Pregnancy, parenthood, & catching up

It's been a while since I've been here (March to be exact), and much has happened since then. 

I've been thinking a lot about this blog in the meantime, dutifully logging ideas for posts in an Evernote file. Of course, thinking about writing isn't the same as actually writing. I've been intimidated, though, about trying to catch y'all up on what's been going on, as the context will be important for what I want to discuss in the next few months.

So, how about a 60-second summary? 

(Or maybe even less than that if you're a fast reader!)

Thanks to the incredible generosity of a woman we will never meet, my husband and I became parents earlier this year via egg donation. The adage that pregnancy doesn't cure infertility is definitely true, and I think I didn't blog about my pregnancy because I was afraid to acknowledge it in words in case something went wrong. After infertility, I didn't trust my body's ability to do anything, let alone gestate a human.

I never expected that being a doctor would adequately prepare me for pregnancy and parenthood (and it didn't). But I've learned some things in the last year that I think I should have learned at some point in my training. So, those should be some interesting posts. ;)

Unfortunately, not long after our little one joined us, she entered the healthcare system with difficulities of her own. Interfacing with the healthcare system as a parent - and a family doc - has been a *insert cliche here* experience (possible cliches that apply: "eye-opening," "thought-provoking," "roller coaster"). Thankfully, assuming all goes well with her upcoming surgeries, her prognosis is excellent. 

Whew! I think it's safe to say that this blog will be going in a different direction for a while. I've always endeavored to write about topics that I am passionate about, trusting that those same issues will find some resonance. Perhaps this new direction won't be of interest to you - I won't take that personally, and I'm appreciative that you've been along for the ride thus far. Maybe some new readers will wander over to this corner of the internet who are less interested in medical education and more interested in the intersection of medicine and parenting - that's okay, too.

But to whomever might be reading this post today, thank you. Thank you for being interested in my story, for being curious and empathetic, for celebrating our commonalities and exploring our differences. 

Thank you.