Coping with Infertility :: Melissa Vande Kieft [EP44]

Gems of Motherhood - A podcast by Sharon Kon

In this week’s podcast, my guest Melissa Vande Kieft shares her story about eagerly waiting on God while coping with infertility. Infertility is not an easy situation; you feel social pressure to have kids and you feel judged by well-meaning friends, family members, or even strangers. It is a journey, even if it is lonely and grounded in fear.“This whole process of navigating infertility was something I wasn’t prepared for and shook who I was.”Melissa’s journey dealing with infertility was her first God test emotionally and spiritually. She saw her experience similar to climbing a mountain; she was just climbing and climbing and not seeing the end. She had to get up everyday to experience the identical result while having to accept waiting on God. What she couldn’t imagine is that her wait would take 2.5 years before she would fully receive what God was trying to tell her. “When you are going through infertility, you are doing things that are right, but yet it never happens. And you don’t know why. And it can be so frustrating.”Melissa also shares some tips on how to support someone who is going through infertility. When someone is going navigating infertility, they want to know that someone cares, that they are seen, that they are heard and above all they want authenticate relationship. Authenticity is the bridge between God and us, and Melissa surmises that it is no different between us and others! What we chat aboutLiving in the waitBe educated about infertilityPreparing the challengesReason infertility exists