Tuesday, August 26, 2014

TTC Sisters Blogger Challenge: The Power of Sisterhood


How have your TTC Sisters helped you along your infertility journey?

If you've been following along for a while now, then you know that when I started this blog I had no idea that I would eventually end up blogging about infertility. If you’re new to Baby Ridley Bump, then welcome! When I started this blog, the intention was to blog about the journey to get pregnant & eventually be raising my child. Now here we are 2.5 years later & the gears of this blog have switched to advocacy and infertility awareness and the journey that we are on to beat infertility and get pregnant!

Over the course of these last few years between blogging and Instagram especially, I've made lots of new friends, found tons of inspiring blogs and forums, and have gotten loads of prayers and support from all corners of social media, but the most valuable of all of those things has been the relationships that I've made with my TTC sisters. Only they can truly understand this disease and the effect that it has on our lives. I have an unbreakable bond forever with women that I've never met face to face, but they've been some of my biggest supporters, and I've been theirs, and it’s a truly amazing thing that I am so so thankful for.

When you’re new to the world of infertility, you have very little understanding of the amount of support that is needed, you also have very little understanding of the amount of support that is out there. It seems as though I almost stumbled up on it in a way, searching a hashtag on Instagram or finding a blogger in a similar situation. Remember, we are 1 in 8! There are millions of us out there and we are all willing to support each other and the community in any way that we can. We will laugh, we will cry, and we will stand together in battle with our sisters and it’s a truly beautiful thing.

I have been completely overwhelmed by the love and support that I've experienced throughout this journey. I do have some very special TTC sisters that I hold near and dear to my heart, first of all, my best friend in the world of TTC, my rock, my go-to girl, Beth. She reached out to me through blogging last October (almost a year now girlfriend!!) and we have become great friends through our mutual struggle to get pregnant. She has been such a wealth of advice for me through our IVF cycles since she is pregnant with a baby girl via IVF and due next month! We have yet to meet face to face, but it’s definitely something that I look forward to doing. From that first package of her left over vitamins to flowers, cards, text messages, emails, & more, we have become so close. I think about this friendship and how it wouldn't be so if we weren’t going through what we are. Beth I love you and owe you so much for reaching out to me and being such a wonderful friend!

The TTC community is more than can even be imagined.  Between those of us who blog, those who have created other infertility outlets such as the TTC Sisters website, those like Chelsea that work their butts off to arrange the TTC Exchanges, we all work to make this community one of the biggest & most treasured pieces of the puzzle.  It's an important piece of the puzzle that's not quite like any other, since no one can understand your situation quite like a TTC sister. Your husband or wife or partner cannot quite grasp it, your best friends, they will listen and support, but unless you've experienced it, then you cannot truly understand it and I urge anyone reading this who is not yet part of the community to please reach out. You will be so happy that you did.

Here are a few of my favorite bloggers who I’ve connected with in the TTC community:
Caroline @ In Due Time
and many many more...

Another really great resource is Instagram. If you are looking to expand your support group it's a great place to start!  Search hashtags like infertility, TTC, IVF, IUI, ICSI, TTCSisters, infertilitysisters, & more. Be sure to follow our gracious hosts, @TTCSISTERS on Instagram & here for additional support, giveaways, forums, fertility diet information, blogger challenges, shopping, and much much more!

12 comments:

  1. Great post! I know Beth personally and she's the best! So glad you all found each other! :)

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  2. its wonderful that you have met so many people and really connected with them :)

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  3. The blogging community really is the modern day support network. So glad you have found encouragement and inspiration from others. I know you are a source of awareness and support for many as well!!!!

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  4. Love this post... I am so glad that this community exists and for meeting such a great and inspirational person like you.

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  5. Oh my goodness you made me cry! When I found your blog through Joy last fall, for some reason I just felt in my heart I needed to reach out to you personally and I'm so glad I did! You have become such a cherished friend and infertility sister! I love you girl and can't wait for the day that you get your BFP and the day we finally meet in person with our miracle babies!

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  6. Well aren't you just the sweetest!!! I just think of my blog as a normal boring old blog so this is pretty awesome! I just seriously can't wait to make mine a success story and I know yours will be one day too!! I wasn't aware of the TTC Sisters website so I will have to check that out :)

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  7. Well aren't you just the sweetest thing! So thankful for you and your blog!!! Despite the distance and everything so glad to call you friend :) Thanks for the shout out. I can't imagine being on this ttc road by myself, so thankful for you and all the other girls!!

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  8. Such a great post. I have no idea where I'd be without the support of all of my TTC blog sisters. You gals have literally kept me from jumping off the edge more than a few times. So thankful for you and so many others!! xoxo

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  9. So true! I just started an infertility bible study group and will pass this a long!

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  10. This community has truly been a saving grace. Friendships that are truly cherished.

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  11. What an amazing and supportive community!

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  12. I couldn't agree more that the support of people in the same situation is absolutely invaluable. We've been TTC for over 3.5 years now and the internet has led me to some amazing women who I am now privileged to call friends. My "real life" friends haven't been through what I'm going through, and no matter how hard they try they just can't understand.

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