The stories we don’t tell at work change us the most.
Writing about infertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and career disruption.
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2020 Made Me A Different Mom – And That’s A Good Thing
It seems like a lifetime ago that I sat at our dining room table one evening in February, calling loved ones to let them know my son’s first birthday party was canceled. There had been several cases of a strange virus in our hometown — the first in the state that could not be traced to travel outside the country. My husband and I had each traveled through JFK airport for work the week before and were both nursing what turned out to be some pretty bad colds, but we didn’t know it at the time. Even so, it was…
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I Still Don’t Feel Like a Mom
Becoming a mother has made me keenly aware of how hard life can be on moms. We shoulder the invisible load. We face insurmountable career hurdles. We are, nearly always, the default parent. It’s impossible to ignore these facts, and the more I scroll through my newsfeed, the more I’m floored by the resilience and strength of the moms in my life and community. As I’m reminded of their struggles and triumphs of motherhood, it is harder and harder to shake the thought that I just don’t feel like a mom myself. Becoming a mother is strange. I don’t feel any different, but…
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Flipping the Script on Unsolicited Parenting Advice
Every parent has experienced it. That moment when someone else — usually with the best of intentions — offers their field-proven advice on how to raise your children. Whether it’s about breastfeeding (or not), sleep training (or not), or even what your child wears (or not?), there will always be someone to offer their sage wisdom on parenting — like it or not. I struggle with this. A lot. I guess that’s what happens when you combine fierce independence with shaky (at best) self-confidence. It’s hard not to interpret others’ suggestions and opinions as criticism, especially when you’re not feeling…