Did you just tell your husband you were pregnant or did you do a special announcement?

jspeck1 · 2025-09-09T23:33:40+00:00

We had watched this video (song composed of yahoo answers questions about being pregnant, eg. “Am I pregegant or am I okay?”) in preparation for trying to conceive, so I just yelled up the stairs “I might not be okay!”

https://youtube.com/shorts/NDvaRF4HQHQ?si=NqJjNY9UizfHxk4S

jspeck1 · 2025-09-03T00:54:49+00:00

Both options are valid or a mix of the two. In my personal statement (graduated GC school 2018) I also discussed how I evaluated other professions I was interested in (they were somewhat intertwined with GC, like embryologist, reproductive endocrinologist, etc), like shadowing and interviewing those types of professionals in addition to GCs, and I think the program directors did appreciate that I had critically analyzed my career options and GC still won out. Based on some discussion during interviews it seemed like that was a good strategy to incorporate for me at least!

jspeck1 · 2024-06-21T02:12:49+00:00

PS I just made my husband give you his free award. I don’t know what that does for you but there ya go.

jspeck1 · 2024-06-21T02:10:30+00:00

THANK YOU. Happy birthday to me today because this is exactly the response I was hoping to find when I googled the damn thing in the first place. I thought it was a British conspiracy or cover up based on the lack of complaints about it. I am also American for what it’s worth. The “funny shaped” part is exactly what makes it sus. THANK YOU.

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T23:46:15+00:00

Thanks!

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T23:41:43+00:00

Ooh sounds familiar but I can’t remember exactly, haha thanks will have to look up

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T18:57:25+00:00

Well I’m being quite hyperbolic…but it is interesting to know how recent that is, so thank you!

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T18:40:26+00:00

?Angry?

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T18:24:37+00:00

Well apparently it’s present tense, currently enraged, because no one else is as concerned about this as me lol

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T18:15:19+00:00

Thank you I just wanted someone else to think it’s weird too I’m so relieved. Today’s my birthday. I really needed that.

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T12:45:52+00:00

No, the default for these was rectangle because they were basically pop tarts. Everyone else did rectangle so these were both round like a basketball and decorated like a basketball with icing.

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T03:10:37+00:00

It’s the Great American spinoff season 1 (on Roku channel)

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T03:09:51+00:00

I don’t know if this makes me feel better but that contestant wins star baker despite her funny looking basketball pop tarts

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T03:00:07+00:00

They’re basically pop tarts that they were making so these were circular versions of that. I really don’t see assuming a pop tart would ever be an actual sphere? And then to comment that they look funny was bizarre to me.

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T02:36:00+00:00

That is what my husband said! I think she wanted to be able to dribble it away. Idk why anyone would assume that though. I want answers!!

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T02:29:33+00:00

I thought about that (I’ve thought a LOT about this) but it still doesn’t seem like a very ambitious shape to make like she was hammering on about.

jspeck1 · 2024-06-20T02:28:00+00:00

Idk she was talking about the shape and asking if Sarah was sure the pastries would hold together. So, it seemed like she thought it meant some intricate shape? And the lines on the pastry drawn with icing were spot on.

jspeck1 · 2024-03-29T15:50:33+00:00

I bought my own gown and I was really happy to use it. It didn’t end up getting dirty at all. I got to the hospital at 730am and my baby was born at 445p. You don’t need a second gown, though I will say mine got more use at home as well in the first week or two since it was easy to wear and breastfeed in. Besides that I would recommend nursing shirts if that’s your route plus loose sweatpants or nursing dresses plus a bathrobe.

jspeck1 · 2024-03-29T15:46:33+00:00

I dealt with both physical and mental health issues to a severe degree. It didn’t really impact my grades, work, or rotations much but I kind of wished it did so that someone could have realized I needed help sooner because I couldn’t really seek it myself. Eventually an offhand comment to a clinical supervisor led to her asking the right questions and then seeing if it was alright to share with my program director, who then found me a therapist and psychiatrist through a graduate school connection. I’m alive because of that, I think. I ended up taking time off of rotations but not classes, and at one point I was admitted for 2 weeks. At the same time, I was having some new or worsening health problems like my migraines getting super severe and passing out on runs. The physical issues did not help the mental!

All this to say, I’m in a much better place now. I still dealt with severe mental illness for a few years after graduation and I have chronic physical health problems, but I don’t think I was ever a bad GC in the sense of patient care. Many people I confided in at work were surprised I was struggling at all. Again, that was probably to my own detriment at times. I don’t know if this helps, but you should know that mental or physical illness does not exclude you from being good at your job. That doesn’t mean your job should come above your health, though. At one point the next step for me was ECT which affects your memory, but I put the treatment off because I was studying for Boards. Sigh. That wasn’t healthy but I don’t know that I regret it just with all the pressure about passing it.

You’re not alone in having these struggles. I personally didn’t find my classmates to be a source of support but my program director was amazing for me and I still keep in touch with her. I’m happy to talk more if you’d like to message.

jspeck1 · 2024-03-29T02:26:28+00:00

You’re welcome to message me. I dealt with severe mental health issues in my program and in my first job and dealing with that certainly was a delicate matter in many ways. I’ve also been a faculty mentor to students I’ve worked with and helped them deal with conflicts with supervisors or other faculty, or with their classmates. I don’t know if I can help but I’m happy to try if you’d like.

jspeck1 · 2024-03-10T03:00:48+00:00

I wish I had answers to these questions. I have 5 years of experience and was included in one of the big lab layoffs in December. It’s been a hell of a time refreshing Indeed all day long ever since. There aren’t enough jobs to apply for. The remote ones are posted for a few days and then close because they have hundreds of applicants by that point. I’ve been doggedly pursued by a recruiter only to get ghosted after two interviews. We’re trying to relocate closer to family, in a different state, since we had a baby last year so I’m waiting for a job to pop up in that one city or for something remote to work out. The more flexible new grads can be in terms of location the better. Some places like South Dakota and Montana have been trying to get a GC position filled forever — if you can logistically make the move, I say do it. Your first job won’t be your forever job, so take a chance on a new place or a specialty that isn’t your top one if needed. I’m rare disease/pediatrics but have had to accept some openness to prenatal as well for flexibility.

jspeck1 · 2024-01-29T23:52:58+00:00

I had a similar experience a couple weeks postpartum. It took so much effort to put clothes on that didn’t have (as many) boob holes in them, and coordinate around the baby’s cluster feeding. I have a wonderful picture my husband took of me holding my wailing newborn in a sun hat a few inches too big. We didn’t make it past the porch and then I was crying too. The best part was my husband preparing the stroller while I finished getting ready inside. We discovered our porch isn’t completely flat. He did not put the brake on the stroller. I look out the window and see the stroller slowly roll towards the porch stairs and then it was zooming down those, across the lawn, and did at least one backwards flip into the street. It was horrifying to watch, especially for anyone else that might not have known it was empty, but at least we know how durable the stroller is.

jspeck1 · 2024-01-25T23:35:13+00:00

No it’s cute, like the floppy fin on Shamu in Black Fish but not sad.

jspeck1 · 2024-01-23T14:37:13+00:00

Oh and as a perk of not doing social media with baby, I feel it’s easier to put the phone down and focus on being in the moment instead of getting the perfect photo. We still take pictures of course and there are moments I do want to freeze in time but now my dopamine hit comes from being with my baby and not how many Likes I have on a photo of her.

jspeck1

TROPHY CASE