#so i wonder if that makes her feel especially vulnerable and embarrassed when people do take advantage of her

[carmelasoprano]

SHERYL: You can tell me. It takes two to know one.

[luffington]

hello i love ur works!! i hope ur doing well! :D for law can i request a law with a f!reader who doesn’t like him at all at first but has an uncharacteristic absolute soft spot for cute things (ie bepo) and he uses that to get closer to her? thank u!! ☺️

➤ pairing: trafalgar law x gn!reader

➤ word count: 1.1k

➤ warnings: alcohol use

this is such a cute concept thank you for suggesting it!! i'm exactly like this and i wanna hug bepo so badly ᕦʕ •ᴥ•ʔᕤ

i'm still not confident in the way i write law so i hope you like this!

Law's heart skips a beat the moment he meets you. That’s very unfortunate for him. 

His social skills are adequate at best, since his awkwardness unintentionally comes off as rudeness, but they get infinitely worse around people he’s attracted to.

Plus, you're a Straw Hat, so you're already seeing him out of his element. Luffy's (unintentional) insistence on ruining all of his carefully planned schemes leaves him perpetually frustrated, uncomfortable, and grumpy.

You frown when his voice comes out harsher than he meant it to. Roll your eyes when he gets upset at your crewmates again for doing what they always do. Mumble something snarky under your breath when the man frantically tries to get his plan back on track, somehow still not realizing that everything works out for Luffy. 

Oh, you must hate him. Law knows it. He tries to give you space to avoid making the situation worse, but that only upsets you more.

But Bepo? You’re obsessed. 

Constantly clinging onto him, rubbing your cheeks against his fur, giggling about how soft and round he is until the poor bear's snowy white face is tinted bright red.

His first mate nervously cries out "Captain!!", clearly flustered but secretly enjoying your praise. You pout, wondering why the cutest Mink you'd ever met is sticking around with an asshole like Law.

It’s not just Bepo – you love everything cute. Chopper always ends up in your lap, happily wrapped in your embrace. You feed stray cats, stop to pet every dog you see, and gush over the Tontattas in Dressrosa (especially Princess Mansherry!). Somehow, you cry more than Franky does at heartwarming stories. 

Law doesn’t understand how someone as adorable and kind-hearted as you could become a pirate. He admires your emotional vulnerability and childlike whimsy as much as he’s terrified of it. 

The poor guy can't win. He can barely talk to you like a normal person, much less have a full conversation with you. It leaves him lying awake in bed at night trying to think of something to say that doesn't make him sound like a dick. 

(Maybe he should read that book Chopper gave him – 'healthy ways to process trauma’ or something stupid like that.)

His crewmates know about his predicament, so Shachi suggests expressing his feelings in a way that doesn’t involve words. 

Law fights off embarrassment and walks into a toy store, looking incredibly out of place. He ends up picking out a black-and-white puppy plushie. (it’s Snoopy hehe)

Anxiety nearly overwhelms him while he waits for the perfect moment to give it to you. When it finally feels appropriate to pull you away from your crewmates, he leads you into an empty room on the Sunny. 

Law can barely look you in the eyes as he hands you the stuffed animal and mumbles, “I got this for you.”

Your jaw nearly hits the floor. “Oh, Law…” The long stretch of silence causes him to panic internally, suddenly regretting everything and thinking of ways to explain himself.

Before he can come up with a flimsy excuse, you gladly accept his gift and hug it tightly. “It’s adorable, thank you! It even matches your hat!”

A blush spreads across his cheeks like wildfire. He wasn’t thinking about that, he swears! It’s the same color as Bepo! Yes, he loves black and white, and maybe he subconsciously wanted it to remind you of him, but he didn’t do it on purpose!

At breakfast the next morning, Shachi asks if you like your gift. Deciding not to question why he knows about it, you nod enthusiastically and say it’s so cute that you spent the entire night cuddling it. Law sputters and spills hot coffee on himself.

But now you feel bad. Everything about Law’s behavior made you think he disliked you, but he clearly cares enough to notice your interests. You don't know anything about him.

The next time your combined crews split up, you make it a point to join him and spend alone time together. He’s obviously overjoyed, and he’s already thinking about more gifts to buy you.

Once you get past his awkward exterior, you realize he's actually pretty cute. He has his own nerdy interests, and he genuinely cares about Bepo and the rest of his crew.

He’ll show you his if you show him yours… Obviously that means his limited edition Germa 66 comics box set and your collection of cute trinkets, with the puppy plushie he bought you sitting proudly on your pillow.

When he sees a cute animal or something he knows you’d like, if you’re within Room range, he Shambles you over to him so you won’t miss it.

��Law, what the hell? Why am I three blocks away from where I just was?” With a straight face, he points and says, “Cat.”

Bepo’s also a great wingman. He helps you see his captain’s soft side by telling stories about their adventures together – even embarrassing ones Law wishes he left unsaid. You eagerly listen to everything the Mink has to say and become even more comfortable around Law.

Law realizes you can be soft and strong at the same time. No one doubts Sanji’s strength even though he caves whenever he sees a woman – why shouldn’t that apply to you and your interests?

At one of your crew's famous banquets, you get super drunk and won’t stop clinging to him. Law is completely sober and tries to push you off of him, attempting to prevent you from doing anything you'd regret the next morning. 

But then you tell him you think he's adorable and giggle cutely.

He's stunned into silence for a few moments. "...You think so?" (He'd rather be seen as manly, but he's more than happy with any perception as long as you like him.)

You nod and move to kiss him, and as much as he’s dying to reciprocate, he holds you back. Instead, he half-carries you over to where a group of both of your crews are mingling. You're asleep in Bepo's lap in less than a minute.

Hungover and sleepy the next morning, you timidly apologize for your behavior. Law shakes his head and assures you that it's fine. 

"I still wanna kiss you, though," you murmur quietly. 

So his lips press against yours in a slow and gentle kiss, eventually escalating until your fingers are tangled in his hair and you’re straddling his lap, one tattooed hand gripping your hip and the other holding you tight against him.

Bepo and Shachi’s eyes widen when they see their captain’s flushed state a while later, hair messy and hickies on his neck. In typical Law fashion, he just thanks them with no further explanation.

[satansapostle6]

The World Was On Fire And No One Could Save Me But You | D.M.

Warnings: Language. Violence. Mature Themes. Smut.

As Lord Voldemort rises to power, Death Eater legacies such as Draco Malfoy and Elise Selwyn are forced to join their ranks. Desperate to return his family to the Dark Lord’s good graces, Draco Malfoy is forced to fight alongside Elise in a war they never wanted any part in.

Part IV

Part V: The Best Laid Plans

Draco Malfoy had pointed out on numerous occasions that he, emphatically and wholeheartedly, did not trust Elise Selwyn. And, given the evidence he’d carefully compiled upon a clandestine investigation of her character, he had good reason not to. Of course, his informants had also been Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

But either way, Draco had only strengthened his resolve upon investigating the new ally in his corner. There was simply no way Elise’s insistence on being a part of his assignment from the Dark Lord personally was for anything other than her own gain.

“If you want my opinion, Elise Selwyn is a lowlife, untrustworthy slag,” Pansy Parkinson said with surprising and almost unwarranted resolve.

“I didn’t,” was simply all Draco had to offer as he pondered the subject.

This offended Pansy, who pouted crossly at the breakfast table, feeling embarrassed to be laughed at by Crabbe and Goyle, of all people.

“I’m serious, Draco. She’s just trying to worm her way into the Dark Lord’s good graces,” the girl remarked.

“Why would she need to do that?” Draco reasoned irritably, not exhibiting patience for her lack of insight. “Her father is his right hand man.”

“Pffft!” his ex-girlfriend spat. “Their family’s irrelevant, and they know it. They’d give anything to be one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight,” she confidently offered a hot take.

“They are in the Sacred Twenty-Eight,” Goyle reminded her, thrilled to be smarter than Pansy for once.

“Will the three of you kindly shut up?” Draco snapped, pulled away from his thoughts. “I can’t bloody well hear myself think.”

Pansy was reluctantly and forcibly silent for the rest of the meal, as further down the breakfast table, Blaise Zabini and Elise Selwyn were convening on their own.

“Do you think Malfoy’s told you his real plan?” Blaise wondered.

“It has to be. He took me to the Room of Requirement; it’s more than likely he’s shown his hand,” Elise said as she gingerly sipped her juice.

“Do you think?” he asked.

“I do. Malfoy doesn’t know what he’s doing; he’s never done anything on his own before,” she remarked as she spotted him anxiously glancing in her direction in her peripherals.

“You’re right about that,” her friend assured her.

“Personally, I think he’s making much ado about nothing; killing an old wizard hardly has to be complicated. He’s vulnerable these days, especially here, and to students,” she murmured in frustration. “I could walk up to that table, cast the Killing Curse, and the Dark Lord would be praising my family name before lunchtime.”

“But you don’t care about any of that,” Blaise suggested with a smile, “Do you?”

“Of course not,” she responded rather concisely. “I care about the right things being set into motion.”

“What things?” he wondered.

They hadn’t gotten to speak much about these sordid affairs over the summer; Elise knew that her father had suspected the Ministry, and other entities, of monitoring their written communication, so she had always been vague at best when it came to the family’s dealings. Elise sighed as she leveled with Blaise, finally admitting her motives in their entirety.

“Blaise, my love. Do you know what my father values more than anything in this world?”

“Power,” he answered simply.

“And?”

“Money?” he guessed.

“Appearances,” she offered, “Aesthetics, if you will. Everything in our home serves its purpose as elevating our family’s status in its function as well as its look; including me. Do you believe I’ll get to choose my own ‘mate’ when the time comes?” she asked derisively.

“I wouldn’t bet on it.”

“Exactly,” Elise reasoned, “Who I’ll marry is more than likely just who will make our family shine. It’ll have to be someone worth something, and almost as important, someone with the right look. Someone who shines. Have any idea who that might be?”

Blaise chuckled as he realized; his mother, Mrs. Zabini, was known for, if nothing else, her captivating beauty that managed to lure seven different wealthy husbands to their mysterious deaths. Blaise, naturally, took after her in many respects.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, love, but you’re hardly who I’d want to marry,” he stated.

“Likewise,” Elise concluded, “Meaning. I have to change my father’s perception of who my ideal life partner is; preferably someone I find attractive enough, and preferably someone in the Dark Lord’s inner circle. So, I have adjustments to make; pawns to move, and whatnot.”

Blaise stopped for a moment, fully in awe as he once again remembered why Elise was his best friend.

“That’s genius,” he said finally. “And kind of scandalous.”

“It’s more like business,” she corrected.

“When, exactly, did you make these calculations?” Blaise wondered.

“After that first night in the Room of Requirement.”

Blaise paused as he took a moment to consider the pathology of his friend.

“Are you telling me you’re thinking of killing the most powerful wizard in the world just so you can shag Malfoy?” he realized.

Blaise wasn’t quite sure if he should be appalled by her morally reprehensible behavior, or just simply impressed.

“Oh, absolutely not,” Elise scoffed in disgust, “I have my priorities. At most, he’s an added bonus.”

*****

“What an artful concoction you’ve cultivated for us today, Miss Selwyn!”

Draco Malfoy couldn’t help but roll his eyes as the Potions Master shamelessly fawned over one of the pupils from his own house.

“Thank you, Professor Slughorn,” Elise said humbly as many in the room watched her.

The ambitious Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, seemed particularly envious.

The older man seemed more sly as he leaned in carefully, lowering his voice to a mischievous murmur as he spoke. “And I trust you’ll be joining us at the dinner party this evening, Miss Selwyn?”

Blaise grinned at his workspace beside her, watching as she nodded politely. “Yes, of course, sir.”

“Good, good! Again, do feel free to invite whoever you’d like. A date, perhaps, eh?” Slughorn teased. “I’d love to see you part of a, shall we say, power couple?”

Elise kindly faked a smile as he disappeared surely to speak to other students invited to the dinner party. Many in the room, especially Pansy Parkinson, were glaring at her enviously, but she was more focused on the one person who seemed to have more on their mind: Draco Malfoy. Jealousy set aside, he seemed fascinated by the prospect of the dinner party, suddenly realizing the opportunity he was being presented with as he watched Elise carefully.

“You’re taking me to that party with you,” a demanding voice hissed over her shoulder as she left the dungeon classroom.

Elise just rolled her eyes as Blaise gave her a knowing look before heading down the corridor without her. Fully aware things were going as planned, she turned back to Draco.

“I most certainly am not doing that.”

“Why not?” he spat unpleasantly.

“Because Kellan’s asked me to bring him,” she explained.

“What, Kellan Byrne?” Draco questioned, instantly thinking of the intellectually challenged seventh-year.

“Yes,” Elise informed him, approving of his apparent bitterness.

“He can escort you without a bicycle helmet on?” the ornery blond demanded.

“I can assure you I don’t want him for his intellectual insight.”

“You’re seriously blowing me off for that brainless hairpiece?” Malfoy demanded with an undeserved sense of indignation.

“Why do you want to go so badly?” she asked him with some curiosity.

“Because. I need to keep an eye on that Potter,” Draco said bitterly, practically spitting out his name, “He’s been particularly suspicious lately, and I don’t like it one bit.”

“So, you need my help spying on Harry Potter?” Elise said quietly.

“I don’t need anything from you,” he stated with a certain stubborn resolve.

“Suit yourself, then,” she concluded, making it a point to walk off.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he followed her aggressively, hardly satisfied with how their conversation was ending.

“To find my brainless hairpiece.”

“Get back here, Selwyn!”

“Why?” Elise asked him, crossing you arms. “I turn the other cheek every time you insult me, or question my loyalty, and to thank me, you make ridiculous demands of me, expecting that I’ll just blindly go along with them. Contrary to what you might believe, I am in no way your subordinate, Malfoy,” she said his name with an unpleasant sharpness.

“Do you always have to be so melodramatic?” Draco scoffed.

“Melodramatic or not, I still have the upper hand,” she reminds him. “So I suggest you think very carefully about how you’d like to speak to me.”

“Okay, fine! I’m sorry,” he said hastily, “Now will you make sure I get into that bloody dinner?”

“Fine. I’ll go tell Kellan, but just know, you’ve cost me a great shag,” Elise sighed, walking off.

Draco just rolled his eyes at her reluctance. “Bloody hell, if it’s that important to you, I’ll shag you myself!”

She just shook her head.

“Like you could keep up.”

Draco looked around, flabbergasted, as he kept trailing after Elise through the corridor.

*****

Just before dinner, Elise emerged from the dormitories to find Draco waiting impatiently for her in the Slytherin common room. Blaise had already left, since Draco told him to go on ahead so that he and Elise could speak freely. Upon seeing Elise, in the elegant blue dress he’d never seen before, he’d almost forgotten that this was the same girl he’d quarreled with in the halls.

“Took you long enough,” he remarked begrudgingly, as his eyes adjusted, viewing her as more of an ally or classmate than just another person.

“Can we be civil, or are you incapable of having a good time?” she said as they headed for the door.

“Tonight isn’t about having a good time,” Draco said. “It’s about figuring out what Potter knows.”

“And how exactly do you expect to find that out tonight?” Elise wondered. “By asking him before dessert?”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Draco muttered.

“Take your own advice.”

They both walked the dungeons, neither of them swimming thrilled about the company they were currently in.

“Once I can get Potter alone, I’m using Legilimency on him. And then I’ll use a Memory Charm to wipe it all away,” Draco presented confidently.

“What?” Elise said softly. “Are you fucking daft?! He’ll see that coming from a mile away!”

“I’ll be able to do it,” Draco reassured her.

“No, you won’t,” she promised. “There’s no way Potter would ever be alone with you.”

Draco was very insistent on following through on his plan.

“I’ll figure it out.”

“I hardly want to be alone with you!” Elise cried.

“I said I can get it done,” he said with finality.

“No, you can’t. You’d be better off slipping him Veritaserum,” she reasoned. “And that’s not a suggestion,” she added, before he could get any ideas.

*****

Later on that night, beyond any reasonable hour where anyone might have to be in the common room, Draco Malfoy crept into the Slytherin common room. Sure enough, his suspicions had been confirmed. He poked his head out in the corridor, able to spot Elise Selwyn. Draco also had no idea what she was actually up to, being in the common room so late at night, but he knew it couldn’t possibly be anything good. Draco tuned into the room as completely as he could, looking in and listening for any possible clues as to what was going on.

He watched as Elise sat down in front of the fireplace, shielding her body with her silk robe as she waited. Sure enough, much to Draco’s surprise, a distinct face appeared in the fire. Draco let out a tiny gasp, watching as Elise, clearly conspiring with someone, whispered a hushed greeting. Draco listened intently, desperate to figure out who the girl could have possibly been conspiring with, and more importantly, what they were discussing. Draco expected all sorts of things, suspecting that perhaps Elise was reporting his progress to her father, or someone, but what he actually heard managed to shock him.

Elise surprisingly wasn’t in cahoots with her father, or any other Selwyn, for that matter. Much to Draco’s indignation, the clear and distinct voice he heard belonged to the one and only Bellatrix Lestrange, his own aunt. Draco’s blood boiled as he hid behind the wall, furious at his mother’s sister for conspiring against him.

“Have you made any progress?” Bellatrix hissed, her face peeking through the smoldering embers.

“We’re working on it,” Elise reported, quickly correcting herself, “I’m working on it,” she assured Bellatrix.

Draco quietly cursed her under his breath, spiting her for going to his own aunt behind his back.

“You need to get a move on!” Bellatrix snapped urgently. “The Dark Lord is impatient! Even I can’t pacify him…”

“I know. And we will,” Elise promised.

“Well, you’d better!” the woman argued back, “Because we’re all dead if you don’t!”

Draco winced, once again reminded of the stakes of his mission from Lord Voldemort.

“Yes,” Elise bowed her head shamefully, “I know… We’ll go to Snape.”

“No!” Bellatrix said immediately, horrified by the idea, “No! You can’t trust him! He’s a rat! You two are better off on your own, mark my words.”

