World Childless Week 2019

We Are Worthy

Self doubt is a hard thing to shake and we can all be our own worst critics. Life can be full of many reasons to doubt our worth, but despite our own judgements on our childlessness, ‘**we are all worthy**’. Have you found your worth or do you see it in someone else who is childless not by choice?

Worldwide Gateway Women Meetups

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On Saturday 21st September Gateway Women are hosting free Meetups at different locations around the world for women to come together and and celebrate why 'We Are Worthy'.

You can find out more details of these Meetups coordinated by Gateway Women here

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the sensitive nature of these Meetups, they are women only events

Australian Fireside chat (all welcome)

Join in our 1st online fireside chat for a casual meet and greet, and cup of tea. Hosted by Anne Barratt of Empowering Health - Childless Support, and Michael Hughes of The Full Stop Podcast you'll have a chance to meet other CNBC folk such as Suzanne Mills of Cinderalla Wears Pants and Liz Campbell of Redefining My Plan A as well as qualified practitioners who themselves are CNBC and trained to support people going through what you're going through.

For full details and to register for this webinar click here

Healing Loss: Non-denominational Service, Pasadena, USA

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This non-denominational free service is open to anyone who is childless by infertility, circumstances or difficult choices. It has been organised by Kelly Brandt who is a Gateway Women Facilitator in collaboration with World Childless Week.

You are invited to join your tribe in a safe place to honor your loss through poetry readings, music and ritual.

For full details click here

Live Stream with Chiara Berardelli

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Seamonster, the Story is a theatre piece with music by Italian/Scottish singer-songwriter Chiara Berardelli relating her experience of being childless-not-by-choice and her quest for being ok with that. Woven around the ten songs that make up her 2018 album, Seamonster, she tells the story of the twists and turns that led to her unfulfilled dream of motherhood and building a meaningful life beyond the 'Happy Ever After'.

For full details click here

Your words on We Are Worthy

Featured

The power of a community

I first met Jody in 2011, she had recently founded Gateway Women (GW) and there was a meetup in London. Through that meetup I met another woman who has since become a lifelong friend. A few years later I also made another childless friend through Meetup…

When a Christian is Childless

We sat at the church function at one of those big round tables that can fit four couples around it. My husband and I listened in silent horror as the other three couples freely and unashamedly bashed childless people.

Learning to live with grief

Most people are utterly oblivious to the work that goes into the ordinary stuff of life for those of with any kind of invisible disability.

Remembering Deep Connectedness

After the death of my dream baby, it took ten painful years of working with my sorrow and loneliness, suicidal ideation, breast cancer, anger and resentment until finally I incorporated those feelings and experiences into a new me - into a woman who no longer primarily identified as having, or, not having, children.

What if this is all the love you ever get?

Snow Patrol is my favourite band and I was lucky enough to win tickets to see them at a very intimate gig last year.

Diversity in Childlessness Panel Discussion by Jody Day

Resist

I sometimes resist what is happening in my life, even though there is nothing I can do to change it…

I need to tell my story properly

Not, I learned from it and now I am a better person. Not with a positive ending, a pithy summary that makes it all OK, not with self deprecating humour that says it didn’t matter.

You Don’t Matter

From the time I was quite young, I was treated like I did not matter. Having narcissistic parents was a factor but the conservative misogyny in my family was actually more deeply entrenched.

Childless Not by Choice – Yoga Practice

Being childless not by choice is a loss that can lead to profound grief, which is often not acknowledged by those around us. If old, unresolved grief arises within us, a nurturing, heart-opening yoga practice may help you move through these feelings. Using yoga as a form of self-care may help you process grief and recharge your emotional batteries.

Fireside chat, post-chat support by Champions Anne Barratt and Michael Hughes

Support during our events matters. If you were part of the Fireside chat, here’s some information from champion Anne Barratt.