A guide for those impacted by pregnancy loss or infertility- and those who love them. The holidays have a way of magnifying everything—joy, connection, expectations…and pain. For many people trying to conceive, the season brings quiet grief that rarely gets named out loud.

Lately, my Instagram feed has been filled with memes illustrating the exhaustion that many mothers feel during the holiday season. It’s true that as moms, we often carry a heavier mental load this time of year. We juggle everything from planning holiday gatherings and staying on top of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to decorating the tree, baking holiday cookies, and ensuring our elf finds a new landing spot each morning after his overnight trip to the North Pole.