Elise sighed, knowing that there was no convincing her.

“But never mind that,” Bellatrix said carelessly, “There's something else I need to tell you…”

Elise’s brows furrowed with concern.

“What is it?”

“Something important. Something I don’t dare put in writing,” Bellatrix whispered to the girl.

“What is it?” Elise repeated fearfully.

Bellatrix was just about to answer the question, before suddenly stopping. Draco froze, once again ducking behind the wall as Elise turned to look in his direction. He felt as if his heart was beating at a million miles an hour.

“Are you alone?!” Bellatrix demanded.

Draco listened. There was a pause before Elise spoke again.

“I don’t know,” she confessed finally.

“Then it isn’t safe!” Bellatrix growled.

Draco could hear that the conversation seemed to come to an end as Bellatrix’s face disappeared into the fire with a loud crackle. He panted softly, quickly rushing back to his own dorm room before he could be discovered by Elise. After everything he’d overheard, he had no idea what to make of things. Yes, he was angry, livid, irate… Elise had lied to him this entire time. Gone to Bellatrix behind his back. But still, there were more important things at hand. What was it that Bellatrix was about to tell her? Draco needed to know, as soon as possible.

His aunt, he now felt, was a conniving liar, but she was right about one thing; it wasn’t safe. For any of them.

-

Part VI

[testingthewatersss]

James Trigger warnings for PTSD, mentions of war, torture,  etc. Just unapologetic cuddling and comfort. Bucky Barnes x F Reader Oneshot 1960 words fluff, angst, comfort. 18+ MDNI

What's in a name?

She doesn’t notice when he falls asleep.

Not until he jolts, startling himself awake in her arms, empty mug rolling from his lap, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

“Hey” she whispers, not wanting to spook him further, “Hey, handsome…”

Instantly he pivots, turning to look at her with a muddled expression that makes her smile.

“You must be exhausted” she notes, “You don’t normally just pass out on me”

“Sorry?” he swallows, “Sorry, Doll, I-”

“Don’t be sorry, Bucky” she purrs, “You’re tired… I told you to try and get some rest”

“I didn’t try” he admits quietly, “I just… god…You just make me feel so safe, Y/N/N… I couldn’t help it.”

At first she thinks it sounds like he’s embarrassed. Especially when she sees the flush of red crawling up his neck to fill his cheeks. But then, she meets his eyes again, and realises that it’s vulnerability that she’s hearing instead of shame.

“You make me feel safe too” she tells him softly, wanting to encourage him to open up, “C’mere, love… forget the cup, we’ll get it later”

Bucky smiles, bashful but overwhelmingly happy as he turns fully, accepting her invitation and curling up into her arms completely.

His nose is tucked into her throat, and her heart is beating slow and steady beneath his head.

Even though every joint in his body is throbbing with tension he thinks that this is bliss.

“Can I ask you something”

Her voice is like music.

He’s saying ‘Yes’ before she’s even finished her question.

“Why do people call you Bucky?” she wonders, “I know it’s from your middle name” she adds, “but James is hardly a mouthful”

He’s never heard her say his name before.

His proper name, at least.

In all fairness, she rarely even calls him Bucky, favouring shorter, more affectionate nick-names instead.

“I don’t remember exactly” he says when he realises that he hasn’t answered her yet, “but, I know my dad came out with it first, and then it kinda just stuck… I think my ma fought it for awhile, but he won in the end, and I… I only got James when I was in trouble…”

“Well” Y/N sighs, curiosity satisfied, “I’ll steer clear of it then— Wouldn’t want you thinkin’ you’d done anythin’ wrong.”

He’s gawking at her again. He can feel himself just drowning in her eyes, in the soft, velvet lilt in her voice.

He thinks, James had sounded like a prayer, when she’d said it a few moments before. Like something precious, or maybe…maybe it was more like a secret… He’s not sure exactly, but he’s suddenly overcome with the need to hear her say it again;

“Will you say it again, doll?”

Now she’s confused. There’s a crease between her brows it takes a moment for it to soften, for her to offer him a sweet, understanding smile.

“James?” she tests, making sure she’s come to the right conclusion.

He nods, totally entranced.

“James” she repeats, more certain than before, “I think it’s nice” she coos, reaching over to stroke his cheek, “it suits you…”

Does it?

He remembers echoes of conversations between his parents. Playful and bickering as his mother tried to scold his father for replacing their sons name without her consent.

He remembers her calling him James when he was sick, once, as a small child. The ghost of a gentle palm against his brow as he sobbed, feverish, and worried for Steve-

“He’s fine, James… You got the worst of it this time, I promise — You can see him soon…”

Then, he thinks, he remembers the way it sounded when it was yelled.

Summoning him because he’d trailed mud inside with his boots, or been caught skipping school, or…

Or because Sargent James Buchanon Barnes was the name on his papers.

He’d corrected the Americans as soon as he could.

A polite ‘Bucky, sir’ being all it took for them to dismiss his formal name.

He hadn’t dare correct the others.

James, James, James—

“I should’t have asked.” Y/N says calmly, seeing how he suddenly looks very, very scared, “I’m sorry- I was just bein’ nosey”

His head shakes. Her voice overwhelming him for a moment.

James.

It’s her he can hear now, and he knows, just like that, that he’d never correct her either. He focuses on that, on how safe she makes him feel.

“..It… it’s just been a long time since… since anyones called me that without it makin’ me feel sick” he explains weakly, battling embarrassment as it claws at it his, “Some… some of the HYDRA officers they’d…” he gulps, “They’d try to get a reaction out of me, and I… I never knew what to do to make them happy…”

“Bucky” she whispers, brushing his jaw with her thumb

“They didn’t know about that” he says, aiming for jovial, “Nicknames must not’ve made my file.”

His smile falters, the one side of his lip that he’d managed to quirk falling back considerately as he builds up the courage to keep talking;

“They’d tell me I sounded American” he remembers, “They’d make me tell them where I was from… and they’d… they’d ask me what my name was, and I— I didn’t know what to do, I- I tried… I’d say that I didn’t have one— they, they liked that best, but if that didn’t work I’d just say I didn’t remember… but sometimes they’d act like they… like they cared, y’know? like they… like they wanted to me remember and then they’d just…”

Slap me, he thinks, fighting the urge to flinch, Slap me, spit on me, make me open my mouth—

He shivers, looking at her, desperately searching for a distraction. For a way to make the memory stop

“You’re home now” she promises, fingers slipping up to trace the soft curve of his lip as she wonders why he’s kept them parted, “And I’ll call you whatever you want…”

He pecks a kiss against her knuckles, forcing himself back to the present.

Now that he feels almost certain that this is real, that Y/N really is staying with him, no matter what he tells her, it’s almost too easy to slip into the parts of his past that he’s been managing to repress.

He considers the times when people would tell him that that type of openness was going to be key to his recovery.

They’d tell him that you can’t heal from things you won’t let yourself feel, and he remembers thinking that feeling them was bad enough the first time around. He figured back then that if his brain could shield him from even some of the horrors he’d endured then maybe that was the type of mercy he deserved.

Now though, feeling the raw sting of trauma slipping out from one of the more superficial wounds he’d sustained during his near century of imprisonment, he’s surprised at how comforting it is to be accepted while it hurts.

The vulnerability is a small price to pay, he decides, maybe this is healing.

“They hurt me” he hears himself confess, voice a whisper, “Y/N/N, they… they really hurt me.”

“I know” she agrees quickly, totally taken off guard by this seemingly random display of trust, “I know they did.”

Bucky just blinks, adjusting to the fact that he’s said that in the first place.

Why did I say that? he thinks, I’ve never said that out-loud before.

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Y/N asks him calmly, hand slipping down to the nape of his neck, “You don’t have to think about pain, baby… Not like you did before, anyway. No wonder you don’t like sleepin’ on your own”

He’s still just starring at her. Wide eyed and trusting.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore either” she smiles, feeling his arms flexing against her waist, “Since I’m here to keep you company, huh? and you can decide what you want me to call you… I know I’m prone to ‘sweetheart’, but I’m open to alternatives.”

“God” he gulps, still overwhelmed with the sheer acceptance she’s drowning him in, “God, Y/N/N… You, you can call me whatever you want just, just please don’t leave me.”

Please don’t leave me.

He’s never said that like this, before either.

Sure, he might have sobbed out the same sentence, desperate and terrified- He might’ve even whispered it in Russian against her chest as she slept, an unheard plea, but, he’s never said it so calmly.

Y/N has no idea what has caused him to speak so bluntly. She decides fairly quickly that it doesn’t matter.

“I’m not going to leave you” she swears, looking him in the eyes, “I love you, I’m right here.”

“James” he exhales, “I like it when you call me James… Nobody… Nobodies called me that in so long— not, not without it causin’ me problems…”

“Alright…” she murmurs, “…James, I love you very, very much, and I am staying right here…”

His chest aches. It feels like his heart is about to burst behind his ribs.

“Jesus christ-” he whispers, “— Y/N/N, I… I can’t even tell you how much I love you… You’re an angel…”

She beams at him, eyes rolling affectionately.

“You’re a sap” she tells him, “But you’re my sap, huh?”

And then, just like that he’s crying.

His eyes are stinging, tears burning his nose as they spill down across his face in uneven rivets.

Y/N tucks him closer in towards her chest as he starts to choke back sobs;

It’s heart-breaking. Really, truly, heart-breaking, but, it’s hardly unexpected.

“..C’mere…” she whispers, instinct guiding her hands to his back, so she can start to soothe his straining ribs, “…You’re okay…. You’re safe now, I promise…”

Both of his hands, metal and flesh are clutching her waist, betraying how desperately he needs her assurances. He’s way too busy bawling to try and formulate any kind of coherent response, so he doesn’t even try. He just clings to the woman he loves and retreats inwards as his body continues to weep.

He doesn’t know why he’s suddenly so far gone. He’s not even certain that he’s upset…

When he tries to think about that, it only gets more muddy, because he… he doesn’t think this is anything he’s felt before.

It’s not isolated terror, or despair, or agony— but, it’s not a happy feeling either. This isn’t the kind of relief fulled weeping that he was wracked with on the first night he was brought to a room and it dawned on him that he really was free— that it was over— It’s some strange mixture that he can’t put a name too, all he knows is that it’s too much to process. His chest hurts, so do his eyes, and he can’t stop crying now that he's started,

“Shhhhhh”

Y/N’s gentle exhaling washes over him like a wave. Gentle and soothing as her fingers card through his hair;

“…Everything’s okay now…” she promises, “…You’re alright…”

He keens back into her touch before turning, letting his cheek rest against her chest. It’s different to how he was positioned before, with he was entirely hidden within the crook of her neck, and now he can’t help but whimper as the cool room air laps at his flushed, wet, face.

“Oh, sweetheart…” Y/N sighs, hating the fractured sound he’s just made, “You’re okay… You’re safe… It’s all okay…”

Her thumb is on his cheek. She’s drying his tears while she tells him over and over again that he’s home, that he’s not in danger, that she loves him, and that it’s all going to be alright—

and Bucky thinks in a startling break from hysteria, that this, this feeling is mercy.

Masterlist

[heliza24]

Analyzing the Sex Scenes in Young Royals (Using Cinematic Language!)- Part 2

(You can read Part 1 here)

Since people seemed to like my first post breaking down the intimacy scenes in Young Royals (thank you all so much for reblogging!) I thought I would write you all a part 2. We've covered a lot of the Simon/Wilhelm scenes already, so this post is going to branch out to include some of the other characters. Writing the first post helped me pinpoint all of the techniques that really make the Simon/Wilhelm scenes special, and I think we can learn a lot about the creators' view of a pairing by looking at the ways in which those cinematic techniques are applied, or omitted, in non-Wilmon intimacy scenes.

But first, let's do one Wilmon scene, because I can't write a post that doesn't include them at all. Let's look at the fish naming scene in 1.5. I think it's one of the most special scenes in the series.

I really like how the needle drop song that's underscored the lead up to this scene (Wilhelm coming to Simon's house, the girls setting up for their sleep over at Manor House) climaxes and ends while Wilhelm's looking around Simon's room for the first time. There's something about it that captures the excitement and anxiety of a new partner seeing your space for the first time. I think you can tell that Simon is cognizant of how small his room must be compared to what Wilhelm is used to. But we can also see how happy Wilhelm is to learn about Simon by being in his space.

The space itself looks inviting and cozy (as Wilhelm says) because of how softly it's lit. I talk a lot about the wonderful golden light in these scenes, and this is probably the best example of it. The strongest light is coming from the fish tank, which helps turns their discussion about the fish into a symbol for their connection. (This symbol reverberates all the way into season 2; Simon refusing to tell Marcus the fish's names tells us all we need to know about their connection, or lack thereof.) The fishtank is also our way into the heightened sound mixing that's present in all of their intimate scenes. You can hear the filter buzz. It's so quiet and not something that you would normally notice. It really pulls you into the closeness of the scene.

I love the way the music comes in right when Wilhelm kisses Simon's neck. It's such a gentle melody, and I think we've heard pieces of it in their previous intimate scenes together. There's also something really interesting happening in the camera work here. It's not unusual for the cameras in Young Royals to be handheld, allowing for some natural movement in shots. But here the camera seems to almost float. As Simon lets himself get carried away by Wilhelm's touch, the camera almost seems to do the same. It moves with the characters, almost becoming part of the choreography of the scene. It really emphasizes how powerful Wilhelm and Simon's connection is.

Ok, now that we've reminded ourselves of the gold standard of intimacy, vulnerability, and sexiness that is Simon and Wilhelm together, let's compare it to a scene that is decidedly not any of those things: Felice and August in 1.3, when she goes to his room to hook up after Sara embarrasses her and Wilhelm rejects her at parents' weekend. The first thing I notice here is that this scene is much darker than any other intimacy scene in the show. (Literally and figuratively, you could say). There's no golden light here, and shadows fall over Felice's face especially, perhaps reflecting her dark state of mind. Unlike in the fish scene between Simon and Wilhelm, the camera itself isn't moving with the characters; instead it is still, dispassionately observing. I'm fairly sure that the music here is used in other places in the show (it's the track Sun After Rain on the season 1 soundtrack); in my mind this melody is associated with scenes in classes and corridors and groups of students. This emphasizes to me that this hookup is less about feeling and more about social standing; Felice is doing this explicitly to regain her footing after begin rejected, and August has always wanted Felice because she is high status. The music also continues into the next scene, where Simon packs his bag to stay overnight at Hillerska with Wilhelm. That continuation of music doesn't happen with any other sex scene, and it emphasizes how unspecial, how unelevated the scene between Felice and August is.

Let's stick with August for a minute, and examine how different his scene with Sara in 2.3 is to his scene with Felice. No matter how you feel about Sara and August in the long run, it's pretty clear to me that the show wants us to believe in their emotional and physical connection in this scene. All of the techniques in lighting, music, and sound that elevate the Simon/Wilhelm scenes (and that were missing in the August/Felice scene) are present here.

August playing innocent and saying he "just wants to talk" when Sara walks in always makes me laugh, because Sir! Your shirt is off and your room is bathed in golden sex light (tm)! But to be serious, I love the way his room is lit here. It looks cozy and inviting in a way that we haven't seen before. And it lets us see him in a whole new, tender light (once again, literal and figurative). I notice the sound shifting around the time August confesses that he feels like "the worst person in the world" and Sara comforts him. At this point in the scene you can hear the rustle of her clothes and the way her hand makes contact with his chest when she touches him. And then the dreamy music starts. This is a different melody than what we've heard in past scenes, but it has the same shimmery quality of the scoring in Simon and Wilhelm's interactions. There's a rising scale embedded in the melody, which makes it feel airy and hopeful. I love that these characters get to be a little silly together, which to me is always evidence of great chemistry. They fumble with the condom but they're laughing together, not at each other. They're working as a team. Sara is right under the golden lamplight for most of the scene and she looks radiant. I'm not fully sure what to make of August turning out the light part way through the scene. In some ways I feel like it amps up the intimacy, pulling us and the camera in even closer so we can see what's happening in the dark. But it could also foreshadow the ways in which the palace's offer is about to corrupt August and ruin the potential of their relationship.

Let's circle back to Felice and Wilhelm and see what happens when the show puts them together in 2.3. This scene is fascinating to me because of the layers of conflicting emotion going on. The lighting in this scene is so interesting! There is a source of golden light: the lamp near the head of Wilhelm's bed. But it doesn't illuminate the whole space. It mainly hits Felice and not Wilhelm. Unfortunately I don't think we get enough Felice development to really know what she's thinking in this scene. But my read of her is that there is at least a small part of her that is genuinely attracted to Wilhelm, even if her logical brain knows that they would be better off as friends. Regardless, I think her feelings in the scene are a lot more genuine than Wilhelm's, who is fully projecting his feelings about Simon onto her. So I think it's significant that she's lit and he's in relative darkness.

The music is high and anticipatory and bright, but after Wilhelm restarts the kiss after Felice stops him, there's a surging bass beat that adds a feeling of danger and uncertainty to the scene. On a blocking level, I think it's very significant that Wilhelm puts Felice into a very stereotypical heterosexual position here, with him on top and her on the bottom. This feels forced and wrong after the more fluid, queer give and take of the Simon/Wilhelm scenes we've seen. (It also really contradicts my personal read of the characters. There are two wolves inside of each of us and one of mine wants to know what would have happened if Felice had ended up on top instead and Henry hadn't interrupted. The other wolf feels like even suggesting something that isn't purely Wilhelm/Simon is blasphemy. I contain multitudes). The transition back into the "real world" when Henry knocks on the door isn't quite as stark as when Malin interrupts Simon and Wilhelm in season 1. The music fades rather than cuts off. I think that reflects the messiness of the way they are caught. That shot of Felice running down the corridor is so chaotic- she wriggles past Henry and cuts across an otherwise perfectly composed frame- and it really makes me feel for her. All of her conflicting feelings and shame are so palpable. One of my big wishes for season 3 is a fulfilling intimate scene for Felice, because I feel so sad about her encounters so far.

