I figured we should get a few basics down before too much time passes. As I have found that sharing information in a FAQ format amuses me, this will likely occur from time to time as new questions come up.
1. Why are you writing this blog?
I've kind of ignored the "blog" phenomena for a long time. I have a few friends with amusing blogs and some that really help me keep up with what is going on with them, but I've never really had much to say that I thought anyone would go out of their way to read.
When I found out I was pregnant, I started looking around for articles and postings from other folks who might have had an experience similar to the one I was contemplating. I couldn't find much...and I stumbled into the world of "pregnant grad student controversy" (for which I'll work on developing a clever nickname or acronym). I figure maybe someone else in the near future will be looking for info like I was and that maybe this will help. And then there are all the narcissistic delusions of grandeur...
2. Is this whole thing going to be about pregnancy?
Not after the baby is born :)
Seriously, I hope not. There is a lot more to me than the fact that I happened to be pregnant right now...and that's one of the facets of this that I find interesting. I don't want my academic experiences to be diminished or limited because I'm perceived as being fragile or in some way incapacitated by carrying a child. Similarly, I think about a lot of things that have nothing to do with pregnancy and being a parent. However, this new reality is forcing me to look at things with a new perspective from time to time, so I'm sure it'll creep in to even the most non-preggo topics.
Truth is, I'm not sure what this blog will end up being about - so much of what is going to happen in the next year is impossible to predict. Maybe it will end up being much more about school and my experience with course content and classmates. Maybe I'll get all political about grad student stuff. So much could happen.
3. You're using your real name?
I'm not very aware of blogger culture and the reasons that people use pseudonyms and nicknames and what not, but it occurred to me that trying to mask my identity was going to be a waste of time. If I didn't want to discuss anything real, I could make that work...but the truth is that there just aren't that many (i think?) pregnant grad students in my program...so I figured I'd just keep it real.
4. What is your "program"?
I'm doing a one-year intensive M.Ed in Higher Education Administration. It took me a lot of years to determine a focus for graduate level studies that I was REALLY interested in and this is it. I'll do a thing about how I arrived at this focus in detail some other time, but to sum up: I'm really interested in the transition into adulthood, how we do and do not support this transition as a culture, and barriers to access to higher education. I'm very interested in the growth of community colleges and hopeful that more of them adopt options for residential living to support student retention and success.
5. You mentioned in your first post that you made a decision to "stay pregnant". What "decision" was there?
Well, kids, this brings up a very important piece of information and a disclaimer: I'm pro-people, pro-family, pro-compassion, pro-choice woman. I'll likely talk about this decision making process at some point and I'm not really interested in debating this facet of my personal and political belief system. However, it's probably a good hint that if you're already offended by THAT, this blog isn't going to be something you'll enjoy reading.
6. Well. You're kind of sassy and mouthy, aren't you?
From time to time. Definitely always been opinionated. Recent side effect of being pregnant: much less patient with wasting time or beating around the bush. This has it's pros and cons.
7. You mentioned your "superpower blood" in your first post. What is all that about?
Ah Yes...the other most-googled thing in the past few years for me... I'll go into the story of how I discovered this some other time (it involves roller derby), but I have a genetic blood clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden. It means that my normal blood clotting process isn't so normal and malfunctions at some point, causing me to clot more than the average gal. In fact, I have both copies of the gene mutation, so, in theory, I have about an 80X to 100X higher probability of "inappropriately" clotting.
8. What does this have to do with anything?
Well, sparkplug, it is a) indirectly one of the reasons that I am unexpectedly pregnant (can't be on hormone-containing birth control methods anymore), b) one of the complicating factors of my pregnancy (the hormones now rampant in my body put me at risk for dangerous blood clots) and c) the reason for the "sideshow" of expensive Lovenox shots every evening. As my annoyance with this process grows, I'm sure it will come up more and more.
9. Okay. On to other, more pressing questions: Are you ready for the big move across country that is coming up at the end of the month?
Nope. So I should probably go pack something or clean something or organize something for a bit. Wish me luck.
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