A New Adventure

Photo Credit: SweetOnVeg.

Sometimes, pretty cool and amazing things happen when you least expect them.

A year and a half ago, I created an anonymous blog and associated Twitter account in an attempt to dig myself out of a depression following my second miscarriage. I was desperate to find comfort in others who could relate, as the majority of my friends and family were unaware of the struggle my husband and I were going through. I had already found one person like me through my public blog. Through her, I found a few more women struggling with miscarriages or infertility. Soon—within weeks, in fact—I had a few healthy handfuls of “friends” on both social medias, and a safe place to air my pain, my fear, my anger, my grief. I was able to share my story with others, and they did the same with me.

Over the last year and a half, I have somewhat followed the lives of nearly 150 people. But out of this collection of people, spanning from every corner of the US, parts of Canada, and of Europe, I have really made some friends. People who are local enough for a beach day, if the timing and planning allowed. People who aren’t really local, but close enough that arranging a “tweet-up” somewhere in between would be feasible. And of course, lovely people overseas that I doubt I’ll ever meet—but hope to, nonetheless!

Last week, one of these lovely people in a group forum we’ve created suggested a blog on parenting after loss and infertility. Many don’t know it, but there are countless blogs out there on miscarriage and infertility struggles and journeys. When you look for them, you find them. Blogs for after the fact? Sometimes a little harder to find.

I speak for myself, and I can only hope my fellow contributors feel the same, but I am absolutely over-the-moon excited about this. Anyone who knows me knows my passion for writing, and being involved with anything to do with writing…even anything to do with editing or publishing. I am ecstatic that so many amazing women are turning these painful and difficult paths we’ve had to walk into something good. It’ll probably be therapeutic for those who write, but more importantly, it will give those who’ve had their unicorns (babies after infertility) or rainbows (babies after loss) a place to go to feel like they aren’t alone. And, maybe, a resource for others to understand.

Everyone agrees that parenting is hard. But pregnancy and parenting after loss and/or infertility is an untamed beast. A few are able to ride bare-back into the sunset without a backwards glance. Most of us regularly wrestle with the bucking.

– Lauren (1st post)

Could I be way overreacting about this? Sure. Could this whole blog thing fall on its face? Absolutely. Could my silly excitement about this becoming something bigger be a foolish notion? Yep. But I don’t care. I’m choosing to be excited. I’m choosing to embrace the possibility of something that could potentially be really cool. And at the end of the day, it’s still pretty badass that a bunch of people scattered across the globe came together for a singular purpose…wherever it ends up taking us.

On that note, do me a solid and go check out Rainbows & Unicorns: Parenting After Pregnancy Loss and Infertility. First few posts are up, and they’re lovely. ❤