That's all I have for now! I hope you found the comparison between Wilmon and the other pairings illuminating. If you have additional thoughts about these scenes I would love to hear them!

(And a little PSA: If you enjoyed me talking about the sex scenes in Young Royals you might also enjoy me writing sex scenes for our Young Royals fic Heart and Homeland. Even though it's an AU we tried hard to capture the sacred tenderness that we love in the show, especially in the Simon and Wilhelm scenes.)

[ninepentz]

Here's one secret about that narcissist in your life they wouldn't want you to know

So I think I cracked a code when it comes to narcissism.

Have you ever noticed that the narcissist in your life seems to heavily target you for some reason? They blame you for everything going wrong, maybe they mainly abuse/harass you, even tho other people are in their lives, it's like they have a hit out for you specifically.

This can make us internalize their hatered and abuse even more, which then affects our self esteem, confidence, life in general. It takes a huge toll on us, especially when it seems like their behaviors are so unpredictable and not making any sense. It seems like it must be something about us causing them to behave that way.

For a long time this had me stumped..I never could figure out why me, why was I so unlucky to be the target of their abuse and why couldn't they find someone else. I blamed myself, believing I am heavily flawed, weak, problematic and that if i do attract narcissistic individuals in my life maybe the common denominator is me, I'm the issue.

While that may be the case that I'm those things, it's actually not about you when the narcissist chooses you as their main target. What's happening is what they may see in you is someone with no protection, no friends, maybe no one around you who can hold them accountable, so they see you as someone they can take their anger out on with no consequences. It's not just the fact that it's you, it's not personal, it's bc they see you as defenseless, and this is what they take as an opportunity to get away with all their BS.

Maybe that narcissist has this habitual need to abuse others, unfortunately and weirdly, abusing others, starting problems, confrontation is how they release stress. An extremely fkd up way to handle problems but okay. So that's the thing, they don't cope well with stressors of life, their insecurities, their health issues, the bad moments in their life.

What they do is take that out on you. Do you ever have a bad day where maybe you were bullied at work, robbed walking down the street, lost your job, had a bad health day/flare up, something embarrassing happenend. It's something we all go through, well the narcissist tolerance for these things is very low and they often avoid feeling any pain so when they do that's when you'll see them at their worst taking it out on you or others.

So when you used to wonder, why are they acting like this all of a sudden, what behavior of yours caused this reaction out of them. Well like I said it's really not about you on a deep level.

But if you do unintentionally make the narcissist aware of their flaws or trigger something in them, this does exacerbate things even more.

Some people have a tendency to abuse animals, children, homeless people, disabled people and that's bc they are the least defensive on the planet. Dogs don't have the mental capacity to plan revenge and kill their human attackers, most of the time their narcissist owners basically abuse the power dynamics of having a defenseless dog at their finger tips. They can abuse them, take out all their frustration whenever they want bc this is something they can peacefully do indoors and they can basically say they own them, in their mind believing they have a right to do so.

The same thing goes for children and those with disabilities unfortunately. Do you see the path I'm going down here now? They attack you bc you bc it's easy, the weak way out, abusing the most vulnerable people.

What made me come to this conclusion is that last night on nye I stayed home alone just me and my son baking cookies and chilling, my parents went out tho as they usually do. They go out almost every weekend partying and things, they have a big social life. My mom is the narcissist in this situation, I do my best to avoid her at all costs and ive come to a place in my life where I ignore her no matter how bad she treats me or what she says to me. I've learned that keeping quiet, minding my buisness, protecting my energy is the only way to keep her off my back. It works more than fighting back ever did. When I did fight back and defend myself, things got worse. Ruined my own values to stoop down to her level, even allowed it to deteriorate my health. This is what happens when you let unhinged narcissist use you as their punching bag.

They love the drama of it all, they like fighting, they like embarrassing you, they like triggering you, maybe it distracts them from their problems and makes them feel powerful. When in reality they are struggling to feel powerful in their daily life with the rest of society.

But yeah so to continue my story, my parents went out for new years and when they got back the next morning it seemed like my mom was in a bad mood yet again. At this point I've been avoiding her for weeks, trying my best to not start any problems for my own mental health. So to me it was weird where this sudden energy is coming from and that's when I connected the dots. Something happened during her new years celebration with her friends and then she came home and attempted to take that out on me. And then I noticed that this has been a pattern bc something similar happened on Thanksgiving and christmas. The times of the year where all of the family/friends get together.

So yeah, obviously something about these events is bringing things up in her and now she's trying to take it out on me.

Now knowing this, I think it's important for all victims of narcissism to understand that they are using you to unleash all their personal issues, you are giving them the freedom and access to use you as their punching bag. This is what feeds their ego and gives them relief.

So what the narcissist doesn't want you to know is-

Once you take back your energy, revoke their access to you, and hopefully you can get rid of any dependence on them for survival, that's how you get your karma back on them. It's rare that victims of narcissism turn the page and fight back where it matters. Aggresively fighting back doesn't work, trying to have a peaceful conversation doesn't work, even trying to please them doesn't work, but what does is

Taking away you from the equation.

Just imagine a world where a narcissist couldn't find anyone to abuse and release their stress on. Omg that would be so miserable for them, I bet they would turn to self mutilation or heavy addictions tbh.

The weaker you are, the more dependent you are, the less power you have, the less money, the less mental health, the less physical health, the less support systems you have, the less knowledge you even have, the better it is for them to thrive. Do you think they deserve that? So take care of yourself this year and work on that, and when their behavior has you confused, you can always rely on their patterns.

I hope this makes sense to anyone who needed to hear it, and I hope you're able to change things around. Check out my other posts on narcissism if you haven't yet and thank you for reading <3

Shout out to @strangergraphics for the designs <3

✨️Nine of Pentacles✨️

[lya-dustin]

The Moon Lives in the Lining of Your Skin

chapter 2

Gil-galad x Erinti of the Maiar(oc)

“Have you always lived here?” he asks her as they wait for him to be healed enough to leave.

Rodnor sits on the bench while she tends to her garden of medicinal herbs. She cannot heal like Estë and her servants, but she can make the things that will heal people. This was her element; she tells herself as she digs her hands into the recently planted flowerbed and willed life to grow.

Especially the stubborn elf lord who refused to remember his body has limits.

It was not enough for him to be just a day or two away from recovery, just this morning he tried to spar with one of the trees and set himself back a week after being told his right hand was not ready yet.

But he had been so brave, gritting his teeth as his bones healed themselves with her touch. Been so brave that she kissed the pain away.

A mistake, she thinks, a mistake because now Rodnor knows her lips are better healers than her hands and now Erinti wonders how it would feel to kiss his lips.

She’s never kissed anyone before, the Eldar and the Edain have the most curious and strict set of ways that leave little freedom in her opinion.

“No, before here I used to live with my sister, Melian in Menegroth, but then I grew restless and decided it was time to be on my own.” She answers as she willed the seeds to grow as she poured her power into the soft earth. They grow too quickly, they always do whenever she feels infatuated with someone, “Have you always lived wherever it is you live at, Rodnor?”

“I grew up in the Havens of the Falas with my mother, Gilher. After the Nirnaeth Arnoediad we moved in the Isle of Balar, where I still live even after my lady mother faded a decade ago.” He does not mention the specifics, but Erinti cannot ask about those things he won’t say after he mentioned his mother’s passing.

“It must have been very painful for you to lose her.” Erinti paused and added as she cleaned the dirt off her hands with her apron and joined him on the bench, “I am very sorry for your loss, Rodnor.”

If she could kiss his pain away, she would, but wounds of the heart are not like those of the flesh. Erinti had cried herself for ages when Melian returned to Aman and Luthien died of the sickness that comes with old age.

She felt so lonely then, she wonders if Rodnor felt the same when his mother died.

“My thanks, Lothíriel, I am sorry for burdening you with my grief. I already owe you my life and telling you things that make you sad seems like a terrible way to repay your kindness.” The elf feels embarrassed at having been just a little vulnerable with her, Erinti wondered if that stupid notion some have of bottling everything up inside will ever stop.

“When Melian left, I felt as if my sister had abandoned me, I think by the time I finished mourning her and her family, her great granddaughter had married and had her own set of twins. A thing I learned during that time is that sometimes talking about it helps ease the pain.” Erinti had cried on the lap of a human grandmother when she finally let herself speak of the pain in her heart. The old woman had not judged her, perhaps that was what Rodnor needed to let go of some of that pain.

“My mother was in great pain, you see, my elder sister and my father passed when Nargothrond fell.” He began and Erinti did not fight the urge to hold his hand in support.

“How old were you when that happened?” the maia asked. So many kingdoms had fallen. Erinti had trouble keeping track of it all.

“I was a babe at her breast when we were sent away for our safety and that was the last time either of us saw them again.” He answers, leaning closer to her as if seeking comfort, and she leaned on his shoulder to comfort him for his loss.“I was all she had left, even if she had friends and kin to help her raise me, it pained her that her eldest child and her husband were gone.”

“When I had my hundredth begetting day, we quarreled, and I told her she was no longer burdened with raising me and the next morning she was gone.” There is a knot in his throat as he tells her this, and no wonder the death of a loved one is such a terrible thing to recount. The Maia felt awful for having even brought it up.

“The last time I saw Melian I told her she had become my jailer instead of remaining my sister. I wish I had not said such things, but I hope one day we can both apologize to them in Valinor.” She leans against his shoulder, relishing the warmth he gives.

“Perhaps we shall, my lady.” Rodnor then turns to look at her and held the Maia’s gaze. It makes her heart skip a beat and Erinti considers if they should pack provisions for two.

Been too long by your lonesome, no wonder this mystery ellon has you like this, the Maia can almost hear teenage Luthien’s sweet voice in the air.

Perhaps they have been alone too long, she thinks.

Rodnor has many questions, Erinti occasionally finds herself a little annoyed by them, but he ---like all people she was met--- is very adorable when he is being curious.

“How old are you?” he asks after they sit down for dinner one evening. Tomorrow he is supposed to be leaving and she has yet to find the courage to ask him if he would like a travelling companion.

“Older than the Ea, although this body is about as old as the Trees, and I did not grow into the person you see until Luthien ran off with Beren.” She answered as she sat back in her elegant blue silk chiton that still bore Melian’s sigil on the belt.

“So you grew at the same rate as she did, she was like your little sister, or perhaps, big sister?”

He looked handsome in her old clothes; blue was his most definitely his color. They look very well in somewhat matching blue chitons. He must be a of the line of Fingolfin, only he and his family could pull that dark haired blue and gold wearing noldo look. Did Fingon finally marry or did Turgon remarry because remarriage is not prohibited in Middle Earth?

Aredhel had a boy, but the birds say he sold his soul to Mogroth in exchange for his uncle’s city. Unfortunately, no one in the human village is brave enough to talk to her like their past generations and most of them had not been born then.

She was bereft of news of the outside world.

Last Erinti heard, Fingolfin’s youngest died with no issue and Aredhel’s one boy sold his soul to Melkor.

Who could this elf be?

“Sort of older twin sibling, I had the body of a twenty-year-old elfling when she was born and I did not begin to age until she had her twentieth begetting day.”  Erinti then spent roughly two thousand years unable to decide if she was male or female. The ainur are not born with the sex they present and some of them take more time to see what we like. Erinti had not realized she was a woman until Luthien introduced her as her sister and then it all made sense.

Not many understand that, besides she does not know his given name. When he tells her his given name then she may tell him more.

“I wish I did not have to leave; I have grown used to your company, Lothíriel.” He says when they finish readying everything for tomorrow.

Rodnor is to leave at first light after a fortnight here with her.

Is it bad that she does not want him to leave? Or that her gaze keeps going to his lips in curiosity when he mutters to himself as they made sure he had enough food and things for the travel. Erinti has never felt this before, is this how Melian felt when she first met her beloved Thingol?

She’s different now, as if she had aged that fortnight. As if she had stopped being the maia who came here to find their purpose, and now they wish to see if they can find it elsewhere.

“So have I, even if you refuse to tell me the name you gave yourself.” She teased him, looking up and thinking it was a terrible idea.

“Gil-galad. Radiant Star, after my naneth.” He is only a whisper away, looking at her with intent and desire. Desire she can feel brushing against her feä like tender caress.

If she were to step on her tiptoes ever so slightly, she could follow that pleasant feeling all the way to his lips.

“Lover of the stars, mother of starlight.” She cannot help but smile at the thoughtfulness of it. He chose his name after hers and not his father’s.

He reaches out to touch her face and she does not stop him, why would she? Even if it’s just for tonight she wants to be like girls in the tales she used to hear and sing about with Luthien.

This touch, this caress that is light and electrifying against her skin, is different from the ones before. There is something there that there never was before, not with Tilion, not with Nellas nor with Sael of the Edain.

“Leave with me tomorrow, Erinti Lothíriel. I do not wish to be parted from you.” He sounds as if the mere idea of being apart pains him, a sweet pain that she can feel too.

The maia cannot make the words come out, but she knows sometimes an action can speak louder than any word, so she takes a chance, reaches out for him and pressed her lips to his.

[titaniasthings]

Ginny and Luna's Relationship

I struggle so hard trying to figure out Ginny and Luna's friendship, which makes it a million times harder to figure out what a romantic relationship would look like for them. Fanon/movie Luna has really soured my view of her. She's this flanderized, whimsical(derogatory) girl who's just a vehicle for easy jokes and poetic lines. I'm re-reading parts of the last three books for a possible silver trio fic, and Luna in canon actually has so much more potential than I remembered.

“I’ll be quite glad if he has,” said Luna. “He isn’t a very good teacher, is he?” -Order of the Phoenix p.255

“Luna did not seem perturbed by Ron’s rudeness; on the contrary, she simply watched him for a while as though he were a mildly interesting television program.” - Order of the Phoenix, p.256

“I liked the D.A.! I learned loads with you!” “I enjoyed the meetings too,” said Luna serenely. “It was like having friends.” This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment.” - Half-Blood Prince p.153

“Well, they were right, weren’t they?” said Hermione impatiently. “There weren’t any such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack.” Luna gave her a withering look and flounced away, radishes swinging madly. ”- Order of the Phoenix p.333

I know I just threw a lot of quotes at you, but do you see the vision? Luna Lovegood is kind of a bitch(complimentary). She's off-putting, harsh, and argumentative. She is pretty rude sometimes and not accidentally. Doesn’t that sound like someone we know? It’s not coincidence that Luna and Hermione parallel each other. It was such a disservice when R*wling drops this dynamic for her own self insert.I personally like them being head-strong and messy about it.

I love the idea that Luna is actually very self-aware and thinks about the things she says. She doesn't just talk to talk contrary to popular fanon belief. She has strong beliefs and a backbone. She willingly goes to the Department of Mysteries, revels in being right and others not seeing the truth, and bites back when she wants to.

This version of Luna pairs very nicely with how I view Ginny. In canon, the level of their friendship kinda varies, but we can ignore that for the fun of it. They both are very passionate people, especially when it comes to their values. They do connect on a more emotional outside of that though. We see that both are desperate for friends at some point in their lives. They don't just want any friends; they want friends who understand them and make them feel seen. We don't know if Ginny actually agrees with Luna's politics, but I don't think their seeing eye to eye is what makes their relationship interesting. What makes it interesting is their mutual respect and defensiveness for each other's vulnerability. If we view Luna's strangeness as a guard, like how Ginny's short temper is a guard, we can see them strengthening each other's defenses.

“‘There’s no need to take that tone with me,’ she said coolly. ‘I was only wondering whether I could help.’ ‘Well, you can’t,’ said Harry shortly. ‘You’re being rather rude, you know,’ said Luna serenely.” - Order of the Phoenix p.937

“Oh, it’s been all right,” said Luna. “A bit lonely without the D.A. Ginny’s been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me ‘Loony’ the other day —“ - Half-Blood Prince p.347

I like that they protect each other, not just Ginny protecting Luna. Luna recognizes how difficult it is for Ginny to be open and wants to persevere it because she thinks her feelings are beautiful. I like to believe Ginny gains a lot of self-confidence before and after HBP and it’s because of that friendship with Luna. She heals Ginny’s girlhood a little.

They're the type of friends you only make in school. They wouldn't have known each other if they weren't forced to be around so much. They wouldn't have connected if they hadn't seen themselves reflected in each other.

I'll share a headcanon to display what I think their dynamic looks like. Ginny writes songs, and Luna composes the music. Ginny likes to write but doesn't do diary entries anymore because it feels too personal. She writes lyrics and distances herself from them even more by letting Luna sing them. Luna sings them because Ginny's words are so potent and raw that it gives Luna something to explore emotionally. Feelings she's never thought twice about.

As a Trio, Ginny, Neville, and Luna work well together. Neville bridges a personality gap that Ginny and Luna might have. Ginny and Luna's friendship is something I appreciate more now. I think they care about each other deeply and value their impact on one another. I don't think I can ship Linny simply because I think they'd get bored of each other. I am excited to dive into a Luna with this Catherine Morland-esque mindset.

To end I’ll leave you with an excerpt from “the wolf’s just a puppy (and the door’s double-locked)” by @pebblysand which has a really rich portrayal of their relationship in only a paragraph.

[timeofjuly]

OoooOooOOhhH I'd like a "🚫" on our MC plss 🙏🙏

What she gonna hide? Is her written criminal records not enough? 🧐 or is it prolly jus smth embarrassing in the past 😂 (maybe Quinn would use it as some lighthearted/playful ⬛✉️ or smth lmaoo)

I LOVE this question omfg. MC’s both a pretty open person AND someone who finds humour in almost everything, including like, really awful stuff that happens to her, so there’s not a whole lot that she wouldn’t be okay with sharing. So that makes the stuff she isn’t open about even more painful!

I’m going to give three categories of answer: the first is stuff she wouldn’t want anyone other than Quinn to know, and the second stuff that she specifically doesn’t want Quinn to know. The third is something funny lol because this’ll be pretty bleak otherwise.

