In June 2019, Nicole D’apice reached out and shared with me about her journey through infertility to the birth of her two beautiful children. I was honored to hear her story and impressed by the friendships she discussed in our interview. Together, we created a session to honor her journey through infertility by celebrating the friendships that bloomed from that period in her life.
Who inspires you as a mother?: My mother, of course. As much as you say you’ll never turn into your mother, you do! And you realize how much they sacrificed to give you a good childhood and fun memories. I also have a group of 3 other women who I met through an infertility support group and we all kind of went through our journeys together. Our kids are around the same age. Going through infertility is soul crushing. Finding women who can support you through it is life saving. I would be lost without that group of ladies.
If someone wants to know more about your experience with infertility, what's the best way to ask/learn about it? : Just ask! Going through infertility is so lonely. You feel like you are the only one going through it. When I found my support group and put all my feeling out there, I felt a sense of freedom and realized how many women out there struggle to have children. No one talks about it because there is a huge amount of guilt and shame associated with infertility. Talking about it helps normalize it and makes women feel like they can get the help they need. I am an open book now about my infertility and my motherhood journey. I’ll be honest about the good and bad of it all. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask. You will be surprised how many can relate to what you are going through. Even in becoming a mother, there were so many times where I feel like I can’t handle it, that my kid is the only one who does something, and then when you start to talk to other mothers, you realize you truly are not alone!
Who has been your biggest support in your journey?: My husband has been my rock. We went through our infertility journey together. And when we became parents he stepped up like no other. He wanted to be a part of everything… And of course, my 3 dear friends who were my rocks through my infertility journey and into motherhood.
What do you love the most about being a mom?: Seeing things through my kids eyes. Experiencing things all over again and having a greater appreciation for life. Their curiosity can be exhausting! But being able to look at life through a child’s lens has been an amazing thing.
What would you like other moms/women hoping to become moms to know about motherhood?: It is hard. The hardest thing I’ve ever done. I have days when I feel like I’m the worst mother. But then there are the moments when your kid give you a hug, says I love you, asks if you’re ok, that bring you back to earth and make you keep going. It is the most rewarding. It took me 10 years to have my babies. Going through infertility changed me as a person. Then having kids changed me even more. I never thought I would have the family I dreamed of, but now I do. And there are days when I can stop and say, oh my gosh. I have 2 kids. I am the luckiest person in the world. But struggling to become a parent doesn’t make having children any easier. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of it, it’s that women are bad ass chicks who can do and handle ANYTHING that comes their way.
Devoted began in June 2019 as an outlet for Katie Harrison (me), owner/photographer behind Nakupenda Photography to empower women to share their unique journeys to and through motherhood. As a new mom I quickly realized how often women experienced shame and discouragement in their experiences as moms simply because their experience did not fit what society said was ‘normal’. However, I was daily encouraged by the strength of the women in my life and I wanted to do something to share with the world the incredible moms I knew. View more images from this project on facebook at www.facebook.com/devotedbykatieharrison