For every parent-to-be, the journey of conceiving is a ride that is different for every individual.
While some may see that positive test result early on, others will struggle and go on a more difficult journey to become parents. No matter what your story is and no matter how you get to that positive test result, ClearBlue is there every step of the way. We sat down with Devon Still and Asha Joyce to talk about their own journey of Conceivinghood, and how ClearBlue was there to help. See the full conversation below.
The Knockturnal: This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. Tell us about the virtual event today and why it was important for you to be a part of it.
Asha Joyce: So we decided to be a part of the ClearBlue conceivinghood event, just because we felt like it was important to have a conversation around conceivinghood. For us and our TC journey, it’s started about three years ago and we ran into a lot of obstacles around the way with trying to conceive our first daughter together, Aria. With just getting negative test results and thinking it was something wrong with both of us at the time. So we initially had partnered with ClearBlue to use their ClearBlue ovulation test system to help us along that journey, and like I said, we were able to have our daughter Aria. And now she’s going on two years old. But we also decided last year in fall of 2020 that we wanted to expand our family and so once again I went right back to the ClearBlue ovulation test system to help us along the way, and to our surprise, we received our pregnancy test result faster than we had before. But unfortunately, when we went to the doctor’s visit, on the ultrasound she showed that I had the gestational sack but there was no embryo. So that would result in me having an embryonic pregnancy, and I would have a miscarriage. So that was really hard, we didn’t know what to do honesty, we had never communicated with anyone that had experienced that before, and we were really lost, and just not understanding. And so we thought it was very important to connect with ClearBlue and with this panel and to share our story and share our testimony just because we know it’s, unfortunately, the reality for so many people along their TTC journey.
The Knockturnal: Tell us about ClearBlue and what this brand meant to you in your fertility journey.
Devon Still: One of the reasons why I love partnering with ClearBlue is because me and my wife, we’re all about transparency and really bringing the real to whatever life situations that were going through. And that’s what ClearBlue does, it doesn’t only talk about the positive side of conceiving-hood, of becoming a parent, it also shows the negative side which I think relates to a lot of people because a lot of people’s TTC a journey is not without obstacles. Like a lot of people are facing the obstacles, so ClearBlue really creates that platform where people feel safe enough to really talk about that journey, to talk about the struggles, and when we saw what they were doing with this panel, we jumped right on it because it falls right down our lane and our mission and our values.
The Knockturnal: What advice do you have for couples struggling with infertility? Men specifically, as there is a bit of a stigma there.
Devon Still: Number one is just to educate yourself. We didn’t know how important it was to track her ovulation schedules. So number one, just using the recourses that ClearBlue provides to educate yourself on how to increase your chances of being able to conceive with your partner. Creating a safe space within your household where you can talk about some of the emotions that you’re dealing with inside because I know that some people grieve differently. And a lot of times people suppress the emotions that they’re going through in order not to feel like a burden on their partner. So just being able to have moments of connection to sit down with your partner, and you communicate about some of the struggles that you’re dealing with along that journey, that’s pretty important as well. And instead just using different recourses, whether you’re reading certain books or listening to podcasts where people are talking about these tough topics and you can realize that you’re not alone, is going to be extremely important as well.
The Knockturnal: What resources and people did you turn to when you were going through your fertility journey?
Asha Joyce: We were blessed to have ClearBlue reach out to us, because like I said we had no clue about how my fertility and tracking my ovulation played a huge role into us conceiving. So we were blessed to have them in our corner to help us along the way, but also just to have our family and friends and social media. A lot of people on social media rallied around us and shared their stories of conceiving hood, and trying to conceive and that really gave us the courage and the strength to continue to move forward despite everything that we were up against.
The Knockturnal: How have you and your family been keeping busy with the pandemic?
Devon Still: Man, well, it’s a lot. We wear a lot of hats right now because of the pandemic and quarantine, and just being able to manage pit business, our podcast, being able to manage being there for each other as spouses, being parents, making sure that our kids are taken care of and that we’re giving them all of the attention that they need. Being a teachers assistant, to help them with school has been very important, but just being able to get out, to exercise, do things to try and create a new normal for our family has been extremely important because these are tough times that everybody is going through and we don’t know when it’s going to end. So just being able to create a new normal for your family is extremely important.
The Knockturnal: Any upcoming projects you want to share?
Asha Joyce: So yes, we are continuing to grow our podcast, it’s the relationshipspodcast.com that you can go to the website and check it out, but we are just continuing to grow our podcast and reach out to individuals, couples, married couples, just to let them know that whatever adversity they’re facing in their marriage, that we’ve been there. We share our experiences and we just try to help them along that journey and we know that being in a relationship, being married, isn’t easy. So it’s important for us to have those topics as well about wha5 comes along with that and make sure that they’re, you know, getting through those things.
Devon Still: And just continue to partner. You know, with ClearBlue because during this quarantine there’s a lot of quarantine babies being made! So people need some recourses to really help them along that journey and support system, so just being able to create and cultivate those types of partnerships, being able to create a safe space for people to really talk about their struggles and what they’re going through along their TTC journey, it’s extremely important.
