My name is Alexandra and I am a mother who has struggled with infertility for more than a decade. I was lucky, as my dream came true in 2017; I have birth to a baby girl and she changed my world. To encourage other women to fight against infertility, I published my story. The book is called M is for Mother: My Journey into Motherhood, and I have dedicated it to Lorelai, my daughter.

In telling my story, I wanted to show all the stages leading to motherhood, with one central element: the courage of moving forward. I talk about infertility and how hard it can be to find the strength to pursue a diagnosis. One of my main desires was to draw attention at how the subject of infertility is still seen as taboo; we are afraid to talk about it, fearing we will be judged.

A good part of my book is dedicated to what being a new mother is all about. I described my difficult pregnancy and how scared I was at the thought things might not go as planned. Childbirth and the postpartum period are presented in detail, as I wanted to present an honest image – yes, we are in love with our babies, but we are going through a change ourselves, learning how to come to terms with our new identity.

I wanted to approach themes all mothers are familiar with. Are mothers invisible? Do we choose motherhood over career? Is being a mother the ultimate sacrifice? In my book, everything is out in the open, including how good it felt to share this journey with my husband. We raised our daughter together, with no help, enjoying every minute of the experience.

What inspired me to write the book? As I said, I wanted to motivate other women in pursuing their dream of becoming mothers. I believe it is highly important to keep fighting, and go to the doctor; a specialist can help you find out why you are having problems conceiving and what you can do about it.

My target audience includes women of childbearing age, especially those who have dealt with infertility. I hope they will find this story to be inspiring, not only in the fight against infertility but also during the newborn period. I often had the feeling that, just because I had obtained a pregnancy after a long struggle, everyone expected me to be happy all the time as a new mom. This is not possible, and definitely not healthy.

I want to stress the fact that the book contains exclusively my opinion, and not expert advice. In reading about my infertility journey, as well as about my motherhood experience, I hope you will draw strength and courage. However, we each have our own journey, and the struggle to conceive should be carefully supervised by a fertility specialist.

As a main goal, I am fighting for my story to reach as many women as possible. I am already in contact with fertility centers and support groups; some of them have graciously accepted to present my book to women who are dealing with infertility. To be honest, I am also grateful for the opportunity to present my story here, at the Authors’ Lounge. This kind of support is invaluable for an indie author!

It was not difficult to write about my experience in M is for Mother, and relive some of the difficult moments I went through. However, I knew that by opening up, I could motivate other women to do the same. We need to stop talking about infertility behind closed doors, and support those who are going through such experiences in the right way.

Links:

• Amazon.com: Alexandra Antipa: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
• Books by Alexandra Antipa | Facebook
• www.instagram.com/kimituca

About myself:

Author, freelance writer, and translator. Ever since I can remember, I have been putting words on paper. An avid reader, I always find the answers I need between the pages of a good book. I believe in kindness and living life to the fullest. You may never see me on a rollercoaster but, rest assured, I get all the adrenaline I need from my ever-growing personal library. A native Romanian, I currently live in Germany, with my husband – my biggest supporter – and our beautiful daughter, the wonder called Lorelai.

M is for Mother: My Journey into Motherhood is available in all major online bookstores.