I went out to dinner a couple of weeks ago with the newest member of the SCRC team, Dr. Carolyn Alexander… well actually, we were invited to attend the same dinner. And it wasn’t just any dinner. This one was in honor of a Royal Highness.
There are hundreds of books and thousands of article on what to expect when you're expecting. The day-to-day developments are detailed and your TO DO list is lengthy. But what about the things you should do if you find yourself in what I call the 'Holding Pattern of Pregnancy'? This is the period when you pay attention to every period. When you put your fertility doctor's number on speed dial and when you are on a first name basis with your pharmacist.
These days, the world seems to be filled with rainbows. Colorful arches are everywhere, even brightening my Facebook feed...all because the cloud has been lifted over the debate regarding same-sex marriage. On Friday, June 26th the Supremes (the high court kind) made history by ruling that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states.
I love a parade. Always have. Always will. There is just something about the pomp (no matter the circumstance). I can't help but smile when I see streets lined with lawn chairs, properly positioned for the pageantry.
My girlfriend just mailed me her son's high school graduation announcement. She and I are the exact same age. Her kid is going to college. I just enrolled mine in a tummy time class. It got me thinking about how old I will actually be when my son parades in his cap and gown. I gave birth to him just three weeks shy of my 46th birthday. Any way you add it up, I will likely be voted the “Oldest Mom of the Class”.
I have super supportive friends. In fact, I have super supportive friends who just happen to be supermodels. The super-est of them all is Cheryl Tiegs. Yes, THAT Cheryl Tiegs. The woman who is frequently described as the first American supermodel. She was the cover girl for Sports Illustrated and TIME and every other magazine that mattered. And then there is that iconic "Pink Bikini" poster...which pretty much summed up the 70's.
If you are a woman facing infertility...then this Sunday can be one 'mother' of a holiday. My womb aches for you, because I've been there (by there, I mean I've been curled up in the fetal position, under the covers, waiting for Mother's Day to turn into night). Yes. I've gone dark. Complete radio silence. Off the grid until the Hallmark commercials stopped playing.
In case you didn't know, this is National Infertility Awareness Week. I kicked it off with a serendipitous conversation with a woman in the parking lot of a Babies-R-Us. We swapped stories about our experience with IVF and egg donors as we each proudly showed off our 3 month olds. My young prince, Brady—named after a quarterback. Her little princess, Fiona, named after, well a princess. And each of our tales ending with the phrase, "and they lived happily ever after."
It's often inconceivable what people say to someone who is trying to conceive. The most caring friends and family can come up with the most insensitive of statements (and somehow their foot-in-the-mouth disease always seems to coincide with your most hormonal state-of-mind).
I suffer from separation anxiety...and if you are a patient at The Southern California Reproductive Center, I sincerely hope you experience it too.
