Since the stillbirth, alternative ways of having kids have come up, including adopting. Again, my doctor(s) have expressed that someone having two stillbirths is extremely rare AND my doctor has explained how I can and potentially will get pregnant again (when and if I am ready).
While sitting at a work dinner with some colleagues, the conversation of children came up. Now, I was a little nervous as to how I might react to talking about kids (to a group that has never heard my story), but this one was oddly refreshing.
At the table of 13 people, 3 explained their adoption experience to me. Again, 3 people out of the table of 13 have adopted children. That is 23% of the group. To put it in perspective, in the United States, 4% have adopted children.
Everyone has adopted children for one reason or another. One of the gentlemen explained how he has an adopted daughter from his brother when he passed away years prior (when the daughter was under 10 years old). One of the women explained how she has an adopted daughter after going through an adoption agency.
Through my own journey, I have thought about the idea of being pregnant again and it is somewhat terrifying. I want to give it another shot, but this conversation gave me a breath of fresh air. This dinner conversation gave me another sign of hope. A sign that everything will work out.
Even when the days seem hard (either from my emotions, or triggers, or just from normal life things), I find joy in having these signs of hope for the future.