Each week I interview someone who has experienced infertility first-hand. This week I’m happy to be chatting with Brittany from Live in the Longing. I really appreciate her humor and candor, and it’s always fun interviewing a fellow Californian. Enjoy!
Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
I am an enthusiastic advocate for a good book, strong coffee, and a hopeful heart. I live in Irvine, CA with my hipster husband and overweight Chihuahua. I blog over at Live in the Longing.
Q. How long have you been trying to conceive and what issues are you facing?
Whew. Now this is a question, isn’t it? I remember a time back in 2011 when baby fever hit hard. Suddenly, every answer to any question was BABY!
What did you eat today? BABY!
What do you want to do on Wednesday? BABY!
Would you like paper or plastic? BABY!
Yeah. It got awkward very quickly.
So, to answer your question, we’ve been really trying since 2011; however, we have never used any form of birth control, and we’ve been married for nine years. So, there’s that.
Through NaPro Technology, we’re trying to determine the cause for our infertility. We’ve received little answers up until this point; however, in the 3 short months that we’ve been using NaPro, we have recently discovered that I have endometriosis. We were able to get everything removed via a laparoscopy a couple of weeks ago, so we’re feeling pretty hopeful right now.
Q. Which books, quotes, websites, verses, movies, songs, etc. have been an encouragement to you during your journey?
Jeremiah 29:11. Hands down.
Q. Do you and your spouse cope with infertility in the same way or do you handle it differently?
My husband internalizes things a lot more than I do. I, on the other hand, prefer to go with the “let me talk your ear off” route.
Q. What made you decide to blog about your journey?
Infertility is such an isolating thing to go through. After silently struggling through it for years, I felt a deep desire to share our story in an effort to connect with others who are facing the same issues and to encourage those who have grown weary by the barrage of negative pregnancy tests. It has been very therapeutic for me, an answer to prayers, really.
Q. How have you taken care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually during your struggles?
I’ve allowed myself to be real with God — to hit the dashboard and say “eff it!” during prayers, to question His plans, to YELL! I’m not sure if it helps any, but it sure feels nice to blow off some steam from time-to-time.
Q. Have you been able to find a “silver lining” in your infertility?
There’s always a silver lining if you look hard enough, isn’t there? Lucky for me, that silver lining has been easy to find. It’s in each moment I get to spend with my husband — the uninterrupted Netflix binges, our vacation splurges, trips to the movies because, well, it sounded good at the time. Through all of our toils and tears, we have had this amazing opportunity to really (really!) get to know each other’s hearts so intimately. It has been such a gift, this infertility. Sometimes that gift is so hard to see through those watery eyes caused by another negative pregnancy test, but it’s there. It’s always there waiting to be unwrapped.
And that’s what I’d like to share with your readers. Unwrap that gift even when it hurts because this time with your spouse is so, so worth it. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Relish in it.
Many thanks to Brittany for sharing her story with us. Please leave her a comment below to let her you know appreciate her.
If you’re looking for more encouragement during infertility, be sure to check out my book, 31 Days of Prayer During Infertility.
Connect with me on {Facebook} | {Pinterest} | {Twitter}| {Instagram}