Why It’s Okay To Laugh At These “Infertility Announcements”

Last month, in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, Spencer and Whitney Blake posted a series of photos "announcing" their infertility — and now the pictures, which parody the pregnancy announcements that abound on social media these days, are going viral. If you've ever browsed Pinterest, you've seen the the typical images in which "bump ahead" and "bun in the oven" jokes are commonplace — or perhaps you've shared your own such creation. The Blakes' photos feel just as playful (and use just as many puns) as these announcements, yet they provide a whole new take on how couples talk about fertility. After a year of trying to conceive followed by a diagnosis of "unexplained infertility," the couple turned to adoption to expand their family. They adopted their first son in 2012 and their second in 2014, all the while blogging about their experience to share their story with other parents in similar situations.

"Sharing anything personal like that can make you a little vulnerable, but getting comments like, 'Thank you for bringing a little humor to a very difficult issue' makes us glad we did it," the Blakes said over email. They don't mean to poke fun at fertility struggles, but "humor sometimes makes difficult topics a bit easier to talk about," they added. Ahead, Spencer and Whitney Blake's "infertility announcements."