In the first category I would say that she wouldn’t want people to know about are any details about either of her overdoses. Even years on, it’s intensely private and painful and vulnerable. The shame still feels really fresh. She’d be okay with talking about it to Quinn if Quinn brought it up, but the lid of that trauma box is otherwise very firmly shut.

In the second category, the shit that she’d never, ever, willingly talk about to anybody, is what happened that stopped her using drugs for good. I very vaguely alluded to it in chapter three, when MC’s talking about being clean and Quinn wonders what rock bottom had looked. Very Bad, is the answer. It’ll show up in the story so I won’t spoil anything, but it’s something that fundamentally changed MC as a person and destroyed parts of her personality. The idea of anyone knowing the details, but especially Quinn? She’d rather eat glass lol.

And in the third, to end this angst-fest, is this: post high school, Quinn and MC have moved out and have this shitty apartment. Quinn’s at work. MC’s home alone and decides she wants to do something nice for Quinn and make her dinner. MC is not culinarily gifted. One thing leads to another and the stove catches fire. MC panics and THROWS WATER ON IT, the one thing you’re not meant to do to a grease fire, so it spreads. The fire alarms go off and the entire building is evacuated. The firefighters come. It’s a mess. MC manages to (somehow) convince everyone that there was a gas leak or something and by the time that Quinn comes home, it’s too late to go back on the lie. Quinn believes the gas leak story to this day. I like to imagine that this is why MC is so fire-conscious in chapter 1 lmao.

Find the ask meme here

[michelleelizabethtanner]

I’m deep into my season 4 good girls rewatch and OH MY DAYS. I was so excited to get to this season because of the brio goodness because there’s a lot more consistent softness then the other seasons- and I’m glad there is because neither beth or Rio is getting any kind of softness anywhere else! My boy Rio is scared SHITLESS of Nick even though he tries to hide it, it’s devastating seeing him look so powerless.

And Beth- Dean and Stan are just AFTER her, despite the way all three of the good girls are in it together- everyone seems to have blamed Beth! She has a legion of man babies after her ( all of deans weird skincare cult was especially weird) Imagine being forced to make a deal with your best friends husband to never see her again (I expected better of Stan:( ) it’s like they’re their only safe space in season 4

The way Rio pined for her in season 4 fed my whole soul.

You know what scene I really loved? This one.

It’s such a vulnerable scene for them both. It’s exactly what you’re saying – they have no one else to go to except each other. She’s struggling with her identity and how much she’s hurting those she’s claiming to love. And he’s struggling with downright embarrassment and betrayal from someone he looked up to and trusted.

It’s so interesting that he came to her himself with his black eye. He could have sent someone else, like Mick, to pick up the money. But no, he came himself and sat beside her so close. No separation. I feel like he was visibly uncomfortable. He kept turning his face away and refusing to look at her. Kept his hands touching his face all the time the way people do when they’re self conscious. So why did he show up at all? She must have met some need for him in this moment. He essentially took a beating for her. I keep wondering what his mindset was. Like, maybe he wanted her to see how far he’d go for her, even if she didn’t have any context. Or maybe it was self-punishment of sorts. Because he’s suffered so much for her, and yet he still couldn’t shake wanting her to validate him.

There are a lot of these kind of underrated scenes between them that seem almost lacking in intimacy, and yet show an enormous amount of intimacy. Everything from him showing up, to the way she handled him showing up with an injury and acting all embarrassed about it. She was actually really sensitive about it. Asked him what happened without making a big deal. Gave him space to tell her as much or as little as he wanted. Imagine how much personal understanding she must have had of him in this moment to know exactly how much to give him and when to not push him. They’re a couple here, idc what they’re trying to pretend. They know each other. Intimately and wholly, they really see in each other what others don’t.

[ghost-proofbaby]

hour 22 💔 everyone's screaming, crying but I'm feeling weirdly pumped up by this chapter. And I remember feeling the exact same way in Shire when Willow and Eddie had their showdown outside Steve's (why is Steve's home always involved?! 🤣) It's hard to explain, but this is and was the turning point in both stories. Eddie's and R's previous interactions cannot carry on like they used to after this and it's a GOOD thing. and I know she's planning on never seeing him again but he can't let that happen, none of them will. Especially Nancy.

I can't even process them getting caught by the neighbour, you've written that so well, something that's supposed to be hilarious but just isn't in the wake of everything. And then her finally properly blowing up at him. That felt so cathartic, she's needed that for a while and for it to be an admission of love, not an insult, that's triggered it was genius.

His pov had my favourite parts for sure.

'Eddies eyes are back on you, palms running up his outer thighs until he curls them to fists by his hips'

Hailey. Ghost. You have created your own hand flex Darcy moment, you should be proud. Could physically feel how much he just wants to touch her, his pain that he can't.

Then her birthday, I have wondered a lot not exactly why he stayed away but how he felt about staying away and him wishing his own affection would have overfilled her cup, implying that he would have been there for the night with her. Just beautiful. But then my favourite,

'He's homesick. He's watched the way you've interacted with Robin and Steve the entire night, and he's goddamn homesick for a home that he'll never hold the keys to'

This was exquisite. Take a bow. I'm hurting in places I didn't know I could. Them referring to eachother as home though this entire fic so far has been so emotional. It's why I'm weirdly giddy about this chapter, because they've just gotta find their way back to eachother.

Her leaving was awful and so sad but, yea. It's necessary at this point. If she'd stayed she'd have made it seem ok that he did this, but also it's gonna maybe create a bit of assertiveness from Eddie and make him get everything he wants.

Also - it's so annoying that the bartender wasn't actually such a bad guy. I mean, f**k him for not explaining to her that he couldn't go through with the date because he needs to go get the love of his life, she would have understood. But yea, if you're gonna stand someone up, an epiphany is pretty good reason. Controversial opinion maybe.

Can't get over your brain for creating this fic and also can't get over that it was supposed to be like a filler between Shire and Mordor, like. WHAT? Just amazing. 🖤🖤

oh lord. i have to say: i will never not get a bit misty eyed at your long replies/comments on my fics. i just- god i love you so much bat.

i’m so so glad that the whole getting caught bit came across that way!! it was one of the particular scenes that gave me so much trouble!!! i know it’s funny in retrospect, but in that intense moment, it’d be so hard to laugh about. it’s hard to have that moment of comic relief between the whole l bomb that had been dropped and then the embarrassment that has to follow (especially when they were caught while both feeling so, so vulnerable).

and?? MY OWN DARCY MOMENT?? dear god that’s amongst the highest praise i’ve ever received 😭 i don’t even know how to feel besides incoherent squeals.

them referring to each other as home is something very near and dear to me. it’s a common thing that’s probably overused in my writing, but to me, that’s what love feels like — you know you’ve found your person/people (romantic OR platonic) when you just look at them and it feels exactly like that. it feels like coming home. that “in another life, i would have really liked doing taxes with you” and the poem about being content to just sit and make a grocery list and that one person you’d be okay with just sitting on the kitchen floor with, not a single word exchanged, just to be around them. through sadness, through happiness, just through existing. i could go on and on about it but. yeah 🥹

and yes! the bartender bit was very much annoying. it was important to me that it’s clear that it was monumental but also… really, who’s going to blame the guy? he’s insignificant to reader long term, but to eddie, that was just life changing. he couldn’t wrap his head around someone looking at reader and deciding there was someone better out there. and that’s really more reflective on him and his own journey of figuring out his shit than anything else. 🖤 (i do agree, though — don’t stand people up 😭 communication, people!! just communicate!!!)

thank you. thank you always always always for reading and for being so supportive and being amongst the people that have encouraged me to continue sharing these ideas. i just appreciate you a whole lot. and i’m sorry for the long ass reply, but your comments just always are so spot on and deserve responses that are at least a fraction of what you offer me <3

[queer-and-dear-books]

Title: If I See You Again Tomorrow

Author: Robbie Couch

Genre: Sci-fi | Friendship | Romance | LGBTQ+

Content Warnings: Internalized Homophobia

Overall Rating: 9.8/10

Personal Opinion: I was already convinced that Robbie Couch was my favorite author and then he goes and releases this banger? It is so riveting, unique, romantic, and refreshing. Something Couch does really well is not putting the romance dead center. He focuses on the friendships that the protagonist cultivates first and foremost and the romance naturally comes forward after. And every pairing feels so genuine to me. Clark and Beau especially. They make me believe in destiny.

Do I Own This Book? Technically yes. My friend bought it (and also Blaine for the Win) for me when he was in NY visiting but he also borrowed it so it’s not physically with me at the moment. But yes, I do own it.

Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

- I love the way everything is connected. I love the way everything has a reason for being. Down to the last detail. Everything from why Clark couldn’t find David Dopamine’s time loop video to why Thom freaked out on day 310 when Beau showed up. It doesn’t matter how small or big the detail was, it was important. The significance of Beau’s errands too, being the key to Clark curing his loneliness is so special to me. Because I love every person Clark came into contact with on day 310.

- Let’s talk about the people Clark met on day 310. Starting with, of course, Beau. Oh my god, the guy is nuts. But his spontaneity was truly magnetic and I can see why people so easily gravitate toward him. He can be a bit over-the-top with his shenanigans but he shines brightest when he is acting over-the-top. 

- Otto is my favorite though. I just love burly bakers. Gentle giants. He deserves a hug. In the loops where he gave Clark the recipe to his blue velvet brownies, I was breaking down in tears. And then when he finally talked about Ben, I just about lost it. My emotions were a mess but Otto is just so kind and so friendly with everyone, I just can’t. I’m getting emotional all over again just thinking about him.

- Emery was an unexpected joy. He feels like a supporting actor in this story which is, well, exactly what he is. Like he fits the role to a T. What I mean by that is that I didn’t really expect much from his interactions with Clark but as they learned about each other, became friends in some loops, I really felt a bond with him. It’s like when you get attached to minor characters in shows and you cheer when they come on screen. That’s how it felt with Emery. Like he was just some guy you want to support and see thrive away from the antics and chaotic messes of the main cast. I hope he gets his breakout role someday.

- Dee is a delight. I mean, she is a whirlwind. And I find it so hilarious that she would reject Clark so vehemently in some loops. Which is reasonable! She is a woman alone at night, she has every reason to have her guard up. But on day 311, when she invited Clark out for BLTs and milkshakes, I could feel her cry for help. Her need to not be alone. And wow, when she explained everything that happened at The Wrinkles concert, it’s no wonder why she felt like she could die from embarrassment. But I love that she found courage in Clark’s vulnerability and was able to share her secret. Not only that but I am just overjoyed that she and Emery are likely going to get their fairy-tale ending!

- Now for the people Clark has known since before day 310. I am talking about Sadie! Oh my god, that ominous, “I need you” text deviation on day 310 had me in a chokehold. I was so fucking worried about her and it turns out she was just lonely without Clark. Not to downplay her loneliness at all! She just moved to a new place before her senior year, that’s nuts. I get why she’s sad. But oh my god, when Clark Facetimed her and she started crying because she missed him, I was all up in my feels because I truly felt their friendship. It was palpable every time they Facetimed but that last one on day 364 had me in a vicegrip.

- Clark’s family! I had already guessed that his dad had an affair. Or at least, I knew he was the one who was actually at fault for the divorce. It was obvious but also still a surprise enough to gut punch me. Like, you see it coming but the impact still surprises you. But god, when Clark decided to check in on his dad for the first time on day 364, I was a mess again. I just can’t handle a family crying session. And I love that Clark was mature enough not to end things on a bad note even if time was going to loop again.

- Then we have mom and Blair. Mom was really trying her hardest to connect with her son and Clark did not make it easy on her. And I understand why. A divorce is a big deal. Combined with their fight and Sadie moving, it’s no wonder why Clark erupted on day 311. But on day 364, when he decided to finally bake with his mom and apologize for what he put her through, I was going to go ballistic. My emotions were everywhere. As if it was not enough for Blair to say, “You’re a great big brother and I love you.” Like stop. Sibling love gets me worse than parental love. 

- Ms. Hazel is such a good therapist. Oh my god, I just, I love when characters actually seek help. And I love that Clark took his therapy homework and therapy itself seriously. It can be so easy to ignore that stuff, to not take that leap of faith, but he did it. And I love how he openly appreciates her sessions. That’s a beautiful thing.

- Now, as if all of these new and old relationships weren’t enough, we have Professor Copeman. Oh the regret and shame she had for not corroborating Runyon’s story, I felt that in my soul. But the fact that they were destined to meet and change each other’s lives in such a big way is just so beautiful.

- And that’s the last thing I need to talk about. The time loop itself! The fact that it happened because Clark and Beau were meant to meet! I’m glad it wasn’t just a romantic soulmates thing like Beau thought. It’s just about two people who will have a deep impact on each other’s lives. Like that is so special to me.

Dislikes:

- Here is my one real gripe. How can Clark even consider that Mr. Thunderburnt’s theory is correct? Firstly, he doesn’t mention Loop Partners. Secondly, if getting trapped in a time loop has to do with a breakup, then why is Clark experiencing it too? Obviously Runyon’s theory is the correct one in this situation! I guess if I was in Clark’s situation, I would not be the most rational but the soulmate theory is just stupid to me. And it kind of upsets me that Beau just refused to believe any other theory. He wasted a lot of days after giving up when he could have enjoyed them with Clark.

- Also soulmate is written as two words and that bugs me.

- Thom. I don’t really like that he was framed as being wrong for wanting a subtle partner. I do think it was wrong of him to try to change Beau into something that fit his needs better, yes. But I don’t know, maybe it’s because of my culture but I just hate the narrative of a relationship being good only if it’s out. The Long Run and The Minus-One Club have shown me just how wonderful in-the-closet relationships can be. When both partners can wait until they’re ready to come out. But yes, I do see why Otto didn’t like Thom or at least, didn’t think he was a good fit for Beau. I just feel so sympathetic toward Thom! As someone who knows people that have been disowned, rejected, and spurned by loved ones after coming out, I can’t not feel some sympathy for Thom. I just hope he finds a relationship that suits his needs from the start.

[tetsunabouquet]

Hey there, I saw the NSFW HC that you did for Zero, and I was wondering if you'd do one for Ichiru too?

A/N: An Ichiru Kiryu fangirl? Oh my god, yes! As a Kiryu supremacist, of course I am willing to write one for Ichiru as well!

(18+)

-Because he agrees with Zero's general taste of women yet he doesn't specifies his ideal girl having big breasts like Zero, that whilst he would like it if his girlfriend has large breasts, it's not very high on his list of attributes his girlfriend should have. -He's the Kiryu brother with the most humor in bed, whenever something embarrassing happens he's the ony to laugh it off and turn it into a funny moment to tease you about later. -Ichiru is just overall more light-hearted and less uptight of a person, and it shows in more then one way. -For one, Ichiru is far more willing to engage in public indiscretions. -Especially when there's something either extremely formal or sacred about the place. Boring politician schemes is something Ichiru can only hear for so long before some kind of longing to spice things up starts crackling under his skin. -He'll excuse you and himself with the most perfect lie, and no one but you can see him smirking as he turns around the corner with you to find some place where he can ravage you. -Even when he was attending school, he'd play footsie with you when no one could see to his heart's content. -His ideal girl is a bit like him, you manage to be cool and charming to the people around you but have a very playful side you keep for only the people close to you. -Which is why only the people who truly know you, have an inkling for how dirty the two of you are. Ichiru is also a gentleman enough to want to keep these things a secret to himself. He's not the type to brag about sex (unless it's just him and Zero). -Ichiru is somewhat submissive in bed, as he sees his partner as a beautiful woman to be worshipped. -He praises you a lot, and he can never get enough of your body, it seems. -Because of him being a slightly submissive, appreciative partner, he is also the type to take his sweet time with eating you out. Often, you have orgasmed multiple times before he penetrates you. -You pleading him to stop teasing you won't work. He likes the way overstimulating you makes you fall apart. -He cherishes the moments he sees you drooling on his pillows. -Ichiru takes aftercare almost religiously. Like his brother, he considers taking care of you in your most vulnerable state to be his utmost priority as your partner. -He'll often litter your body with his kisses during aftercare. -Ichiru always asks you if you need something, like if you're in the mood to drink a glass of water, etc. -He likes to fall asleep holding you. Because of his past feelings for Shizuka and her death, Ichiru feels like he doesn't wants to lose a woman he's in love with again and it assures him to physically hold you in his sleep. He doesn't wants his heart to get broken like that ever again, and preferably would cling to you all the time. Knowing better then to do so, he reserves that clingy attitude for when the two of you are in bed. -And you feel assured in Ichiru's protective, strong arms. There isn't anyone you'd want to spoon other then Ichiru.

