“I was ready to have kids right away.”
That was how Lane Harrison felt when she got married. She was 30 and didn’t want to wait. However, waiting was just what she ended up doing for more than a year as she struggled to become pregnant.
And Harrison isn’t alone. Infertility is common worldwide – about 1 in 6 adults experience infertility in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization.
So without success on their own, Harrison and her husband went to the Sanford Reproductive Medicine Clinic for help.
“We went through the infertility tests and all the steps,” says Harrison. “And on our first try, I became pregnant with our son.”
And while this sounds like a fairly straightforward success story, there was much more going on underneath the surface for Harrison.
Living with infertility anxiety
“The nurses and the staff at Sanford Health were great,” says Harrison. “They really were incredibly supportive and were very thorough in explaining our options. But, I still was scared.”
Harrison expresses the stress she felt waiting to find out if she was pregnant, during her pregnancy and even after her son arrived.
“For three years, I wasn’t living,” says Harrison. “The whole process wrapped me up so completely, and I can’t get those years back.”
Teaching from lessons learned
Now Harrison is taking what she learned through her infertility struggle and helping women avoid the same mistakes she made through her company, Healing Grounds of Harrison Therapeutics.
“In hindsight, I wish I would have handled the situation better,” explains Harrison. “I was apprehensive about miscarrying and so I didn’t do everything I could to really embrace and connect with my baby while I was pregnant. After going through it, I realized that I probably wasn’t mentally or emotionally the healthiest. Now I want to use my experience to help others through their infertility journeys.”
Harrison says she encourages women to be all in during the process, but to not lose sight of who they are.
“Women going through these infertility issues often ask themselves, ‘If I don’t get to be a mom, then who do I get to be?’” Harrison says. “And that is extremely hard for someone who has dreamed about being a mother their whole lives.
“Try to take time for yourself through the process. Meditate or pray to give your mind that break.
“Then find your support system, a person or place where you can cry and vent be accepted for your roller coaster emotions. Because keeping that stress to yourself isn’t healthy. Address it.”
Now an advocate for women’s holistic wellness, Harrison feels she wouldn’t be where she is today without those hard years that came before.
“My struggle led me to the work I do,” explains Harrison. “And I am thankful I get to help others through their reproductive health issues and hopefully to realizing their dreams of becoming a parent.”
Learn more
- Managing the emotional challenges of pregnancy
- Mental health care supports patients on fertility journey
- Podcast: Finding support through fertility awareness and care
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Posted In Health Information, Pregnancy, Women's
