137. Why Infertility Is So Isolating with Rabbi Elchanan Poupko
Rabbi Elchanan Poupko joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about his recent piece about the insensitivity in the orthodox community to people who are struggling to have a child, his personal story of infertility and the pain he and his wife carried for all those years, and how their infertility challenges made him a passionate voice for those who are still in the trenches.
141. Pain Doesn’t End…or Does it? with Chavie Bruk
Chavie Bruk joins Aimee Baron, MD to talk about pain and the way it changes over time, her and her husband's permanent infertility, adopting 5 children at different ages and her grieving the loss of a biological child.
Struggling With Personal Fertility Journey as an OBGYN
“The job of delivering healthy children to beaming parents all the while doing the herculean task of squashing your own bleeding internal wounds.”
Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
“Every baby I deliver with my enthusiastic and charismatic smile and congratulations is a drip in the bucket. Every patient I see in the office, every heart beat I elicit with the doppler, every ultrasound I perform”
Dear Infertility
Dear Infertility, You never even bothered to announce your presence. One day I just turned around and realized there you were. And you were everywhere!
Our Primary Infertility Story
“We started our fertility journey dreaming and wondering what it would be like to have a family, to have little ones bouncing around, so we started to make that dream happen.”
How has IWSTHAB Affected You?
We asked the IWSTHAB community: How has IWSTHAB affected you? Here are their responses. Success for us is holding space for the people who are crumbling.
The Stranger Who Sees You Clearly
“I’m not sure what you were holding onto, but it was clear that it was upsetting you — for when I looked over, a few quiet tears were running down your face.”
A Negative Pregnancy Test Is Not Your Fault
Reasons you got anegative pregnancy test this cycle: None of these are true. No matter what anyone says- it’s not your fault. A negative pregnancy test is not your fault.
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
“We’ve tried different protocols, tried doing some natural remedies, tried over 4 clinics. It’s been 10 IVF retrievals so far. We spent thousands of dollars. And my daughter is still our only child.”
All Infertility Is Hard
Holding space for this anonymous follower and all of you who feel like you’re not worthy to be in this community. You don’t know if you have a place.
IUI Is Hard
Almost all infertility stories talk about the difficulty of IVF. But what about IUI (intrauterine insemination)? Here a woman writes about her feelings going through multiple rounds of IUI. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
My Personal Infertility Story
I want to highlight one important piece of this story. Anyone who is struggling to have a child, whatever the reason, feels a complex jumble of emotions.
Still Very Much Unpregnant
For those of you still very much unpregnant, I get it. It’s hard. It’s lonely. It’s anxiety-provoking. It makes you feel like a failure.”
Infertility and Privacy
Choosing privacy means that you’re taking charge of your unique journey. You own the story, not the other way around.
Infertility Is Being Trapped
Being trapped in a situation where you feel like you should’ve graduated years ago. Watching the people around you move on and level up.
Infertility: Forever Waiting
When will the time be right? When will Hashem (G-d) hear me crying out to him in pain, calling to Him from the depths of my heart and soul Can He hear me?
You Can Survive
But, I’m here to tell you that you CAN survive. I don’t know how I did it, but I did. The pain and anxiety was crippling so many times. But I’m here.
Infertility and Loss Are Not Shameful
I suffered deeply through 6 years of infertility and three miscarriages, and I’m tired of the whispered phone calls I get. Infertility and loss are not shameful.
Infertility & Feeling Inadequate
Another younger sister is BH (Gd willing) getting married next month and I sometimes worry if they too will have kids before us. I try not to worry about the future, I just can’t bring myself to be together with them.