The Work-Life Balance: I Take A Stand

I decided not to interview for the job.

I must say, after thinking all weekend about whether to go to NY to even interview, much less consider how I'd manage working in one city while having a husband and a house in another, I'm relieved I made the decision.

As one friend told me, "you have more priorities than magazines now."

So thanks for your insight, everyone, and yes, at one time I would have agreed that I should at least go and interview, just to see what happens and to be able to say, "oh yeah, I've talked to people there."

But these days, I've got other things on my mind than being able to say "I'm an editor at (really well known) magazine."

The quest to be a parent continues on.

I started acupuncture last night.

Has anyone tried this for infertility reasons? I'd called my local chapter of RESOLVE and asked for acupuncturists in my town who specialize in treating women who want to get pregnant.

I found a practice and an acupuncturist who has been business longer than I have been alive. When I went last night (and I appreciate that they're conveniently open late, so I can get there after my long commute home and not feel rushed), they pointed out all the baby photos on the wall.

I'd already questioned the doc over the phone before I made the appointment.

Success with infertiles? Yes, they submit studies to academic journals about how acupuncture gets things moving and gets women pregnant.

Covered by insurance? Nah, but the sessions are reasonably priced.

Will the treatment make anything else about me feel better? It could, perhaps, help my blood sugars out and maybe make me feel a general sense of well-being, but getting pregnant is the goal.

Am I typical patient? Actually, no. They tend to see women in their early 40s who are already undergoing IVF and want to make the process work. I told the doc that I wanted to avoid getting to that point, and hopefully I could get pregnant on my own.

As a diabetic, I had no concern of the pain of needles, although one or two of them did hurt either when going in or when I flexed a muscle while they were in me.

To begin, the doc took my pulse and looked at my tongue, and said that despite my checkered medical history, I was in pretty good shape. Based on the pulse and tongue check, the doc decided where to place the needles and how many I'd need.

Basically, I lay down on an examining table, fully clothed, and relaxed as the doc poked about 12 thin needles (total) into my forehead, wrists, belly, and ankles. Then I closed my eyes and listened to Asian-y calming music for 30 minutes, in the dark, and thought about how I didn't need to understand WHY the needles would work, just to have faith that they should.

Afterwards, the doc told me that the chi (energy force) in my spleen and liver was off, and that twice-weekly acupuncture sessions were what he'd recommend.

Today, I had perhaps a half-hour of menstrual cramps, took an Advil, and rejoiced when my period arrived this evening. I'm calling my reproductive endo tomorrow to schedule a new round of day three blood tests on Friday (to see if my estradiol and thyroid levels are perhaps in better shape they were a month ago), and we'll see if the sex for babyhood can start up again this month.

Stay tuned.