[cleverhottubmiracle]

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission. In case you were living under a rock and didn’t know, fertility struggles are so, so common. In fact, an estimated 10 percent of women (6.1 million) struggle with infertility in the United States. Yet somehow, it’s still a topic — along with the common circumstance of miscarrying — that many feel uncomfortable discussing. Why? Because going through infertility struggles, whether or not you end up moving forward with fertility treatment measures such as IVF, can be extremely painful and isolating. And why do parents feel pressure to keep the whole thing a secret from loved ones on top of all that? Isn’t it unfair for any hopeful would-be parent to feel like they’re going through this battle alone? (Answer: Yes. Yes it is.) Enter these outspoken celebrities who are getting vulnerable about their own challenges to break the taboo around infertility. From Amy Schumer to Chrissy Teigen and Gabrielle Union to Kevin Richardson (yep, the Backstreet Boy), plenty of Hollywood’s major stars have gone public with their family’s fertility challenges, from IVF treatments to hiring a surrogate. And by opening up the conversation, they’re working wonders to help others understand they aren’t alone in this usually exhausting, often heart-wrenching experience. Because even though the struggle to start a family might be ongoing, there is comfort in knowing there are others sharing that same journey. In the words of Amy Schumer after she opened up on Instagram about beginning the IVF process, “There are sooooo many of us willing to be there for each other. Your stories helped me more than you can imagine.” Ahead are a variety of famous figures who are changing the conversation and busting the stigma surrounding infertility. A version of this story was originally published in August 2016.  Erin Andrews Image Credit: Nina Westervelt for Variety Erin Andrews opened up about her experience with IVF during a Jan. 2025 appearance on the Wave Original podcast Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce. The sports broadcaster and her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll, had a 9-year-long fertility journey — which included IVF, freezing embryos, and a cervical cancer diagnosis — before welcoming a son via surrogate in 2023. “It sucked,” Andrews groaned. “It was so long … I was so embarrassed.” Andrews explained that it was especially hard for her as a hockey wife to be in the hockey wives room and see all the women having babies at a young age. “I helped raise their kids in the hockey wives room,” she said. “I always say to people even if your friends have never gone through IVF, surrogacy, or adoption, just talk to them because you can’t keep all this stuff in and sometimes it’s tough for your partner to relate,” she said. ” …  The day I went public with how much it sucked and that we weren’t having success, so many people reached out to us and were like, ‘Oh my god we’ve gone through this too.'” “So it was kind of like therapy.” Kylie Kelce — who is expecting her fourth daughter with husband Jason Kelce — could relate, saying that when you start to discuss loss, IVF, infertility, and the likes, people “start coming out of the woodwork” to share their similar experience. “It’s one of those things that makes you so sad because obviously it’s not necessarily a club you want to be a part of,” Kelce said, “but then you realize how many people have experienced that and how many people are sitting in silence with it and it sort of almost stings a little to realize that we’re all carrying this degree of trauma.” “[People are] not talking about it as if it’s something that we should be ashamed of, that doesn’t need to be talked about, that’s too personal to talk about,” she continued, “but if we’re all experiencing it, is it really that personal?” *Mic drop* Kourtney Kardashian Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection In a raw Instagram Q&A in May 2024, Kourtney Kardashian shared that she underwent five failed cycles of IVF and three retrievals before ultimately conceiving her son Rocky — who she shares with husband Travis Barker. “My body relaxed, and I believed in God’s plan for my life,” she shared. “Lots of prayers for whatever was meant to be for us.” “Also lots of optimising my health. I know how hard it is to feel like you’re not trying, but believing in God’s plan and saying your prayers is so powerful.” Kardashian found out she was pregnant on Valentine’s Day 2023, one year after stopping treatment. Kardashian and Barker each have three children from previous relationships. Colton Underwood Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection Former Bachelor Colton Underwood got incredibly raw in a 2024 interview with Men’s Health where he revealed that he and husband Jordan C. Brown were expecting their first. When collecting samples for their surrogate, Underwood found out that while his husband had “50 or 55 million” sperm in his semen, Underwood had four. Not four million. Four. “And three of them are dead. Word for word, what the doctor said, he goes, ‘Uh, I can maybe make this one work.’ This one?!” “I wish somebody had educated me about my sperm and my body, and the decisions that I made and how it would impact me,” Underwood said, later explaining that it could have been his daily hot tub soaks, morning coffee, strenuous workout sessions, and visits to the sauna that impacted his sperm count. After many lifestyle changes, Underwood got his count up into the millions, and the couple proceeded with their journey to fatherhood, seeking out a surrogate and an egg donor. Underwood and Brown expect a baby boy in October 2024. Emma Thompson Image Credit: Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images In the hopes of giving her daughter Gaia a little sibling, actress Emma Thompson underwent IVF treatments. “I would have desperately liked to have had more children and it’s been a great agony for me,” she said in 2003. “There’s been an awful lot of grief to get through in not being able to get pregnant again, but there are thousands and thousands of women like me who can’t have children.” That year, Thompson and her husband Greg Wise met Tindyebwa “Tindy” Agaba, a refugee from Rwanda who later became their informally adopted son. Hugh Jackman Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Hugh Jackman and ex Deborra-Lee Furness always wanted both adopted and biological children, but after IVF treatments and miscarriages, they realized the latter was not going to happen. “It is a difficult time. The miscarriage thing — apparently it happens to one in three pregnancies — but it’s very, very rarely talked about,” Jackman said. “It’s almost secretive. But it’s a good thing to talk about. It’s more common and it’s tough, there’s a grieving process you have to go through.” The actor and Furness later adopted kids Oscar and Ava. “The moment Oscar was born all the heartache melted away. You can’t prepare for that moment, nothing can prepare you.” Dylan Dreyer Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Today Show co-host Dylan Dreyer got incredibly vulnerable when sharing her infertility journey in April 2019. It’s a journey that included a heartbreaking miscarriage when trying for Baby No. 2, a surgery to remove scarring from her emergency C-section, and finding out that, at age 37, she had around the same number of eggs as someone in their mid-40s. “[My husband] and I have been going through all this without anyone knowing because these are all private things… aren’t they? Why do women (and their partners) have to go through all these ups and downs in the dark? Smiling on TV when I want to burst out in tears,” she said on Today.com. She acknowledged how grateful and lucky she is to have one son but wished she could give him a sibling. “The way Cal loves on other babies and asks to hold them and gently touches their arms shows me that he would be an amazing older brother. Brian and I are the youngest of three and the relationships we have with our siblings is so special. We have so much love to give and we want to grow our family. We thought it would be easy to do that, and it’s not.” Ahead of IVF treatments she said, “I don’t know how I really feel right this second. I guess I’m excited … albeit a little disappointed that my body couldn’t do this naturally. I’m scared about what’s ahead … I feel like on one hand I’m going against what God has in the cards for me, but at the same time he helped me to make this decision so it could very well be part of the plan.” Dreyer and husband Brian Fichera welcomed their second son, Oliver, in January 2020, and their son Rusty less than two years later.  Halsey Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection After being diagnosed with endometriosis, having surgery to treat the condition, and suffering multiple miscarriages, Halsey decided to freeze her eggs at age 23 to “aggressively” protect her fertility. “Reproductive illness is so frustrating because it can really make you feel like less of a woman,” she said. “…you don’t feel sexy, you don’t feel proud, and you don’t feel like there’s much hope, so taking these measures to make sure that hopefully I get to have a bright future and achieve the things I want to achieve by doing an ovarian reserve is so important.” Nicole Kidman Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Nicole Kidman is the proud mom of four kids. After infertility struggles, an ectopic pregnancy, and a miscarriage, she and ex-husband Tom Cruise adopted their daughter Bella and son Connor. Then, in 2007, she welcomed her “miracle” daughter, Sunday, at age 40. Three years later, they welcomed a second daughter, Faith, via surrogate. The actress thinks it’s important to destigmatize conversations about infertility, per Hello! “I do believe we help carve paths that bring us together and you go, ‘Oh, OK, you’re going through this, too. There is hope.'” Rebel Wilson Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection In 2020, Rebel Wilson spoke to Today, per BuzzFeed, about realizing how much she wanted to be a mother as she approached age 40. “But at the time, I didn’t have a partner, and so I went to the fertility doctor,” she explained. ” … Then it was devastating when I’d gone through three egg-harvesting procedures and then, while I was filming The Almond and the Seahorse, I tried to create embryos from the eggs, and none of them survived.” “[I was] being healthy and [doing] everything the doctors had said, and feeling awesome — and then it didn’t work,” she continued. “All 18 eggs that I had, none of them worked. I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ It was such an emotional roller coaster.” In Nov. 2022, Wilson welcomed daughter Royce Lillian with Ramona Agruma. Tamron Hall Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Tamron Hall spoke to Allure in 2019 about the mental health aspect of her infertility journey. “We don’t talk about [that] aspect of it enough, the loneliness enough, because it’s easy enough to hide these things and make it about the physical nature of it. But, for me, it’s a whole-body experience and a whole journey that can be shared,” the TV host said. “This is not an issue exclusive to women,” she continued. “It’s a parenting journey … So many stigmas have been broken down and so many stereotypes have been demolished that if you can’t conceive you’re not flawed. Your body is not betraying you. It’s a journey, and sometimes it’ll turn into your dream and sometimes it won’t. But we can talk about it.” Earlier that year, at age 48, Hall welcomed son Moses with husband Steven Greener. Sarah Jessica Parker Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection One of eight siblings herself, Sarah Jessica Parker is now a mom of three — but would have had more, if it weren’t so difficult. She told Vogue in 2010 that she had “tried and tried and tried and tried and tried to get pregnant, but it just was not to be, the conventional way — I would give birth as often as I could, if I could. I cherished all the milestones, the good and the bad.” Luckily, surrogacy was an option for Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, and they welcomed twin daughters Tabitha and Marion in addition to their son, James Wilkie. Michelle Obama Image Credit: NBC In former first lady Michelle Obama’s 2018 memoir, Becoming, she revealed that she and President Barack Obama had used IVF to conceive their daughters, Malia and Sasha.  “We were trying to get pregnant and it wasn’t going well,” she wrote in the memoir. “We had one pregnancy test come back positive, which caused us both to forget every worry and swoon with joy, but a couple of weeks later I had a miscarriage, which left me physically uncomfortable and cratered any optimism we felt.” Idina Menzel Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection Idina Menzel opened up to InStyle about her struggle to conceive a second child via IVF, saying, “At a certain time, you’re exhausted emotionally and physically. It becomes apparent that it is just time to let that go and move on,” adding, “the more you [try for it] — and when it doesn’t happen, you’re upset, you realize how much you want it.” Speaking about sharing her experience with infertility in her documentary, Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?, the singer and actress explained, “I want women to feel like they’re being seen and heard. And for people to understand that experience a lot of us go on, how emotional it is, what it does to our bodies and how it affects us day to day, let alone trying to sing high notes and get on stage.”  Amy Schumer Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Fabulous funnylady — and former SHE Media BlogHer speaker — Amy Schumer revealed on Instagram in January 2020 that she was “a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional.” Supportive comments from fans and friends rolled in, and Schumer continued to keep it real throughout her treatment process, sharing drugged-up videos and doctor’s office glamour shots. “I learned to eat salty food after and drink Gatorade,” she wrote on Instagram of the IVF injections. “Ice the area. Take arnica and put arnica on the bruises. To be patient and kind to myself and that there are sooooo many of us willing to be there for each other. Your stories helped me more than you can imagine. I feel incredibly lucky. I’m really hoping this works and staying positive.” Amazon MGM Studios THE IDEA OF YOU Advance Screening & Conversation Image Credit: Quoin Pics/Everett Collection Gabrielle Union, who wasn’t sure she wanted to have children until she bonded with her stepchildren, chronicles her struggles with infertility in her book We’re Going to Need More Wine. “For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant — I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle,” Union writes. She also revealed that she’s had multiple miscarriages in her journey to conceive. After all the heartbreak, Union and husband Dwyane Wade welcomed their daughter Kaavia via surrogate in 2018. “We are sleepless and delirious,” Wade wrote on Instagram, “but so excited to share that our miracle baby arrived last night via surrogate and 11/7 will forever be etched in our hearts as the most loveliest of all the lovely days. Welcome to the party sweet girl!” Jaime King Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Supermodel and actress Jaime King gave birth to her first son, James Knight, in 2013, and second son, Leo Thames, in 2015. But it took seven years of trying to conceive for her to get pregnant — and she’s been vocal about that trying time in her life.  