In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week® (April 22-26), we are sharing a story from Owlet’s Advocate Communications Manager, Amanda Nelson.
“My husband and I stood on our driveway, arms around each other, with smiles on our faces and tears in our eyes as we watched a young couple load our baby furniture into their car.
After years of secondary infertility, loss, and IVF, our daughter arrived, and with her came a silent resignation that this was it for our family. No more babies.
We asked around in hopes of finding a good home for our nursery furniture. One day, I received a text from a young teacher at our son’s school. She had heard about my offer for the furniture and found out the next day she was pregnant. She and her husband would love to pick up the furniture the following weekend.
There we were: two couples standing at complete opposite ends of our pregnancy journeys.
They, just days into the knowledge of their pregnancy with an innocent hope and excitement about their future as a growing family.
Us, wanting desperately to protect their young hearts from the pain that could come with the loss of a pregnancy. Wanting desperately to freeze time so our own babies would stop growing so quickly. Wanting to take one more look at the tiny teeth marks on the side of the crib that cradled our son for the first years of his life.
We opted, however, to share in their excitement. To share stories about our son crawling out of his crib. To share a bag of maternity clothes and unused clothes our daughter grew too quickly for.
They deserve that. They deserve to enter their pregnancy journey with unbridled optimism, joy, and support.
As they loaded their car and drove off with our memories, giddy about making new memories their own, my husband and I watched. Holding our breaths, wanting the best for these hopeful parents. Holding and celebrating each other because, after a long road, we are parents to two wonderful babies we hoped and prayed for, too.”
Make an Impact
You can make a difference to a family that has experienced the devastating loss of a child by purchasing a seedling today.
It will be donated by one of our Owlet Cares nonprofit partners directly to a family who has experienced loss.
It is our vision that the Nursery of Hope will continue to grow in support, love and hope and you can make a real impact in joining us.
