Sukkot, Abundance and Senseless Pursuits
The Harvest Festival of Sukkot is in the beginning of October this year. Not as widely observed as Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, Sukkot has a lot of symbolism that can resonate with the experience of infertility. The unstable outdoor booths (Sukkot) that people live in represent the fragility of the material world. The biblical […]
The Infertile Label
Not many people are comfortable with the thought: I am infertile. That can feel harsh and limiting. You are much more than any one part of your life. And to be defined by something you cannot do? Ouch! While infertility is significant, your ability to have a child is not your entire identity. You are […]
Group Power
Over six combined years, I experienced infertility. Mostly I muddle through by myself. So much of it was not good. Some would label the experience a success because I had children and I understand that way of thinking. But there were other failures along the way that cast a long shadow. A couple of years […]
#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.