Support group in Montreal's west end is open to anyone struggling with fertility
'This group really is a big support,' says woman who has been trying to get pregnant for a decade
Paula Livens and her husband have been trying to have a baby for 10 years and the struggle to get pregnant has taken an emotional toll.
"Friends and family, they try to understand," she told CBC. "They think they're saying the right things."
She's turned to people who truly know what she and her husband are going through — joining a peer-to-peer fertility support group in Montreal's west end that strives to break the silence around miscarriage and infertility.
"This group really is a big support for that because [there's] somebody to talk to or to share your feelings with other people," said Livens, adding it helps her navigate her struggles with infertility.
The group was initiated about six months ago by MotherWit Doula Care on Sherbrooke Street West in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. It meets on the third Tuesday of every month.
It was founded and is facilitated by Katie Tait, a MotherWit doula with experience in assisted reproductive technology (ART).
She created the space, she said, so people can have a safe place to talk.
Anyone struggling with fertility issues is welcome at meetings, she said. That includes men.
According to MotherWit Doula Care's website, people may be considering turning to modern-day technology to help with fertility issues. They may also be considering egg donors or surrogates.
No matter their issue with fertility, the site says, the group provides an evening for connecting, sharing and supporting one another.
"I just sit back and I just let the discussion flow," said Tait.
"I really would have appreciated something like that for myself when I was going through it. So having come out the other side, it was something that I was very passionate about providing."
With files from Kate McKenna