Let me start off by saying that this is my first blog and I am nervous to share this. I thought about talking about my position at DCA and what life is like returning from my maternity leave, but I want to talk about something a little more personal. Let’s get real. Being a mother is hard. Balancing life with a new baby is hard. Going back to work early is hard, but nothing was harder in my life than trying to get pregnant. Yes, I’m talking about infertility. That is how real we are getting in this blog post. For the years my husband and I were trying to conceive I was an emotional wreck and I know there are a lot of other couples out there that can relate.

Working at DCA kept me going and normal, kept me focused during the day and offered me an outlet to put all my energy and drive. I am going to assume that my coworkers had no clue about my struggle as they would ask, “Oh when are you going to have kids?” My answer would always be, “Oh not yet.” Meanwhile I’ve been killing myself for years trying to get pregnant and was miserable. It was also very, very hard to see other women in the office get pregnant. I was so happy for them and also so unbelievably destroyed. However, in that delicate time of my life I felt like I had such a great support system of close friends, family members and my employers. Now you are probably thinking, “Wait, employers?” Yes! The amazing part of this is that my employers actually had no clue what was going on but they were there for me none the less. I’m sure they knew something was up, as I had to leave for several “appointments” throughout the week. I’m sure they thought I was job seeking somewhere else but in all honesty I was going to the fertility clinic weekly.

My employers were so accommodating and they didn’t even know for what! This was always the biggest relief during my struggle, knowing I could take time to heal when needed and also focus on something else like contributing to an amazing business. The last 5 years were not the best in my life, I’ve been through a lot of downs, a few ups. I’ve had some major health scares. I’ve had friends come and go. I’ve fallen more in love with all my family. I’ve fallen more in love with my husband. I have a beautiful son who steals my heart every morning I wake up to him. I have a wonderful job.

I’m lucky to have this position here at the company. DCA was here for me when I needed it the most. This is more than a job for me, and it’s my second home, my second family.