Hope chests are traditionally kept by young, unmarried women as a place to store the little treasures they’ll use once they get married. I never had a hope chest when I was single, but it occurred to me today that at each step in my attempt to have a child (and even before I was trying), I’ve created what could be considered an end-of-infertility hope chest. I don’t have a trunk or chest in which to keep these items. They’re scattered around my house, and it gave me a little lump in my throat when I gathered them all in one location today.
Several years ago, before I was even married, I bought this shirt at Target. I didn’t realize until I got home that it was a maternity shirt. I kept it because I liked it and hoped I’d need it one day.
I would also occasionally buy children’s books and put them away for when I had kids. Over the years I’ve given some away, but here are a few I still have.
When we purchased our home one month before we started trying to conceive, I moved a couple books from my parents’ house to my house. These were some of my favorite books when I was a child. My mom saved them and I decided I wanted to keep them for my future children to read.
Once we started trying to conceive on our own, I decided to purchase a few cute football-themed outfits I saw. (My husband is a football coach). I kept running into these little outfits, and green and yellow are my husband’s team colors. I figured it was a sign a little boy would be on the way soon.
After our 4 failed IUIs, I decided to crochet Hello Kitty beanies for my nieces for Christmas. I made an extra infant-sized one and kept it because I was so sure our upcoming IVF would work. I had my football outfits, and I needed something for a girl- just in case.
Before I found out about my chemical pregnancy with my 1st IVF cycle, I had about 48 hours where I thought I was pregnant. Like any red-blooded, middle-class American woman I went to Target! I wanted to finally purchase something from the maternity section so I bought this shirt.
During my last (unsuccessful) frozen cycle, my mom had to travel across the country to pack up my grandmother’s house after she was moved to an assisted-living facility for dementia patients. For as long as I can remember, my grandmother had told me and my cousin that we could have her Bunnykin figurine collection when we had our own children. So my mom brought them home. They’re wrapped up in newspaper waiting for when we can turn our spare room into a nursery.
As I approach my next IVF cycle, part of me wants to buy something small to commemorate this step in the journey. But part of me is hesitant because I know it will sting if this cycle fails.
If you decide to create your own hope chest, you’ll first need to decide where to keep all the stuff. If you don’t want to leave it scattered around the house like I did, you can buy a storage container. I like the idea of buying a gender-neutral toy box that might one day be used by your future child. You can get large wooden ones (like this one) or smaller, lighter collapsible canvas ones (like this).
So, if you’re thinking about starting your own hope chest and aren’t sure what to put in it, here are some fun ideas:
Update: The response to this post has been overwhelming. So many of you have written to say that you have your own “hope chest,” too. I decided to create a free printable to help you keep track of the items in your hope chest and to document the meaning behind the purchases or gifts. Download it for free by clicking here or on the image below. You’ll also receive my monthly email newsletter with exclusive tips, resources, and encouraging articles (you can unsubscribe at any time).
Do you have an infertility hope chest or items you’ve saved up for when your miracle arrives? Do you find yourself purchasing things at each important step in your journey? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Connect with me on {Facebook} | {Pinterest} | {Twitter}| {Instagram}