To The Heartbroken Woman This Mother's Day
During my journey of TTC (Trying to Conceive) my first child, Mother's Day made me feel excluded and forgotten about as I struggled to get pregnant. I felt that my diagnosis of infertility left an arrow lingering over my head pointing down at me to remind me that my body has failed to do what is so easy and uncomplicated for other women. I felt like no one cared what I was experiencing as a woman struggling to achieve motherhood on one of the most celebrated holidays of the year. I felt excluded, forgotten, and heartbroken.
Are you currently feeling this way on this Mother's Day weekend? If so, I want to remind you that you are NOT forgotten by God. Additionally, I want to apologize in advance on behalf of your church, family, and friends who've forgotten to acknowledge your very real, hard, and difficult journey to motherhood on one of the hardest days of the year for a woman diagnosed as infertile. I want to apologize in advance for those that will not be reaching out to you to offer a kind word of encouragement, or for the church that will pray for and celebrate all of the mothers in their congregation, but fail to acknowledge those that are struggling to conceive, suffered a miscarriage, or loss a baby. I'm SO sorry. I'm sorry that your heart is breaking because you have yet to see a positive pregnancy test.
My heart breaks for you. I long for you to be able to relish in the joy and happiness of having your baby in your arms some day soon. Not only do I want that for you, but your Father-God wants that for you as well. He desires to fulfill that longing of motherhood that rests in your heart, and know that he WILL fulfill it! So let your heart be filled with hope and confidence in God, and confidence in His promise (word). Let your faith in God's ability to do what appears to be impossible for you be greater than the faith you've been putting into the thought of it never happening for you. I encourage you to "hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise (Hebrews 10:23 NLT)!"
Lastly, don't wait for anyone to acknowledge or celebrate you on this Mother's Day. Acknowledge and celebrate yourself and other women around you who may be still waiting for the promise of motherhood to manifest, or may have conceived but lost their little one. It would be awesome to have someone in your life that reaches out and shows care, and concern for your journey, but YOU can choose to start the chain of celebrating other unyielding, brave, courageous, strong, persistent TTC Warriors like yourself that need a shout out, encouragement, hope, and acknowledgement this holiday.
Empower yourself and other infertility warriors around you on Sunday. This way, you're choosing to acknowledge the struggle, but celebrating yourself and another woman by holding space for her, seeing her, and allowing her to know that she’s just as significant on this Mother’s Day as well!
Here are 3 Ways to Celebrate Mother’s Day as A Mom in The Wait:
1. Host and have brunch at your home or local restaurant to recognize the women around you who are still in the wait or had a baby loss. Allow this to be a time of encouragement and support.
2. Purchase yourself or someone else a faith gift -- a gift purchased by faith demonstrating your continued hope and confidence in God to be a mom someday soon.
3. Indulge in A Spa Day with other women who are in the wait. Let this be a day of pampering. Head to your favorite Spa, or bring the Spa to your home.
Again, you don’t have to wait on anyone to see or recognize you this Mother’s Day. You recognize and celebrate yourself, and ALWAYS remember you and the fellow fertility warriors you choose to celebrate with are predestined moms of miracles. See that and believe that by faith!
