November Story of Hope - The Komplin Family

1. How have you been impacted by infertility (personally or family member)?

When my husband and I decided to start a family, we thought it would be easy and on our timeline but that was not the case. Before having our eldest daughter, we had tried for a year and then decided to see a fertility specialist. They ran all the tests and seemingly nothing was wrong with either of us that would stop us from being able to get pregnant. The doctor suggested IUI for us and we had gone through 2 rounds with no success. We both agreed that we would try one more round of IUI and if it didn’t work then we would stop and wouldn’t move forward with any other methods of trying to get pregnant. To our shock and delight, that third round I got pregnant, had a successful pregnancy, and gave birth to our daughter Amelia.

2. What helped you (them) cope with your infertility experience?

What helped me cope with our infertility experience was being able to be open with it to family and friends. Before we shared this with friends and family this felt like a shameful secret between my husband and me. Once we shared what we were going through, we gained support from those we loved and found out we were not alone in this experience. Also going to see a therapist helped me work through my emotions and my feelings of being out of control of my life path. It was nice to speak to someone who had no emotion tied to my ability to get pregnant.

3. If you could give anyone who is experiencing infertility one piece of advice/encouragement what would it be?

To anyone experiencing infertility, I would say give yourself grace and allow yourself the space to feel all the emotions that come with this infertility journey. It is completely out of your control and it is ok to feel mad, sad, hopeful, discouraged, etc. Life may take different twists and turns and while that can be difficult and feel out of control, good things can come out of it even if that wasn’t your plan.

4. How did you (they) help those around you (them) have a better understanding of what you (they) were experiencing?

To help those around me understand my experience during my struggles with infertility, I just tried to be as open and honest as possible. Also, by opening up and sharing I found out that my story was not unique and a lot of people could understand what I was experiencing more than I imagined. However, for those friends and family who had not been through it, I appreciated them having the curiosity to understand the appointments and steps I was going through. It was so helpful for me to share without feeling like I was burdening them.

5. If someone knows someone who is experiencing infertility, what is the best way they could support them?

To support someone experiencing infertility I think the most important thing is to just listen. Be there as a supportive ear without judgment or without trying to problem solve i.e. did you try this? Listen to their feelings and let them feel them. Also, try to think about them when there are things relating to children or family and be understanding. For example, if an event is scheduled that is triggering, check in with them and allow them to do what they need to do for their well-being without judgment.

6. What does a rainbow symbolize to you?

A rainbow symbolizes the light and beauty after the dark storm. It is the embodiment of the quote “In the end, everything will be okay. If it's not okay, it's not yet the end” It is the hope that there will be something great at the end of the struggle you have to go through and that will look different for everyone.