In an interview with Fit Pregnancy, she discussed how her second pregnancy differed greatly from her first: “Nobody knew how long it took me to get pregnant: That for seven years I had so many losses, I’d been trying for so long and I was in so much pain,” King said. “I felt like a part of me was broken because the fact is let’s be real: The only difference between men and women that we grow up with is that we’re able to carry a child. Somewhere in our subconscious when someone tells you, ‘Oh, you might not be able to do that,’ you feel like it’s the one thing that you have that’s this gift, that makes you a woman, and there’s something wrong with you.” Giuliana Rancic Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, Giuliana Rancic had to take cancer-suppressing medications that made getting pregnant a risky endeavor. The television host told People she and husband Bill Rancic welcomed their son Edward Duke with the help of a surrogate in 2012, but that when they tried for a second child with a surrogate, Rancic discovered on New Year’s Eve that she miscarried with their third and last remaining embryo. Rancic called the loss the “toughest blow” and confessed, “It was a really hard time.” She also revealed that she is more open than ever to the idea of adoption because she thinks to herself, “I love Duke so much, if I couldn’t take care of him, I hope there would be someone else who would love him.”  Tenth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection On Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian spoke often about the difficult time she and Kanye West had conceiving after the birth of their first child, North West. The reality star and her musician/designer husband tried for more than one year after North’s birth to conceive again, and after announcing their second pregnancy, Kardashian revealed that giving birth for the first time was no walk in the park. “I had so many complications. I had this condition called placenta accreta. There were a couple little operations to fix all that, so that created a little hole in my uterus, which I think made it really tough to get pregnant again. It was a long road. I would go to the doctor in Beverly Hills every day at five in the morning to get tested to see if I was ovulating.” Kardashian said all of the pressure and stress took the fun out of trying to have a baby, and she did everything from consulting a nutritionist to getting acupuncture in order to help. But it’s been worth the long haul: She welcomed son Saint in 2015. She’s also mom to two more kids via surrogate: Chicago, born in 2018, and Psalm, born in 2019. Mariah Carey Image Credit: Variety via Getty Images Legendary singer Mariah Carey opened up to Barbara Walters on 20/20 about her infertility struggles after safely giving birth to twins Monroe and Moroccan in 2011. After marrying now ex-husband Nick Cannon, she had a miscarriage in 2008 and, as a precaution, took progesterone before and during her second pregnancy and had daily acupuncture treatments to help reduce her stress. “The main thing I did that was tough, was to go on progesterone like every month… and then when I was pregnant, I had to stay with the progesterone for 10 weeks,” Carey said. While pregnant with her twins, Carey discovered she had gestational diabetes, was at risk of suffering from seizures, and was put on bed rest. “I don’t think I understood the enormity and the magnitude of what it really does to your body,” she said of having twins. “Carrying two babies. Unless somebody’s been through it, it’s difficult to understand what I went through, because my pregnancy was very unique in terms of what happened to me.” Trista Sutter Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Former Bachelorette Trista Sutter described the two years she and husband Ryan tried to conceive as a dark time in her life. In her book Happily Ever After: The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart, Sutter reveals that she has always wanted to be a mom and that when that didn’t immediately happen after she and Ryan married in 2003, she began to question their relationship, herself, and God. “It’s a very difficult thing to not be able to do anything about making a dream of yours come true and questioning whether something is wrong with you,” Sutter explained. “So that was definitely a dark time in my life.” Sutter told People she and her husband were ready to try IVF, but then they discovered she was pregnant with their first child, Maxwell. She worked with a company called OV Watch to predict when she was ovulating — and it worked for them. Since then, Sutter and her husband have also welcomed a daughter named Blakesley, but she says three kids are not in the cards — she had the Essure procedure done, which is a permanent form of birth control. Tyra Banks Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks welcomed a baby boy named York Banks Asla, who was born via gestational surrogate in 2016. But Banks and her FabLife co-host Chrissy Teigen revealed that they both struggled with infertility issues on a segment of the show. After Teigen begged the audience to stop asking her about children because the struggle to conceive is a very real one, Banks broke down in tears as she explained the pain she and other women feel when they can’t conceive: “I want to co-sign what Chrissy is saying and say ‘You have no idea what people are going through,'” Banks said.  “Why am I crying? You just have no idea what people are going through, so when you ask Chrissy that or me that or anybody that, it is none of your frigging business, OK? And for any women, it is none of your business what somebody is going through. Whether they want to have a child or don’t ever want to have a child or may have a child on the way, it’s none of your business, OK? Until somebody wants to make it your business.” Banks later revealed she underwent IVF treatments and that the procedure was difficult for her. “We’re kind of going through this similar thing with IVF,” she said. “And, you know, putting needles in your tummy every day and having to come to work and smile when you feel like you want to throw up and lay down… I can’t believe I’m saying this right now.” Padma Lakshm Image Credit: Christina DeOrtentiis/Everett Collection The birth of Padma Lakshmi’s baby girl in 2009 was described as a miracle because the actor discovered at age 36 that she suffered from Stage 4 endometriosis and had to have two surgeries to help with her condition. Lakshmi, who co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America, said doctors told her she’d probably never be able to get pregnant and that she froze her eggs as insurance. The cookbook author says by some miracle she got pregnant naturally, but that she was very lucky because it’s a rare occurrence in someone with Stage 3 or Stage 4 endometriosis. Now, she’s doing her part to raise awareness of infertility and how difficult it is for women. “I think infertility is one of those subjects that nobody likes to talk about for obvious reasons,” she said. “It’s very personal, everybody’s different. It has to do with your sexuality, but it also has to do with your own feelings about your womanhood and all the cultural and religious and familial taboos wrapped around that. And we have insecurities about that, so why would we want to be open about something so touchy? But I think it’s important, as a community, to come together.” Naomi Campbell Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection As one of the original ’80s/’90s supermodels, Naomi Campbell is a woman who seemed to be on top of the world; but in 2008, when she was 38, Campbell opened up about her personal struggle with infertility. At a fundraiser for the White Ribbon Alliance, which offers health care for pregnant women around the world, Campbell said she wanted children, but that she was infertile until she received a corrective surgery that year for what she originally thought was a cyst. “I was not able to have children until March,” Campbell said. “Now it’s in God’s hands. I would love to have a family.” At 50 years old, the supermodel announced that she had become a mother to a baby girl in 2021, but she’s kept her daughter from the public eye since. Brooke Shields Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection As a spokesperson for Fertility Lifelines, model and actress Brooke Shields is an open book when it comes to her infertility issues. The mom of two had to have surgery on her cervix to remove precancerous cells, and the procedure left scarring that made it difficult for her to become pregnant. She tried artificial insemination several times with husband Chris Henchy, but the procedure was unsuccessful. Because she was 36 when she started trying to conceive, she says her doctor suggested IVF. “I had to take these shots for weeks,” she wrote in her memoir, Down Came the Rain. “In addition, there were countless doctor visits for blood tests, sonograms and peeing on sticks, not to mention the estrogen patches I had to wear that made me look and feel like I’d had a skin graft when they were removed.” She continued, “The whole process was quite an ordeal, and we became slaves to the time of day and to little vials of liquid. We’d find ourselves out at dinner with friends, and then we’d have to sneak off to a coat room, where we’d huddle over syringes and a travel-size cooler filled with small bottles of drugs.” After her first round of IVF, Shields became pregnant but miscarried. She was ready to stop trying when she got pregnant during her last cycle of treatments in 2002. “I was about ready to call it quits. I was growing weary of the anticipation and the pressure, and Chris said he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing me rip off another estrogen patch in frustration… at wit’s end, we decided to try one more time.” The couple is now raising their daughters Rowan and Grier. Elizabeth Banks Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection In an interview with Lucky, Banks revealed she had a womb issue and that her embryos wouldn’t implant. As a result, she and husband Max Handelman chose to use a gestational surrogate, whom she remained close to. “It’s a big leap, inviting this person into your life to do this amazing, important thing for you,” she said, continuing, “And it’s hard losing that kind of control. But our surrogate is so extraordinary, and she’s still in our lives. She’s like an auntie.” Banks and Handelman have sons Felix, born 2011, and Magnus, born 2012, both born via gestational surrogate. Again, Banks was quick to praise her surrogate. “This experience has exceeded all expectations, taught us a great deal about generosity and gratitude, and established a relationship that will last a lifetime.” Jimmy Fallon Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection Women aren’t the only celebrities who feel the anxiety, disappointment, and sadness of infertility. After welcoming their daughter Winnie in 2013, TV host Jimmy Fallon revealed he and his wife used a surrogate after trying for five years to get pregnant. “We’ve tried a bunch of things,” Fallon said. “Anyone who’s tried will know, it’s just awful.” The couple told friends and family they were pregnant in the past, but Fallon said it didn’t work out and it was hard on everybody. They kept Winnie a secret until the very last minute, and Fallon used his position to speak directly to anyone dealing with infertility issues. “We tried for a long time, for five years. I know people have tried much longer, but if there’s anyone out there who is trying and they’re just losing hope… Just hang in there. Try every avenue; try anything you can do, ’cause you’ll get there. You’ll end up with a family, and it’s so worth it. It is the most worth it thing. I’m just so happy right now. I’m freaking out.” Chrissy Teigen Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Despite her giving nature on social media, model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend didn’t feel it was OK to broadcast their infertility struggle to billions of strangers. Teigen says she wanted to talk about infertility for so long, but that her IVF treatments felt too personal to discuss. “It didn’t feel right to ever tweet, ‘Ugh, doing my IVF shots again,'” Teigen said. “It just sounded silly. It definitely was not planned in that episode at all.” Teigen was referring to an episode of her show FabLife, where she and co-host Tyra Banks opened up about the difficulties both were facing getting pregnant. She says she and Legend had dealt with the challenge for years and that they relied on the support of close friends to see them through it. “I think we just have really good people around us that never said anything or else you would have known,” Teigen said. “I have a team of maybe 60 people, John has hundreds and everyone knew. They knew the failures, the successes, everything, but it’s never gotten out.” Teigen and Legend are parents to Luna, Miles, Esti, and Wren. Wren was born via surrogate just months after his big sister Esti.  Gwen Stefani Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images After giving birth to two sons with now-ex husband Gavin Rossdale, Gwen Stefani desperately wanted a third baby — but told Marie Claire she had trouble conceiving. She was 40 at the time and admitted to the magazine that she was all set to accept life the way it was. “I really, really, really wanted one about two years ago,” Stefani said. “And it didn’t really work out. So… I feel good with what we’ve got. Everything works out how it should. You can’t plan anything, right? You can try.” Then, in 2014, Stefani discovered at 44 she was pregnant with her third son, Apollo — and she said son Kingston had everything to do with it (leaving us to assume IVF treatments were not involved). “Kingston… has a direct line to God, basically,” Stefani said. “[He started to pray,] ‘Dear God, please let my mom have a baby. Please, God! Please let my mom have a baby.’ I swear to you, he prayed every single night, and four weeks later, I was pregnant.”  Tia Mowry Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection Tia Mowry and ex-husband Cory Hardrict are the proud parents of Cree and Cairo, but the Sister, Sister star said endometriosis made her dreams of giving big-brother Cree a little sister tougher than she’d imagined.  “I often felt like something was wrong with me,” she told Women’s Health. “I thought I was alone because no one I knew personally had dealt with this. And then I realized: I’d never really seen someone African American in the public eye talking about endometriosis or their struggles with infertility. And when you don’t know or see anyone who looks like you talking about what you’re going through, you feel alone and suffer in silence.” Kevin Richardson Image Credit: Derek Storm/Everett Collection Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson and wife Kristin have two little boys, but they’ve been frank about the infertility struggles they faced before conceiving son Maxwell. In fact, Kristin appeared in Pushing Motherhood, a documentary about the topic in which she spoke out about multiple rounds of IVF and other clinical procedures that were unsuccessful. As Kevin said of the process, “It just didn’t feel right, so we were like, ‘Let’s stop this. Let’s reset your body, reduce stress, make you feel happy and healthy, then go back to the roots of how it’s supposed to be done. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be, and if not, we’ll adopt.’” In the end, Kristin conceived naturally.  Source link

