#LivingWithInfertility
If you are reading this, you survived Mother’s Day. And sure enough, now comes Father’s Day. Of course you were going to survive and you will continue to survive, but the reality of infertility is that it may feel like so much effort just to survive. There is no book “Thriving During Infertility” or “How […]
San Francisco Memory Garden #Miscarriage
Pregnancy loss is one of the most common losses women will experience, yet very little conversation happens about it and very little attention is given to it withing Jewish mourning practices. This used to be a protective measure to save people from endless mourning. While medical advances of the years may have made pregnancy safer, […]
Do I really have to answer that?? #FertilityQuestions
The debate about questions and their stupidity is on-going. Dumb is subjective. Thoughtless or insensitive is a little more precise. Questions about people’s family planning are often in that category. In the Jewish tradition, the Talmud guides a lot of our behavior and provides guidelines for prioritizing situations. However, Rav Abby, sister of Rabbi Landers, […]
Tips and Resources for Dealing with Infertility #FertilityTips
As part of Passover preparation – removing chametz from our lives and planning to leave the narrow places – Hasidah invited several guest bloggers to provide support for dealing with Infertility during the holiday and beyond. Erin Schlozman is a licensed professional counselor specializing in women’s reproductive health at Mama Wellness Co. in Colorado In Judaism, […]
How to Respect When They are Not Expecting
They always talked about having children, yet three years of marriage brought no babies. She was pregnant last year, but it ended in loss. Infertility and other family building challenges are quite common yet hardly ever discussed. When these situations happen to someone you love, what can you do to help? Finding the balance of […]
A New Resource for The Jewish Community
Many find mikveh to be a place of healing and rejuvenation. Being part of the practice of for married women to immerse in a mikvah after menstruation before have relations with her husband, mikveh is intimately tied to fertility. However, for those experiencing fertility challenges, it can be a painful reminder that conception has not […]
Infertility and the Unknown
When couples struggle with fertility challenges, things can feel more unhinged. We are told by our faith to “go forth and multiply” or that sex on the Sabbath is a mitzvah. The frustration and self-doubt that creeps in when couples try to honor these teachings, and are unable to create new life can be deep. Inherently, there is a sense of shame that many couples experience when they are unable to fulfill their dreams of parenthood, and often times, this struggle is kept silent.
#MothersDay Message
On the last night of Passover, the participants at the retreat I attended shared reflections on Passover themes. What were our journeys? What made us feel liberated? One woman, while describing the diversity of participants in our newly formed community, referred to me as a nursing mother. Me? Ironically, moments earlier I had leaned over […]
How to support someone experiencing infertility
Many articles are written about what to say and what not to say to someone experiencing infertility. Sadly so many of the “what to say” lists get it mostly right and then there is that one piece of advice that just does not fly. Here is one list that holds strong because it is nuanced […]