by Lauren Delaney
For many people, building a family is not a straightforward journey.
It’s filled with hope, uncertainty, resilience, and, for too many, heartbreak. Infertility, pregnancy loss, adoption, donor conception, surrogacy, and other family-building paths impact millions of people, yet these experiences often remain invisible in the workplace.
People show up to meetings after receiving devastating news. They quietly use vacation time for fertility treatments. They navigate pregnancy loss while trying to maintain professionalism. They celebrate colleagues’ milestones while privately wondering if parenthood will ever happen for them.
No one should have to carry that alone.
The workplace has an incredible opportunity to make a meaningful difference, not just through benefits, but through culture.
Comprehensive family-building benefits, pregnancy loss leave, flexible scheduling for treatment appointments, and access to mental health resources all matter. But equally important is creating an environment where employees know they will be met with empathy instead of silence.
Advocacy starts with conversations.
It starts with leaders willing to listen, coworkers willing to learn, and organizations willing to recognize that supporting employees through life’s hardest moments isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s good for people and good for business.
I’ve seen firsthand what workplace advocacy can accomplish.
After experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss on my own journey to becoming the mom of two incredible rainbow babies, I became passionate about helping ensure others didn’t have to navigate those challenges without support. That passion led me to advocate for expanded family-building benefits and pregnancy loss support in the workplace, helping create resources that made a meaningful difference for employees and their families. In 2023, I was honored to receive a DEI award recognizing that advocacy, but the greatest reward has always been knowing more people feel seen, supported, and hopeful.
That work doesn’t end at the office.
Today, I’m proud to serve as Co-Chair of the Footsteps for Family Building Walk, benefiting AllPaths Family Building, and a new member of our board. Every dollar raised helps provide support groups, educational resources, advocacy, and financial assistance so individuals and families across New England don’t have to face infertility, pregnancy loss, or other family-building challenges alone.
Whether you’ve experienced these journeys personally, supported someone who has, or simply believe everyone deserves the opportunity to build the family they dream of, you can make a difference.
Join us at the Footsteps for Family Building Walk, in person or virtually. Walk alongside families whose stories may look different from yours but whose hope is exactly the same.
Together, we’re building more than families.
We’re building workplaces where people feel supported.
We’re building communities where no one has to suffer in silence.
And we’re building a future where every family-building journey is met with compassion, understanding, and hope.
