Many women think they beat infertility once they have a baby. They believe the long, hard battle is then over and they are the victor once they become pregnant. It is only then that they announce that infertility has been defeated to the world.
My experience was different. I beat infertility long before having a baby.
Here’s the thing, no one knows if and when our infertility story will end. No doctor, fertility app, or fortune teller. When will the magical combination of health, fertility drugs, and timing all align to make us become parents? No one knows for sure. I certainly didn’t.
It was in all of that uncertainty that I spun an elaborate story woven with many layers of emotional pain. I thought infertility was something to be beaten so that I could rid myself of that title and move on as a winner. I thought I could only do that once I had a positive pregnancy test.
But the longer I spent in the world of infertility, the more I learned a different truth as I moved through it. As I worked through every challenge that we had, I saw myself transform. I saw my mindset shift. I saw myself grow.
I learned that beating infertility isn’t about having a baby at the end of all of it. It is about emerging a stronger, more resilient individual than you ever imagined you could be. It’s about challenging yourself in ways you never expected and then blowing your own mind discovering what you are capable of achieving. It is about knowing and loving yourself far beyond the capacity you had before and living your life as it is meant to unfold rather than resisting what is.
Infertility taught me how to advocate for myself and my family. I learned how to be present with fear and not let it stop me from moving forward. I learned what I was capable of, which far and away exceeded the expectations I held myself to before this experience.