Episode #005- Navigating Infertility + Loss from the Male Perspective and How to Support a Grieving Dad (with my husband David Blair)
This week I have the pleasure of interviewing my husband of nearly 9 years, my best friend, and the father of my 9 babies in heaven and 2 here on earth - David Blair.
With Father’s Day weekend coming up this week, I wanted to focus this week’s episode on Dads. Dads who have lost a baby and Dads who are still in waiting.
In this episode, David shares what his grieving process was like over our 7 year journey of recurrent pregnancy loss and we discuss the ways that his grief differed from mine, and how that impacted our marriage. He also shares how we grew to support and provide space for each other over the years, what we wish we could go back and tell ourselves in the very beginning, and how others can support a grieving Dad. David shares candidly and vulnerably and offers an honest perspective and insight on the ways our partner’s often experience and grieve in infertility & loss.
Episode #004: Working with a Fertility Specialist: When to Start, What the Process is Like, and What Your Doctor is Thinking (with Dr. Creighton Likes, III, MD)
This week I have the pleasure of interviewing my infertility doctor, Dr. Creighton E. Likes, III, MS, MD. Dr. Likes is a double-board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and the Medical Director of the Fertility Center of the Carolinas where he has been practicing reproductive medicine for 12 years.
In this episode, Dr. Likes shares what the process of working with an infertility specialist is like, what you expect, and when individuals and couples should consider seeing a specialist. He tells us what his thought process is like when working with a new patient and what he does when he has been working with a patient for a while who has not yet had success. Dr. Likes and I talk candidly about what it looks like to have difficult conversations with your doctor, when or how to ask for a second opinion, what to do next when a treatment cycle is unsuccessful, and how patients can find emotional support for the roller coaster journey of infertility.
Dr. Likes shared so much wisdom and hope, but I think my favorite thing he said was, “Any patient is allowed to feel what they feel and it is completely valid and understandable. This process is both emotional and physical. Having rapport with your physician and knowing that you can open up and express your feelings is really important. ” Thank you for being here, friend. I hope this episode sparks courage and ignites hope for you in the week ahead.