The name of this blog is based off of a saying that I found in Gaelic.
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine. Under the Shelter of Each Other, People Survive.
To me there is so much meaning in these few words. Where would we be without others? Sometimes things would be better without them, and other times we couldn't make it without those around us.
One huge example of this happened recently for my husband and I. Which is the main reason I wanted to start this. People need help, and who else is there besides us to give it?
We had been trying for over a year and a half to get pregnant. I know this isn't long for some, and for others this seems like a lifetime. I spent the whole time watching those around me get pregnant with seemingly little effort. I mean, what does it take? Sex = Babies. Kids are getting pregnant every single day. Women are having abortions or taking the Morning After Pill. Children are without homes. Seriously, this is one of the most basic of human abilities, why can I not do this?
Finally, after all of the tests, appointments and heartbreak each time my cycle started, we had a positive home pregnancy test on February 28th, 2016. Okay... to be perfectly honest, when I say "a positive home pregnancy test" I really mean that I took the first one, we didn't believe this could be real, went on to take the other three tests that I had at home, went to Walgreens, realized their tests were insanely expensive, went to WalMart, bought three more, and proceeded to take those as well.
Seven. We went through seven home pregnancy tests telling us that I was pregnant before we finally started to let it sink in.
Pregnant. A word that can bring hope and happiness to some, anger and sadness to others, and fear to most.
How were we supposed to know that we only had a couple of days to be happy? A couple of days before it all fell in on us.
How were we supposed to prepare for two weeks and one day later (March 14), when I would get a shot of methotrexate to end my pregnancy? The pregnancy that we had prayed for and feared would never be a reality. The pregnancy that if I didn't end, it would end mine and my child's life.
Part of this will be about those who helped me along the way. Part of it will be about those who made this worse than it ever should have been.