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If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission. In case you were living under a rock and didn’t know, fertility struggles are so, so common. In fact, an estimated 10 percent of women (6.1 million) struggle with infertility in the United States. Yet somehow, it’s still a topic — along with the common circumstance of miscarrying — that many feel uncomfortable discussing. Why? Because going through infertility struggles, whether or not you end up moving forward with fertility treatment measures such as IVF, can be extremely painful and isolating. And why do parents feel pressure to keep the whole thing a secret from loved ones on top of all that? Isn’t it unfair for any hopeful would-be parent to feel like they’re going through this battle alone? (Answer: Yes. Yes it is.) Enter these outspoken celebrities who are getting vulnerable about their own challenges to break the taboo around infertility. From Amy Schumer to Chrissy Teigen and Gabrielle Union to Kevin Richardson (yep, the Backstreet Boy), plenty of Hollywood’s major stars have gone public with their family’s fertility challenges, from IVF treatments to hiring a surrogate. And by opening up the conversation, they’re working wonders to help others understand they aren’t alone in this usually exhausting, often heart-wrenching experience. Because even though the struggle to start a family might be ongoing, there is comfort in knowing there are others sharing that same journey. In the words of Amy Schumer after she opened up on Instagram about beginning the IVF process, “There are sooooo many of us willing to be there for each other. Your stories helped me more than you can imagine.” Ahead are a variety of famous figures who are changing the conversation and busting the stigma surrounding infertility. A version of this story was originally published in August 2016.  Erin Andrews Image Credit: Nina Westervelt for Variety Erin Andrews opened up about her experience with IVF during a Jan. 2025 appearance on the Wave Original podcast Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce. The sports broadcaster and her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll, had a 9-year-long fertility journey — which included IVF, freezing embryos, and a cervical cancer diagnosis — before welcoming a son via surrogate in 2023. “It sucked,” Andrews groaned. “It was so long … I was so embarrassed.” Andrews explained that it was especially hard for her as a hockey wife to be in the hockey wives room and see all the women having babies at a young age. “I helped raise their kids in the hockey wives room,” she said. “I always say to people even if your friends have never gone through IVF, surrogacy, or adoption, just talk to them because you can’t keep all this stuff in and sometimes it’s tough for your partner to relate,” she said. ” …  The day I went public with how much it sucked and that we weren’t having success, so many people reached out to us and were like, ‘Oh my god we’ve gone through this too.'” “So it was kind of like therapy.” Kylie Kelce — who is expecting her fourth daughter with husband Jason Kelce — could relate, saying that when you start to discuss loss, IVF, infertility, and the likes, people “start coming out of the woodwork” to share their similar experience. “It’s one of those things that makes you so sad because obviously it’s not necessarily a club you want to be a part of,” Kelce said, “but then you realize how many people have experienced that and how many people are sitting in silence with it and it sort of almost stings a little to realize that we’re all carrying this degree of trauma.” “[People are] not talking about it as if it’s something that we should be ashamed of, that doesn’t need to be talked about, that’s too personal to talk about,” she continued, “but if we’re all experiencing it, is it really that personal?” *Mic drop* Kourtney Kardashian Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection In a raw Instagram Q&A in May 2024, Kourtney Kardashian shared that she underwent five failed cycles of IVF and three retrievals before ultimately conceiving her son Rocky — who she shares with husband Travis Barker. “My body relaxed, and I believed in God’s plan for my life,” she shared. “Lots of prayers for whatever was meant to be for us.” “Also lots of optimising my health. I know how hard it is to feel like you’re not trying, but believing in God’s plan and saying your prayers is so powerful.” Kardashian found out she was pregnant on Valentine’s Day 2023, one year after stopping treatment. Kardashian and Barker each have three children from previous relationships. Colton Underwood Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection Former Bachelor Colton Underwood got incredibly raw in a 2024 interview with Men’s Health where he revealed that he and husband Jordan C. Brown were expecting their first. When collecting samples for their surrogate, Underwood found out that while his husband had “50 or 55 million” sperm in his semen, Underwood had four. Not four million. Four. “And three of them are dead. Word for word, what the doctor said, he goes, ‘Uh, I can maybe make this one work.’ This one?!” “I wish somebody had educated me about my sperm and my body, and the decisions that I made and how it would impact me,” Underwood said, later explaining that it could have been his daily hot tub soaks, morning coffee, strenuous workout sessions, and visits to the sauna that impacted his sperm count. After many lifestyle changes, Underwood got his count up into the millions, and the couple proceeded with their journey to fatherhood, seeking out a surrogate and an egg donor. Underwood and Brown expect a baby boy in October 2024. Emma Thompson Image Credit: Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images In the hopes of giving her daughter Gaia a little sibling, actress Emma Thompson underwent IVF treatments. “I would have desperately liked to have had more children and it’s been a great agony for me,” she said in 2003. “There’s been an awful lot of grief to get through in not being able to get pregnant again, but there are thousands and thousands of women like me who can’t have children.” That year, Thompson and her husband Greg Wise met Tindyebwa “Tindy” Agaba, a refugee from Rwanda who later became their informally adopted son. Hugh Jackman Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Hugh Jackman and ex Deborra-Lee Furness always wanted both adopted and biological children, but after IVF treatments and miscarriages, they realized the latter was not going to happen. “It is a difficult time. The miscarriage thing — apparently it happens to one in three pregnancies — but it’s very, very rarely talked about,” Jackman said. “It’s almost secretive. But it’s a good thing to talk about. It’s more common and it’s tough, there’s a grieving process you have to go through.” The actor and Furness later adopted kids Oscar and Ava. “The moment Oscar was born all the heartache melted away. You can’t prepare for that moment, nothing can prepare you.” Dylan Dreyer Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Today Show co-host Dylan Dreyer got incredibly vulnerable when sharing her infertility journey in April 2019. It’s a journey that included a heartbreaking miscarriage when trying for Baby No. 2, a surgery to remove scarring from her emergency C-section, and finding out that, at age 37, she had around the same number of eggs as someone in their mid-40s. “[My husband] and I have been going through all this without anyone knowing because these are all private things… aren’t they? Why do women (and their partners) have to go through all these ups and downs in the dark? Smiling on TV when I want to burst out in tears,” she said on Today.com. She acknowledged how grateful and lucky she is to have one son but wished she could give him a sibling. “The way Cal loves on other babies and asks to hold them and gently touches their arms shows me that he would be an amazing older brother. Brian and I are the youngest of three and the relationships we have with our siblings is so special. We have so much love to give and we want to grow our family. We thought it would be easy to do that, and it’s not.” Ahead of IVF treatments she said, “I don’t know how I really feel right this second. I guess I’m excited … albeit a little disappointed that my body couldn’t do this naturally. I’m scared about what’s ahead … I feel like on one hand I’m going against what God has in the cards for me, but at the same time he helped me to make this decision so it could very well be part of the plan.” Dreyer and husband Brian Fichera welcomed their second son, Oliver, in January 2020, and their son Rusty less than two years later.  Halsey Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection After being diagnosed with endometriosis, having surgery to treat the condition, and suffering multiple miscarriages, Halsey decided to freeze her eggs at age 23 to “aggressively” protect her fertility. “Reproductive illness is so frustrating because it can really make you feel like less of a woman,” she said. “…you don’t feel sexy, you don’t feel proud, and you don’t feel like there’s much hope, so taking these measures to make sure that hopefully I get to have a bright future and achieve the things I want to achieve by doing an ovarian reserve is so important.” Nicole Kidman Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Nicole Kidman is the proud mom of four kids. After infertility struggles, an ectopic pregnancy, and a miscarriage, she and ex-husband Tom Cruise adopted their daughter Bella and son Connor. Then, in 2007, she welcomed her “miracle” daughter, Sunday, at age 40. Three years later, they welcomed a second daughter, Faith, via surrogate. The actress thinks it’s important to destigmatize conversations about infertility, per Hello! “I do believe we help carve paths that bring us together and you go, ‘Oh, OK, you’re going through this, too. There is hope.'” Rebel Wilson Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection In 2020, Rebel Wilson spoke to Today, per BuzzFeed, about realizing how much she wanted to be a mother as she approached age 40. “But at the time, I didn’t have a partner, and so I went to the fertility doctor,” she explained. ” … Then it was devastating when I’d gone through three egg-harvesting procedures and then, while I was filming The Almond and the Seahorse, I tried to create embryos from the eggs, and none of them survived.” “[I was] being healthy and [doing] everything the doctors had said, and feeling awesome — and then it didn’t work,” she continued. “All 18 eggs that I had, none of them worked. I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ It was such an emotional roller coaster.” In Nov. 2022, Wilson welcomed daughter Royce Lillian with Ramona Agruma. Tamron Hall Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Tamron Hall spoke to Allure in 2019 about the mental health aspect of her infertility journey. “We don’t talk about [that] aspect of it enough, the loneliness enough, because it’s easy enough to hide these things and make it about the physical nature of it. But, for me, it’s a whole-body experience and a whole journey that can be shared,” the TV host said. “This is not an issue exclusive to women,” she continued. “It’s a parenting journey … So many stigmas have been broken down and so many stereotypes have been demolished that if you can’t conceive you’re not flawed. Your body is not betraying you. It’s a journey, and sometimes it’ll turn into your dream and sometimes it won’t. But we can talk about it.” Earlier that year, at age 48, Hall welcomed son Moses with husband Steven Greener. Sarah Jessica Parker Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection One of eight siblings herself, Sarah Jessica Parker is now a mom of three — but would have had more, if it weren’t so difficult. She told Vogue in 2010 that she had “tried and tried and tried and tried and tried to get pregnant, but it just was not to be, the conventional way — I would give birth as often as I could, if I could. I cherished all the milestones, the good and the bad.” Luckily, surrogacy was an option for Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, and they welcomed twin daughters Tabitha and Marion in addition to their son, James Wilkie. Michelle Obama Image Credit: NBC In former first lady Michelle Obama’s 2018 memoir, Becoming, she revealed that she and President Barack Obama had used IVF to conceive their daughters, Malia and Sasha.  “We were trying to get pregnant and it wasn’t going well,” she wrote in the memoir. “We had one pregnancy test come back positive, which caused us both to forget every worry and swoon with joy, but a couple of weeks later I had a miscarriage, which left me physically uncomfortable and cratered any optimism we felt.” Idina Menzel Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection Idina Menzel opened up to InStyle about her struggle to conceive a second child via IVF, saying, “At a certain time, you’re exhausted emotionally and physically. It becomes apparent that it is just time to let that go and move on,” adding, “the more you [try for it] — and when it doesn’t happen, you’re upset, you realize how much you want it.” Speaking about sharing her experience with infertility in her documentary, Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?, the singer and actress explained, “I want women to feel like they’re being seen and heard. And for people to understand that experience a lot of us go on, how emotional it is, what it does to our bodies and how it affects us day to day, let alone trying to sing high notes and get on stage.”  Amy Schumer Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Fabulous funnylady — and former SHE Media BlogHer speaker — Amy Schumer revealed on Instagram in January 2020 that she was “a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional.” Supportive comments from fans and friends rolled in, and Schumer continued to keep it real throughout her treatment process, sharing drugged-up videos and doctor’s office glamour shots. “I learned to eat salty food after and drink Gatorade,” she wrote on Instagram of the IVF injections. “Ice the area. Take arnica and put arnica on the bruises. To be patient and kind to myself and that there are sooooo many of us willing to be there for each other. Your stories helped me more than you can imagine. I feel incredibly lucky. I’m really hoping this works and staying positive.” Amazon MGM Studios THE IDEA OF YOU Advance Screening & Conversation Image Credit: Quoin Pics/Everett Collection Gabrielle Union, who wasn’t sure she wanted to have children until she bonded with her stepchildren, chronicles her struggles with infertility in her book We’re Going to Need More Wine. “For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant — I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle,” Union writes. She also revealed that she’s had multiple miscarriages in her journey to conceive. After all the heartbreak, Union and husband Dwyane Wade welcomed their daughter Kaavia via surrogate in 2018. “We are sleepless and delirious,” Wade wrote on Instagram, “but so excited to share that our miracle baby arrived last night via surrogate and 11/7 will forever be etched in our hearts as the most loveliest of all the lovely days. Welcome to the party sweet girl!” Jaime King Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Supermodel and actress Jaime King gave birth to her first son, James Knight, in 2013, and second son, Leo Thames, in 2015. But it took seven years of trying to conceive for her to get pregnant — and she’s been vocal about that trying time in her life.  In an interview with Fit Pregnancy, she discussed how her second pregnancy differed greatly from her first: “Nobody knew how long it took me to get pregnant: That for seven years I had so many losses, I’d been trying for so long and I was in so much pain,” King said. “I felt like a part of me was broken because the fact is let’s be real: The only difference between men and women that we grow up with is that we’re able to carry a child. Somewhere in our subconscious when someone tells you, ‘Oh, you might not be able to do that,’ you feel like it’s the one thing that you have that’s this gift, that makes you a woman, and there’s something wrong with you.” Giuliana Rancic Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, Giuliana Rancic had to take cancer-suppressing medications that made getting pregnant a risky endeavor. The television host told People she and husband Bill Rancic welcomed their son Edward Duke with the help of a surrogate in 2012, but that when they tried for a second child with a surrogate, Rancic discovered on New Year’s Eve that she miscarried with their third and last remaining embryo. Rancic called the loss the “toughest blow” and confessed, “It was a really hard time.” She also revealed that she is more open than ever to the idea of adoption because she thinks to herself, “I love Duke so much, if I couldn’t take care of him, I hope there would be someone else who would love him.”  Tenth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection On Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian spoke often about the difficult time she and Kanye West had conceiving after the birth of their first child, North West. The reality star and her musician/designer husband tried for more than one year after North’s birth to conceive again, and after announcing their second pregnancy, Kardashian revealed that giving birth for the first time was no walk in the park. “I had so many complications. I had this condition called placenta accreta. There were a couple little operations to fix all that, so that created a little hole in my uterus, which I think made it really tough to get pregnant again. It was a long road. I would go to the doctor in Beverly Hills every day at five in the morning to get tested to see if I was ovulating.” Kardashian said all of the pressure and stress took the fun out of trying to have a baby, and she did everything from consulting a nutritionist to getting acupuncture in order to help. But it’s been worth the long haul: She welcomed son Saint in 2015. She’s also mom to two more kids via surrogate: Chicago, born in 2018, and Psalm, born in 2019. Mariah Carey Image Credit: Variety via Getty Images Legendary singer Mariah Carey opened up to Barbara Walters on 20/20 about her infertility struggles after safely giving birth to twins Monroe and Moroccan in 2011. After marrying now ex-husband Nick Cannon, she had a miscarriage in 2008 and, as a precaution, took progesterone before and during her second pregnancy and had daily acupuncture treatments to help reduce her stress. “The main thing I did that was tough, was to go on progesterone like every month… and then when I was pregnant, I had to stay with the progesterone for 10 weeks,” Carey said. While pregnant with her twins, Carey discovered she had gestational diabetes, was at risk of suffering from seizures, and was put on bed rest. “I don’t think I understood the enormity and the magnitude of what it really does to your body,” she said of having twins. “Carrying two babies. Unless somebody’s been through it, it’s difficult to understand what I went through, because my pregnancy was very unique in terms of what happened to me.” Trista Sutter Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Former Bachelorette Trista Sutter described the two years she and husband Ryan tried to conceive as a dark time in her life. In her book Happily Ever After: The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart, Sutter reveals that she has always wanted to be a mom and that when that didn’t immediately happen after she and Ryan married in 2003, she began to question their relationship, herself, and God. “It’s a very difficult thing to not be able to do anything about making a dream of yours come true and questioning whether something is wrong with you,” Sutter explained. “So that was definitely a dark time in my life.” Sutter told People she and her husband were ready to try IVF, but then they discovered she was pregnant with their first child, Maxwell. She worked with a company called OV Watch to predict when she was ovulating — and it worked for them. Since then, Sutter and her husband have also welcomed a daughter named Blakesley, but she says three kids are not in the cards — she had the Essure procedure done, which is a permanent form of birth control. Tyra Banks Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks welcomed a baby boy named York Banks Asla, who was born via gestational surrogate in 2016. But Banks and her FabLife co-host Chrissy Teigen revealed that they both struggled with infertility issues on a segment of the show. After Teigen begged the audience to stop asking her about children because the struggle to conceive is a very real one, Banks broke down in tears as she explained the pain she and other women feel when they can’t conceive: “I want to co-sign what Chrissy is saying and say ‘You have no idea what people are going through,'” Banks said.  “Why am I crying? You just have no idea what people are going through, so when you ask Chrissy that or me that or anybody that, it is none of your frigging business, OK? And for any women, it is none of your business what somebody is going through. Whether they want to have a child or don’t ever want to have a child or may have a child on the way, it’s none of your business, OK? Until somebody wants to make it your business.” Banks later revealed she underwent IVF treatments and that the procedure was difficult for her. “We’re kind of going through this similar thing with IVF,” she said. “And, you know, putting needles in your tummy every day and having to come to work and smile when you feel like you want to throw up and lay down… I can’t believe I’m saying this right now.” Padma Lakshm Image Credit: Christina DeOrtentiis/Everett Collection The birth of Padma Lakshmi’s baby girl in 2009 was described as a miracle because the actor discovered at age 36 that she suffered from Stage 4 endometriosis and had to have two surgeries to help with her condition. Lakshmi, who co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America, said doctors told her she’d probably never be able to get pregnant and that she froze her eggs as insurance. The cookbook author says by some miracle she got pregnant naturally, but that she was very lucky because it’s a rare occurrence in someone with Stage 3 or Stage 4 endometriosis. Now, she’s doing her part to raise awareness of infertility and how difficult it is for women. “I think infertility is one of those subjects that nobody likes to talk about for obvious reasons,” she said. “It’s very personal, everybody’s different. It has to do with your sexuality, but it also has to do with your own feelings about your womanhood and all the cultural and religious and familial taboos wrapped around that. And we have insecurities about that, so why would we want to be open about something so touchy? But I think it’s important, as a community, to come together.” Naomi Campbell Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection As one of the original ’80s/’90s supermodels, Naomi Campbell is a woman who seemed to be on top of the world; but in 2008, when she was 38, Campbell opened up about her personal struggle with infertility. At a fundraiser for the White Ribbon Alliance, which offers health care for pregnant women around the world, Campbell said she wanted children, but that she was infertile until she received a corrective surgery that year for what she originally thought was a cyst. “I was not able to have children until March,” Campbell said. “Now it’s in God’s hands. I would love to have a family.” At 50 years old, the supermodel announced that she had become a mother to a baby girl in 2021, but she’s kept her daughter from the public eye since. Brooke Shields Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection As a spokesperson for Fertility Lifelines, model and actress Brooke Shields is an open book when it comes to her infertility issues. The mom of two had to have surgery on her cervix to remove precancerous cells, and the procedure left scarring that made it difficult for her to become pregnant. She tried artificial insemination several times with husband Chris Henchy, but the procedure was unsuccessful. Because she was 36 when she started trying to conceive, she says her doctor suggested IVF. “I had to take these shots for weeks,” she wrote in her memoir, Down Came the Rain. “In addition, there were countless doctor visits for blood tests, sonograms and peeing on sticks, not to mention the estrogen patches I had to wear that made me look and feel like I’d had a skin graft when they were removed.” She continued, “The whole process was quite an ordeal, and we became slaves to the time of day and to little vials of liquid. We’d find ourselves out at dinner with friends, and then we’d have to sneak off to a coat room, where we’d huddle over syringes and a travel-size cooler filled with small bottles of drugs.” After her first round of IVF, Shields became pregnant but miscarried. She was ready to stop trying when she got pregnant during her last cycle of treatments in 2002. “I was about ready to call it quits. I was growing weary of the anticipation and the pressure, and Chris said he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing me rip off another estrogen patch in frustration… at wit’s end, we decided to try one more time.” The couple is now raising their daughters Rowan and Grier. Elizabeth Banks Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection In an interview with Lucky, Banks revealed she had a womb issue and that her embryos wouldn’t implant. As a result, she and husband Max Handelman chose to use a gestational surrogate, whom she remained close to. “It’s a big leap, inviting this person into your life to do this amazing, important thing for you,” she said, continuing, “And it’s hard losing that kind of control. But our surrogate is so extraordinary, and she’s still in our lives. She’s like an auntie.” Banks and Handelman have sons Felix, born 2011, and Magnus, born 2012, both born via gestational surrogate. Again, Banks was quick to praise her surrogate. “This experience has exceeded all expectations, taught us a great deal about generosity and gratitude, and established a relationship that will last a lifetime.” Jimmy Fallon Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection Women aren’t the only celebrities who feel the anxiety, disappointment, and sadness of infertility. After welcoming their daughter Winnie in 2013, TV host Jimmy Fallon revealed he and his wife used a surrogate after trying for five years to get pregnant. “We’ve tried a bunch of things,” Fallon said. “Anyone who’s tried will know, it’s just awful.” The couple told friends and family they were pregnant in the past, but Fallon said it didn’t work out and it was hard on everybody. They kept Winnie a secret until the very last minute, and Fallon used his position to speak directly to anyone dealing with infertility issues. “We tried for a long time, for five years. I know people have tried much longer, but if there’s anyone out there who is trying and they’re just losing hope… Just hang in there. Try every avenue; try anything you can do, ’cause you’ll get there. You’ll end up with a family, and it’s so worth it. It is the most worth it thing. I’m just so happy right now. I’m freaking out.” Chrissy Teigen Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Despite her giving nature on social media, model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend didn’t feel it was OK to broadcast their infertility struggle to billions of strangers. Teigen says she wanted to talk about infertility for so long, but that her IVF treatments felt too personal to discuss. “It didn’t feel right to ever tweet, ‘Ugh, doing my IVF shots again,'” Teigen said. “It just sounded silly. It definitely was not planned in that episode at all.” Teigen was referring to an episode of her show FabLife, where she and co-host Tyra Banks opened up about the difficulties both were facing getting pregnant. She says she and Legend had dealt with the challenge for years and that they relied on the support of close friends to see them through it. “I think we just have really good people around us that never said anything or else you would have known,” Teigen said. “I have a team of maybe 60 people, John has hundreds and everyone knew. They knew the failures, the successes, everything, but it’s never gotten out.” Teigen and Legend are parents to Luna, Miles, Esti, and Wren. Wren was born via surrogate just months after his big sister Esti.  Gwen Stefani Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images After giving birth to two sons with now-ex husband Gavin Rossdale, Gwen Stefani desperately wanted a third baby — but told Marie Claire she had trouble conceiving. She was 40 at the time and admitted to the magazine that she was all set to accept life the way it was. “I really, really, really wanted one about two years ago,” Stefani said. “And it didn’t really work out. So… I feel good with what we’ve got. Everything works out how it should. You can’t plan anything, right? You can try.” Then, in 2014, Stefani discovered at 44 she was pregnant with her third son, Apollo — and she said son Kingston had everything to do with it (leaving us to assume IVF treatments were not involved). “Kingston… has a direct line to God, basically,” Stefani said. “[He started to pray,] ‘Dear God, please let my mom have a baby. Please, God! Please let my mom have a baby.’ I swear to you, he prayed every single night, and four weeks later, I was pregnant.”  Tia Mowry Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection Tia Mowry and ex-husband Cory Hardrict are the proud parents of Cree and Cairo, but the Sister, Sister star said endometriosis made her dreams of giving big-brother Cree a little sister tougher than she’d imagined.  “I often felt like something was wrong with me,” she told Women’s Health. “I thought I was alone because no one I knew personally had dealt with this. And then I realized: I’d never really seen someone African American in the public eye talking about endometriosis or their struggles with infertility. And when you don’t know or see anyone who looks like you talking about what you’re going through, you feel alone and suffer in silence.” Kevin Richardson Image Credit: Derek Storm/Everett Collection Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson and wife Kristin have two little boys, but they’ve been frank about the infertility struggles they faced before conceiving son Maxwell. In fact, Kristin appeared in Pushing Motherhood, a documentary about the topic in which she spoke out about multiple rounds of IVF and other clinical procedures that were unsuccessful. As Kevin said of the process, “It just didn’t feel right, so we were like, ‘Let’s stop this. Let’s reset your body, reduce stress, make you feel happy and healthy, then go back to the roots of how it’s supposed to be done. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be, and if not, we’ll adopt.’” In the end, Kristin conceived naturally.  Source link

