because i truly feel like that is important. but this holiday season, i want to challenge you to sincerely congratulate the people who announce their pregnancies. even if it’s just, “congrats!” try to be happy for other people. even if you don’t feel it in the moment, try.
you’re strong, but you don’t have to be bitter. i want you to become better through this journey. so today, i’m asking you to be stronger than you were yesterday. i’m asking you to be kinder than you were yesterday. i’m asking you to be happier than you were yesterday. because YOU deserve that. you deserve happiness and you deserve to move forward with your life— even when life just doesn’t seem fair.