Perspective | Elena's Story [Guest Post]

It's all about perspective. Lots of it. And we can only gain more by looking beyond ourselves. I am  so thankful for this bloggy friend of mine and her heart to share her story; I am thankful for the deeper perspective I gain from reading her words. Meet Elena...

Hello Cheers Y'all readers!  First off, a huge thank you to Elise, isn't she just the sweetest thing and the cutest pregnant girl ever?  My name is Elena and I blog over at Baby Ridley Bump.  To some of you I might be a familiar face and to others you may have never heard of me.  When Elise told me that I could post about whatever I wanted I was kind of overwhelmed!  There are so many things I could talk about and you'll notice I can be long-winded, because I love to talk, but I thought I would stay true to my heart & my purpose, and talk about my advocacy for infertility awareness.  

Sometimes I think I sound like a broken record, that every guest post I've ever done has been about infertility, maybe for once I’d talk about something else, but when you’re an advocate for something and you’re given a platform to talk about anything you want, then you take that opportunity to spread the word about that advocacy.  So here I am today, broken record or not, to tell you a little bit about something I consider myself to be an expert on and that’s infertility. 

To me, infertility is not talked about enough.  I think some couples feel shame when they learn they might be infertile and that it's something that isn't that common.  Did you know 1 in 8 couples is infertile?  That’s a lot!  Think of all the people you know, think of that statistic, and then think about how many of them (or maybe even yourself) actually struggled in some way with infertility.  It’s an astonishing number!  With my blog my mission is to make the word “infertility” accepted and take away the label of infertility being taboo.  Don't be ashamed or scared of it, say it out loud, and make it known or just understand that it is a serious disease that many couples go through and I cannot stress enough the importance of talking and spreading awareness about when to seek treatment, and what kind of treatment is out there.   Especially because there have been so many wonderful advances in science that have helped many couples get that miracle that they hope for.  

When I started blogging in 2012 I had no idea the direction my blog would end up taking.   What I once thought would be a blog about getting pregnant and raising a child has now, almost three years later, a year's worth of fertility treatments later, 2 IUI's later, 1 miscarriage later, and 3 failed IVF rounds later, turned into a blog about sharing my story of infertility and still trying to get pregnant.  I share every nitty-gritty detail because to me, it could help the next person who learns they are infertile.  I do it for anyone who needs someone to relate to, for anyone who feels like they are alone because they aren't.  I’m here to say don’t give up, keep the faith, and be brave.  

I hope that my passion, positivity, and conviction towards my advocacy shines through to you all in this post and you can maybe get a glimmer of what kind of blogger I am.  I am open and honest which to me is the the most important quality a blogger can have.  Sometimes my posts come from the raw emotion that infertility causes, and sometimes they come from what my favorite monthly products are, or  new favorite recipe, or how the house we are building is coming along.  It’s not all profound messages about infertility it’s a little bit of everything and I welcome anyone who wants to follow along!

Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to thank, first, my fellow infertility bloggers, you ladies rock! And second, all the other bloggers out there, the fashion, the lifestyle, the little bit of this little bit of that bloggers because you all have been overwhelmingly supportive.  Even if you may not ever experience infertility or totally understand the lingo and the terms and the situation, so many of you have shared your words of encouragement and support and for that I am eternally grateful!  I hope I didn't ramble too long, I could go on for days!  Thank you again Elise, we've been blogger buddies for a while and I can’t wait to follow you along on your journey of parenthood and watch little Miss Nancy. 
 

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!