Infertility and Feeling Left Out

Feeling left out because you don't have kids is one of life's cruelest aches. Feeling like friends, community, and life are moving on without you hurts more than anyone could imagine. This episode is about that. In this episode, we dive into the deep ache of feeling left out during infertility and how isolating it can be when your story doesn’t match everyone else’s milestones. We unpack what it really means to “fit in” versus truly belong, and why the difference matters so much when you’re longing for connection but feel stuck on the outside. If you’ve ever wondered where you fit when your path looks different, this conversation is for you.Uniquely Knitted exists to transform the experience of infertility. Our mission is to heal the traumas of infertility, miscarriage, and loss, and to end the isolation that comes with struggling to conceive. We achieve this by providing innovative, evidence-based preventative mental health support to those fighting to grow their families.Discover more at uniquelyknitted.org

What does the research say about infertility and mental health? How should we approach our mental health in light of what the research says?This episode will answer these questions!Doug and Jesse are joined by Infertility Researcher, Professor, and Therapist, Dr. Brennan Peterson, to explore the research behind the mental health impact of infertility. In this episode, we talk about how infertility is a developmental interruption, how infertility stigma increases our search for meaning in life, and how openness helps us during infertility. Dr. Brennan Peterson is a professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy.  He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Chapman University for 20 years and is a licensed marriage and family therapist.  He researches the mental health implications of infertility and counseling interventions for couples experiencing fertility treatment. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, which have been cited over 4,500 times.  He has presented his work in the United States, Israel, Canada, Europe, China, Hong Kong, and Australia.  https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/brennan-petersonMyJourney was developed by Cardiff University Fertility Studies, in collaboration with APFertilidade - Portuguese Fertility Association and Fertility Network UK. It is research-based and user-led, with participation from health professionals and people who could not have the children they wished for.https://myjourney.pt/Uniquely Knitted is a Non-Profit Organization serving all who are emotionally affected by infertility. We are on a mission to bring healing to the traumas of infertility and end the isolation that comes with struggling to grow your family.Learn more at uniquelyknitted.org

How are we supposed to think about our story of infertility? How are we supposed to talk to people about our story of infertility?How do you bring it up? What do you tell people? Should you just avoid people? How do you handle small talk? How do you talk about your story!?These are the questions that Doug and Jesse are bringing to Katie Quesada today. Katie is a Professional Storytelling Consultant and an expert in helping people understand their story and talk about it in an effective way. Learn more about Katie 👉 katiequesada.comFollow Katie online 👉 instagram.com/katiequesadaUniquely Knitted is a Non-Profit Organization serving all who are emotionally affected by infertility. We are on a mission to bring healing to the traumas of infertility and end the isolation that comes with struggling to grow your family.Learn more at uniquelyknitted.org

Infertility is scary. There are so many truly terrifying things. What if things don't work out? What if we can't have kids? What if... In this episode, Jesse and Doug look at infertility and fear. What is it that we are truly afraid of during infertility? What does it cost us when we push off the fear we have during infertility?These are the questions looked at in this episode!If infertility has ever made you feel fear, then this episode is for you. Uniquely Knitted is a Non-Profit Organization serving all who are emotionally affected by infertility. We are on a mission to bring healing to the traumas of infertility and end the isolation that comes with struggling to grow your family.Learn more at uniquelyknitted.org

For many, infertility leads to isolation.But what does that mean? Is that a bad thing? Do we need to get out of isolation? How do we escape isolation without opening ourselves up to all the bad advice people have? These are the questions answered in today's podcast!Jesse and Doug look at what it feels like to be isolated during infertility and provide two clear steps to come out of isolation in a healthy way. If you feel like infertility has ever made you feel isolated, this episode is made for you!Uniquely Knitted is a non-profit organization that serves all those emotionally impacted by infertility. We are on a mission to bring healing to the traumas of infertility and end the isolation that comes with struggling to grow your family.Learn more at uniquelyknitted.orgLearn about our Process Group at uniquelyknitted.org/group-sign-up

In this episode, Doug and Jesse explore how infertility creates a deep sense of loss of control and emotional chaos during infertility. We talk about all sorts of ways that infertility makes us feel out of control and how losing control shows up differently for each of us. We break down the following ideas...Dynamics and Coping Mechanisms when we Feel Out of ControlWe look at how contrasting coping styles during infertility can lead to tension in our lives and our relationships.Loss of Control and the Reproductive NarrativeWe each have a reproductive narrative, a story we told ourselves about how things would go. Infertility disrupts our expectations of family-building, forcing a reimagining of our story that feels very out of control. Embracing the Loss of ControlFor many of us, grief will be part of what helps us release control and find unexpected freedom in acceptance.Uniquely Knitted is a Non-Profit Organization serving all who are emotionally affected by infertility. We are on a mission to bring healing to the traumas of infertility and end the isolation that comes with struggling to grow your family.Learn more about our Process Groups uniquelyknitted.org/groups

Infertility can make it hard to prioritize your mental health, especially when success feels just around the corner. In this episode, Jesse and Doug explore the challenges of self-care during this journey and offer a real path forward.If you've struggled to care for yourself while pursuing your dream of growing your family, know you're not alone. This episode is here to remind you that you are worthy of care and support.Want to know more about process groups? uniquelyknitted.org/group-sign-upUniquely Knitted is a Non-Profit Organization serving all who are emotionally affected by infertility. We are on a mission to bring healing to the traumas of infertility and end the isolation that comes with struggling to grow your family.

NO REGRETS! Well maybe not in this case. The reality is that many people experience regret during infertility. There are a million decisions to make, so much to grieve, and so many things that go wrong!Avoiding regret can feel impossible. In this episode we look at what is going on with regret during infertility and we explore how we can build the resilience to handle regret and make it through infertility!Build some resilience and process your experience with infertility in the Uniquely Knitted Process Groups 👉 uniquelyknitted.org/group-sign-upThe Infertility Feelings Podcast is a show supported by Uniquely Knitted, an organization supporting people who are or have experienced infertility. Learn more at uniquelyknitted.org

Infertility impacts pretty much EVERY PART of your identity. It changes the way that you feel like you ARE. It changes how you view your future and impacts who you are becoming!How does infertility impact your identity?What even is our identity anyway?How can we stay connected to who we are while going through this?!These are the questions of today's podcast. If you have ever felt like infertility impacts your identity this episode is for you!Uniquely Knitted is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing emotional support to people affected by infertility. We understand the profound emotional toll that infertility can take, and our mission is to bring healing to those wounds. Through our groups, education, and podcasts, we aim to end the isolation and loneliness that often accompany the struggle to grow a family. We offer a safe space for sharing experiences, finding support, and building resilience.Discover more at uniquelyknitted.org

We definitely need boundaries during infertility... But making boundaries during infertility is not easy. How on earth are you supposed to make boundaries when you are dealing with the stress of trying to get pregnant. It's overwhelming, confusing, and just well... a lot. In this episode we look at boundaries during infertility. We define the goal of boundaries, look at 3 reasons making boundaries might be difficult, and offer a way forward. Boundaries during infertility are so hard, hopefully this conversation give you some hope that you can stay protected and connected!Uniquely Knitted exists to transform the experience of infertility. Our mission is to heal the traumas of infertility, miscarriage, and loss, and to end the isolation that comes with struggling to conceive. We achieve this by providing innovative, evidence-based preventative mental health support to those fighting to grow their families.Learn more at uniquelyknitted.orgView available Process Groups uniquelyknitted.org/programs/group-sign-up