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If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission. In case you were living under a rock and didn’t know, fertility struggles are so, so common. In fact, an estimated 10 percent of women (6.1 million) struggle with infertility in the United States. Yet somehow, it’s still a topic — along with the common circumstance of miscarrying — that many feel uncomfortable discussing. Why? Because going through infertility struggles, whether or not you end up moving forward with fertility treatment measures such as IVF, can be extremely painful and isolating. And why do parents feel pressure to keep the whole thing a secret from loved ones on top of all that? Isn’t it unfair for any hopeful would-be parent to feel like they’re going through this battle alone? (Answer: Yes. Yes it is.) Enter these outspoken celebrities who are getting vulnerable about their own challenges to break the taboo around infertility. From Amy Schumer to Chrissy Teigen and Gabrielle Union to Kevin Richardson (yep, the Backstreet Boy), plenty of Hollywood’s major stars have gone public with their family’s fertility challenges, from IVF treatments to hiring a surrogate. And by opening up the conversation, they’re working wonders to help others understand they aren’t alone in this usually exhausting, often heart-wrenching experience. Because even though the struggle to start a family might be ongoing, there is comfort in knowing there are others sharing that same journey. In the words of Amy Schumer after she opened up on Instagram about beginning the IVF process, “There are sooooo many of us willing to be there for each other. Your stories helped me more than you can imagine.” Ahead are a variety of famous figures who are changing the conversation and busting the stigma surrounding infertility. A version of this story was originally published in August 2016.  Erin Andrews Image Credit: Nina Westervelt for Variety Erin Andrews opened up about her experience with IVF during a Jan. 2025 appearance on the Wave Original podcast Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce. The sports broadcaster and her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll, had a 9-year-long fertility journey — which included IVF, freezing embryos, and a cervical cancer diagnosis — before welcoming a son via surrogate in 2023. “It sucked,” Andrews groaned. “It was so long … I was so embarrassed.” Andrews explained that it was especially hard for her as a hockey wife to be in the hockey wives room and see all the women having babies at a young age. “I helped raise their kids in the hockey wives room,” she said. “I always say to people even if your friends have never gone through IVF, surrogacy, or adoption, just talk to them because you can’t keep all this stuff in and sometimes it’s tough for your partner to relate,” she said. ” …  The day I went public with how much it sucked and that we weren’t having success, so many people reached out to us and were like, ‘Oh my god we’ve gone through this too.'” “So it was kind of like therapy.” Kylie Kelce — who is expecting her fourth daughter with husband Jason Kelce — could relate, saying that when you start to discuss loss, IVF, infertility, and the likes, people “start coming out of the woodwork” to share their similar experience. “It’s one of those things that makes you so sad because obviously it’s not necessarily a club you want to be a part of,” Kelce said, “but then you realize how many people have experienced that and how many people are sitting in silence with it and it sort of almost stings a little to realize that we’re all carrying this degree of trauma.” “[People are] not talking about it as if it’s something that we should be ashamed of, that doesn’t need to be talked about, that’s too personal to talk about,” she continued, “but if we’re all experiencing it, is it really that personal?” *Mic drop* Kourtney Kardashian Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection In a raw Instagram Q&A in May 2024, Kourtney Kardashian shared that she underwent five failed cycles of IVF and three retrievals before ultimately conceiving her son Rocky — who she shares with husband Travis Barker. “My body relaxed, and I believed in God’s plan for my life,” she shared. “Lots of prayers for whatever was meant to be for us.” “Also lots of optimising my health. I know how hard it is to feel like you’re not trying, but believing in God’s plan and saying your prayers is so powerful.” Kardashian found out she was pregnant on Valentine’s Day 2023, one year after stopping treatment. Kardashian and Barker each have three children from previous relationships. Colton Underwood Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection Former Bachelor Colton Underwood got incredibly raw in a 2024 interview with Men’s Health where he revealed that he and husband Jordan C. Brown were expecting their first. When collecting samples for their surrogate, Underwood found out that while his husband had “50 or 55 million” sperm in his semen, Underwood had four. Not four million. Four. “And three of them are dead. Word for word, what the doctor said, he goes, ‘Uh, I can maybe make this one work.’ This one?!” “I wish somebody had educated me about my sperm and my body, and the decisions that I made and how it would impact me,” Underwood said, later explaining that it could have been his daily hot tub soaks, morning coffee, strenuous workout sessions, and visits to the sauna that impacted his sperm count. After many lifestyle changes, Underwood got his count up into the millions, and the couple proceeded with their journey to fatherhood, seeking out a surrogate and an egg donor. Underwood and Brown expect a baby boy in October 2024. Emma Thompson Image Credit: Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images In the hopes of giving her daughter Gaia a little sibling, actress Emma Thompson underwent IVF treatments. “I would have desperately liked to have had more children and it’s been a great agony for me,” she said in 2003. “There’s been an awful lot of grief to get through in not being able to get pregnant again, but there are thousands and thousands of women like me who can’t have children.” That year, Thompson and her husband Greg Wise met Tindyebwa “Tindy” Agaba, a refugee from Rwanda who later became their informally adopted son. Hugh Jackman Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Hugh Jackman and ex Deborra-Lee Furness always wanted both adopted and biological children, but after IVF treatments and miscarriages, they realized the latter was not going to happen. “It is a difficult time. The miscarriage thing — apparently it happens to one in three pregnancies — but it’s very, very rarely talked about,” Jackman said. “It’s almost secretive. But it’s a good thing to talk about. It’s more common and it’s tough, there’s a grieving process you have to go through.” The actor and Furness later adopted kids Oscar and Ava. “The moment Oscar was born all the heartache melted away. You can’t prepare for that moment, nothing can prepare you.” Dylan Dreyer Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Today Show co-host Dylan Dreyer got incredibly vulnerable when sharing her infertility journey in April 2019. It’s a journey that included a heartbreaking miscarriage when trying for Baby No. 2, a surgery to remove scarring from her emergency C-section, and finding out that, at age 37, she had around the same number of eggs as someone in their mid-40s. “[My husband] and I have been going through all this without anyone knowing because these are all private things… aren’t they? Why do women (and their partners) have to go through all these ups and downs in the dark? Smiling on TV when I want to burst out in tears,” she said on Today.com. She acknowledged how grateful and lucky she is to have one son but wished she could give him a sibling. “The way Cal loves on other babies and asks to hold them and gently touches their arms shows me that he would be an amazing older brother. Brian and I are the youngest of three and the relationships we have with our siblings is so special. We have so much love to give and we want to grow our family. We thought it would be easy to do that, and it’s not.” Ahead of IVF treatments she said, “I don’t know how I really feel right this second. I guess I’m excited … albeit a little disappointed that my body couldn’t do this naturally. I’m scared about what’s ahead … I feel like on one hand I’m going against what God has in the cards for me, but at the same time he helped me to make this decision so it could very well be part of the plan.” Dreyer and husband Brian Fichera welcomed their second son, Oliver, in January 2020, and their son Rusty less than two years later.  Halsey Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection After being diagnosed with endometriosis, having surgery to treat the condition, and suffering multiple miscarriages, Halsey decided to freeze her eggs at age 23 to “aggressively” protect her fertility. “Reproductive illness is so frustrating because it can really make you feel like less of a woman,” she said. “…you don’t feel sexy, you don’t feel proud, and you don’t feel like there’s much hope, so taking these measures to make sure that hopefully I get to have a bright future and achieve the things I want to achieve by doing an ovarian reserve is so important.” Nicole Kidman Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Nicole Kidman is the proud mom of four kids. After infertility struggles, an ectopic pregnancy, and a miscarriage, she and ex-husband Tom Cruise adopted their daughter Bella and son Connor. Then, in 2007, she welcomed her “miracle” daughter, Sunday, at age 40. Three years later, they welcomed a second daughter, Faith, via surrogate. The actress thinks it’s important to destigmatize conversations about infertility, per Hello! “I do believe we help carve paths that bring us together and you go, ‘Oh, OK, you’re going through this, too. There is hope.'” Rebel Wilson Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection In 2020, Rebel Wilson spoke to Today, per BuzzFeed, about realizing how much she wanted to be a mother as she approached age 40. “But at the time, I didn’t have a partner, and so I went to the fertility doctor,” she explained. ” … Then it was devastating when I’d gone through three egg-harvesting procedures and then, while I was filming The Almond and the Seahorse, I tried to create embryos from the eggs, and none of them survived.” “[I was] being healthy and [doing] everything the doctors had said, and feeling awesome — and then it didn’t work,” she continued. “All 18 eggs that I had, none of them worked. I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ It was such an emotional roller coaster.” In Nov. 2022, Wilson welcomed daughter Royce Lillian with Ramona Agruma. Tamron Hall Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Tamron Hall spoke to Allure in 2019 about the mental health aspect of her infertility journey. “We don’t talk about [that] aspect of it enough, the loneliness enough, because it’s easy enough to hide these things and make it about the physical nature of it. But, for me, it’s a whole-body experience and a whole journey that can be shared,” the TV host said. “This is not an issue exclusive to women,” she continued. “It’s a parenting journey … So many stigmas have been broken down and so many stereotypes have been demolished that if you can’t conceive you’re not flawed. Your body is not betraying you. It’s a journey, and sometimes it’ll turn into your dream and sometimes it won’t. But we can talk about it.” Earlier that year, at age 48, Hall welcomed son Moses with husband Steven Greener. Sarah Jessica Parker Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection One of eight siblings herself, Sarah Jessica Parker is now a mom of three — but would have had more, if it weren’t so difficult. She told Vogue in 2010 that she had “tried and tried and tried and tried and tried to get pregnant, but it just was not to be, the conventional way — I would give birth as often as I could, if I could. I cherished all the milestones, the good and the bad.” Luckily, surrogacy was an option for Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, and they welcomed twin daughters Tabitha and Marion in addition to their son, James Wilkie. Michelle Obama Image Credit: NBC In former first lady Michelle Obama’s 2018 memoir, Becoming, she revealed that she and President Barack Obama had used IVF to conceive their daughters, Malia and Sasha.  “We were trying to get pregnant and it wasn’t going well,” she wrote in the memoir. “We had one pregnancy test come back positive, which caused us both to forget every worry and swoon with joy, but a couple of weeks later I had a miscarriage, which left me physically uncomfortable and cratered any optimism we felt.” Idina Menzel Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection Idina Menzel opened up to InStyle about her struggle to conceive a second child via IVF, saying, “At a certain time, you’re exhausted emotionally and physically. It becomes apparent that it is just time to let that go and move on,” adding, “the more you [try for it] — and when it doesn’t happen, you’re upset, you realize how much you want it.” Speaking about sharing her experience with infertility in her documentary, Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?, the singer and actress explained, “I want women to feel like they’re being seen and heard. And for people to understand that experience a lot of us go on, how emotional it is, what it does to our bodies and how it affects us day to day, let alone trying to sing high notes and get on stage.”  Amy Schumer Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Fabulous funnylady — and former SHE Media BlogHer speaker — Amy Schumer revealed on Instagram in January 2020 that she was “a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional.” Supportive comments from fans and friends rolled in, and Schumer continued to keep it real throughout her treatment process, sharing drugged-up videos and doctor’s office glamour shots. “I learned to eat salty food after and drink Gatorade,” she wrote on Instagram of the IVF injections. “Ice the area. Take arnica and put arnica on the bruises. To be patient and kind to myself and that there are sooooo many of us willing to be there for each other. Your stories helped me more than you can imagine. I feel incredibly lucky. I’m really hoping this works and staying positive.” Amazon MGM Studios THE IDEA OF YOU Advance Screening & Conversation Image Credit: Quoin Pics/Everett Collection Gabrielle Union, who wasn’t sure she wanted to have children until she bonded with her stepchildren, chronicles her struggles with infertility in her book We’re Going to Need More Wine. “For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant — I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle,” Union writes. She also revealed that she’s had multiple miscarriages in her journey to conceive. After all the heartbreak, Union and husband Dwyane Wade welcomed their daughter Kaavia via surrogate in 2018. “We are sleepless and delirious,” Wade wrote on Instagram, “but so excited to share that our miracle baby arrived last night via surrogate and 11/7 will forever be etched in our hearts as the most loveliest of all the lovely days. Welcome to the party sweet girl!” Jaime King Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Supermodel and actress Jaime King gave birth to her first son, James Knight, in 2013, and second son, Leo Thames, in 2015. But it took seven years of trying to conceive for her to get pregnant — and she’s been vocal about that trying time in her life.  In an interview with Fit Pregnancy, she discussed how her second pregnancy differed greatly from her first: “Nobody knew how long it took me to get pregnant: That for seven years I had so many losses, I’d been trying for so long and I was in so much pain,” King said. “I felt like a part of me was broken because the fact is let’s be real: The only difference between men and women that we grow up with is that we’re able to carry a child. Somewhere in our subconscious when someone tells you, ‘Oh, you might not be able to do that,’ you feel like it’s the one thing that you have that’s this gift, that makes you a woman, and there’s something wrong with you.” Giuliana Rancic Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, Giuliana Rancic had to take cancer-suppressing medications that made getting pregnant a risky endeavor. The television host told People she and husband Bill Rancic welcomed their son Edward Duke with the help of a surrogate in 2012, but that when they tried for a second child with a surrogate, Rancic discovered on New Year’s Eve that she miscarried with their third and last remaining embryo. Rancic called the loss the “toughest blow” and confessed, “It was a really hard time.” She also revealed that she is more open than ever to the idea of adoption because she thinks to herself, “I love Duke so much, if I couldn’t take care of him, I hope there would be someone else who would love him.”  Tenth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection On Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian spoke often about the difficult time she and Kanye West had conceiving after the birth of their first child, North West. The reality star and her musician/designer husband tried for more than one year after North’s birth to conceive again, and after announcing their second pregnancy, Kardashian revealed that giving birth for the first time was no walk in the park. “I had so many complications. I had this condition called placenta accreta. There were a couple little operations to fix all that, so that created a little hole in my uterus, which I think made it really tough to get pregnant again. It was a long road. I would go to the doctor in Beverly Hills every day at five in the morning to get tested to see if I was ovulating.” Kardashian said all of the pressure and stress took the fun out of trying to have a baby, and she did everything from consulting a nutritionist to getting acupuncture in order to help. But it’s been worth the long haul: She welcomed son Saint in 2015. She’s also mom to two more kids via surrogate: Chicago, born in 2018, and Psalm, born in 2019. Mariah Carey Image Credit: Variety via Getty Images Legendary singer Mariah Carey opened up to Barbara Walters on 20/20 about her infertility struggles after safely giving birth to twins Monroe and Moroccan in 2011. After marrying now ex-husband Nick Cannon, she had a miscarriage in 2008 and, as a precaution, took progesterone before and during her second pregnancy and had daily acupuncture treatments to help reduce her stress. “The main thing I did that was tough, was to go on progesterone like every month… and then when I was pregnant, I had to stay with the progesterone for 10 weeks,” Carey said. While pregnant with her twins, Carey discovered she had gestational diabetes, was at risk of suffering from seizures, and was put on bed rest. “I don’t think I understood the enormity and the magnitude of what it really does to your body,” she said of having twins. “Carrying two babies. Unless somebody’s been through it, it’s difficult to understand what I went through, because my pregnancy was very unique in terms of what happened to me.” Trista Sutter Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Former Bachelorette Trista Sutter described the two years she and husband Ryan tried to conceive as a dark time in her life. In her book Happily Ever After: The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart, Sutter reveals that she has always wanted to be a mom and that when that didn’t immediately happen after she and Ryan married in 2003, she began to question their relationship, herself, and God. “It’s a very difficult thing to not be able to do anything about making a dream of yours come true and questioning whether something is wrong with you,” Sutter explained. “So that was definitely a dark time in my life.” Sutter told People she and her husband were ready to try IVF, but then they discovered she was pregnant with their first child, Maxwell. She worked with a company called OV Watch to predict when she was ovulating — and it worked for them. Since then, Sutter and her husband have also welcomed a daughter named Blakesley, but she says three kids are not in the cards — she had the Essure procedure done, which is a permanent form of birth control. Tyra Banks Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks welcomed a baby boy named York Banks Asla, who was born via gestational surrogate in 2016. But Banks and her FabLife co-host Chrissy Teigen revealed that they both struggled with infertility issues on a segment of the show. After Teigen begged the audience to stop asking her about children because the struggle to conceive is a very real one, Banks broke down in tears as she explained the pain she and other women feel when they can’t conceive: “I want to co-sign what Chrissy is saying and say ‘You have no idea what people are going through,'” Banks said.  “Why am I crying? You just have no idea what people are going through, so when you ask Chrissy that or me that or anybody that, it is none of your frigging business, OK? And for any women, it is none of your business what somebody is going through. Whether they want to have a child or don’t ever want to have a child or may have a child on the way, it’s none of your business, OK? Until somebody wants to make it your business.” Banks later revealed she underwent IVF treatments and that the procedure was difficult for her. “We’re kind of going through this similar thing with IVF,” she said. “And, you know, putting needles in your tummy every day and having to come to work and smile when you feel like you want to throw up and lay down… I can’t believe I’m saying this right now.” Padma Lakshm Image Credit: Christina DeOrtentiis/Everett Collection The birth of Padma Lakshmi’s baby girl in 2009 was described as a miracle because the actor discovered at age 36 that she suffered from Stage 4 endometriosis and had to have two surgeries to help with her condition. Lakshmi, who co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America, said doctors told her she’d probably never be able to get pregnant and that she froze her eggs as insurance. The cookbook author says by some miracle she got pregnant naturally, but that she was very lucky because it’s a rare occurrence in someone with Stage 3 or Stage 4 endometriosis. Now, she’s doing her part to raise awareness of infertility and how difficult it is for women. “I think infertility is one of those subjects that nobody likes to talk about for obvious reasons,” she said. “It’s very personal, everybody’s different. It has to do with your sexuality, but it also has to do with your own feelings about your womanhood and all the cultural and religious and familial taboos wrapped around that. And we have insecurities about that, so why would we want to be open about something so touchy? But I think it’s important, as a community, to come together.” Naomi Campbell Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection As one of the original ’80s/’90s supermodels, Naomi Campbell is a woman who seemed to be on top of the world; but in 2008, when she was 38, Campbell opened up about her personal struggle with infertility. At a fundraiser for the White Ribbon Alliance, which offers health care for pregnant women around the world, Campbell said she wanted children, but that she was infertile until she received a corrective surgery that year for what she originally thought was a cyst. “I was not able to have children until March,” Campbell said. “Now it’s in God’s hands. I would love to have a family.” At 50 years old, the supermodel announced that she had become a mother to a baby girl in 2021, but she’s kept her daughter from the public eye since. Brooke Shields Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection As a spokesperson for Fertility Lifelines, model and actress Brooke Shields is an open book when it comes to her infertility issues. The mom of two had to have surgery on her cervix to remove precancerous cells, and the procedure left scarring that made it difficult for her to become pregnant. She tried artificial insemination several times with husband Chris Henchy, but the procedure was unsuccessful. Because she was 36 when she started trying to conceive, she says her doctor suggested IVF. “I had to take these shots for weeks,” she wrote in her memoir, Down Came the Rain. “In addition, there were countless doctor visits for blood tests, sonograms and peeing on sticks, not to mention the estrogen patches I had to wear that made me look and feel like I’d had a skin graft when they were removed.” She continued, “The whole process was quite an ordeal, and we became slaves to the time of day and to little vials of liquid. We’d find ourselves out at dinner with friends, and then we’d have to sneak off to a coat room, where we’d huddle over syringes and a travel-size cooler filled with small bottles of drugs.” After her first round of IVF, Shields became pregnant but miscarried. She was ready to stop trying when she got pregnant during her last cycle of treatments in 2002. “I was about ready to call it quits. I was growing weary of the anticipation and the pressure, and Chris said he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing me rip off another estrogen patch in frustration… at wit’s end, we decided to try one more time.” The couple is now raising their daughters Rowan and Grier. Elizabeth Banks Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection In an interview with Lucky, Banks revealed she had a womb issue and that her embryos wouldn’t implant. As a result, she and husband Max Handelman chose to use a gestational surrogate, whom she remained close to. “It’s a big leap, inviting this person into your life to do this amazing, important thing for you,” she said, continuing, “And it’s hard losing that kind of control. But our surrogate is so extraordinary, and she’s still in our lives. She’s like an auntie.” Banks and Handelman have sons Felix, born 2011, and Magnus, born 2012, both born via gestational surrogate. Again, Banks was quick to praise her surrogate. “This experience has exceeded all expectations, taught us a great deal about generosity and gratitude, and established a relationship that will last a lifetime.” Jimmy Fallon Image Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Everett Collection Women aren’t the only celebrities who feel the anxiety, disappointment, and sadness of infertility. After welcoming their daughter Winnie in 2013, TV host Jimmy Fallon revealed he and his wife used a surrogate after trying for five years to get pregnant. “We’ve tried a bunch of things,” Fallon said. “Anyone who’s tried will know, it’s just awful.” The couple told friends and family they were pregnant in the past, but Fallon said it didn’t work out and it was hard on everybody. They kept Winnie a secret until the very last minute, and Fallon used his position to speak directly to anyone dealing with infertility issues. “We tried for a long time, for five years. I know people have tried much longer, but if there’s anyone out there who is trying and they’re just losing hope… Just hang in there. Try every avenue; try anything you can do, ’cause you’ll get there. You’ll end up with a family, and it’s so worth it. It is the most worth it thing. I’m just so happy right now. I’m freaking out.” Chrissy Teigen Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Despite her giving nature on social media, model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend didn’t feel it was OK to broadcast their infertility struggle to billions of strangers. Teigen says she wanted to talk about infertility for so long, but that her IVF treatments felt too personal to discuss. “It didn’t feel right to ever tweet, ‘Ugh, doing my IVF shots again,'” Teigen said. “It just sounded silly. It definitely was not planned in that episode at all.” Teigen was referring to an episode of her show FabLife, where she and co-host Tyra Banks opened up about the difficulties both were facing getting pregnant. She says she and Legend had dealt with the challenge for years and that they relied on the support of close friends to see them through it. “I think we just have really good people around us that never said anything or else you would have known,” Teigen said. “I have a team of maybe 60 people, John has hundreds and everyone knew. They knew the failures, the successes, everything, but it’s never gotten out.” Teigen and Legend are parents to Luna, Miles, Esti, and Wren. Wren was born via surrogate just months after his big sister Esti.  Gwen Stefani Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images After giving birth to two sons with now-ex husband Gavin Rossdale, Gwen Stefani desperately wanted a third baby — but told Marie Claire she had trouble conceiving. She was 40 at the time and admitted to the magazine that she was all set to accept life the way it was. “I really, really, really wanted one about two years ago,” Stefani said. “And it didn’t really work out. So… I feel good with what we’ve got. Everything works out how it should. You can’t plan anything, right? You can try.” Then, in 2014, Stefani discovered at 44 she was pregnant with her third son, Apollo — and she said son Kingston had everything to do with it (leaving us to assume IVF treatments were not involved). “Kingston… has a direct line to God, basically,” Stefani said. “[He started to pray,] ‘Dear God, please let my mom have a baby. Please, God! Please let my mom have a baby.’ I swear to you, he prayed every single night, and four weeks later, I was pregnant.”  Tia Mowry Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection Tia Mowry and ex-husband Cory Hardrict are the proud parents of Cree and Cairo, but the Sister, Sister star said endometriosis made her dreams of giving big-brother Cree a little sister tougher than she’d imagined.  “I often felt like something was wrong with me,” she told Women’s Health. “I thought I was alone because no one I knew personally had dealt with this. And then I realized: I’d never really seen someone African American in the public eye talking about endometriosis or their struggles with infertility. And when you don’t know or see anyone who looks like you talking about what you’re going through, you feel alone and suffer in silence.” Kevin Richardson Image Credit: Derek Storm/Everett Collection Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson and wife Kristin have two little boys, but they’ve been frank about the infertility struggles they faced before conceiving son Maxwell. In fact, Kristin appeared in Pushing Motherhood, a documentary about the topic in which she spoke out about multiple rounds of IVF and other clinical procedures that were unsuccessful. As Kevin said of the process, “It just didn’t feel right, so we were like, ‘Let’s stop this. Let’s reset your body, reduce stress, make you feel happy and healthy, then go back to the roots of how it’s supposed to be done. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be, and if not, we’ll adopt.’” In the end, Kristin conceived naturally.  Source link