'Baby showers are too hard to handle': lifting the veil on infertility

They are happy occasions but getting invited to a baby shower or attending a Christmas Day lunch are a struggle for women dealing with infertility. Diane Calleja Gilson and Lee-Anne Spiteri tell Kurt Sansone their story. The story is supposed to go like this: you get married, settle down and have a baby. This is the fairytale trajectory Diane Calleja Gilson, 34, envisaged when she got married 10 years ago, only to realise that trying to have a baby could be a heartbreaking experience. Today, she has a nine-month-old son but getting there was a struggle with herself, family pressures and the perceptions that society imposes. “Infertility creates feelings of isolation and shame; it is a difficult period because the people closest to you hurt you unwittingly with their comments,” she said. We met in Valletta to discuss the new organisation she set up last month to foster education and awareness on infertility. The Malta Infertility Network owes its origins to a support group that brings together more than 300 women who have fertility problems. The support group meets every month and women also receive help from Donia Scicluna, a therapist, who is held in high regard by Diane and...