Mandi Brown @ Carolina Conceptions
Every year or so, Carolina Conceptions invites former patients who have recently become parents back to the office for an event called The Baby Reunion. Couples reunite with the physicians and staff to reconnect and introduce their new children.
Leading up to the event this May, countless calls came in from excited new moms confirming their names were on the invitation list. Many who were “late” to RSVP (because they were too busy FINALLY being moms!), worried if they could still attend.
Why the excitement? Why does it matter to a couple to go back to their old doctor to say hi, show them their baby, and have some pizza and cake with other families they likely don’t know? The typical person who hasn’t gone through infertility won’t understand why. So I’ll tell you…
Getting a card in the mail inviting you to attend the Baby Reunion is like a physical sign from your doctor’s office saying not only “Congrats on the baby,” but also, “You’ve healed as a patient.” The child (or children!) in your arms and the invitation in your hand are cause to celebrate. You have turned the page on what may have been one of the darkest chapters in your life: infertility.
One of the things that makes infertility so hard, as you know, is the uncertainty. You don’t know how long your journey will take, or how many treatments you will need to get pregnant. Even if you get pregnant, you don’t know if a successful treatment will result in a child. And what if all treatments fail? How much money will you spend trying to get there? How many tears will be shed along the way? For many people, living in that kind of uncertainty for an infinite period of time is extremely difficult emotionally, physically, and financially. When you are going through it, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But then, when a treatment works, when you make it through the first trimester with cautious optimism, and your baby’s heart keeps beating through countless ultrasounds, and you finally get to hold that sweet child you so desperately wanted in your arms- the overwhelming joy of that moment can barely be explained.
Now imagine a whole parking lot full of people all feeling this same familial joy. This is what I witnessed at the Carolina Conceptions Baby Reunion two weeks ago. Nearly 200 proud and excited parents (albeit tired), showing their medical team and each other the adorable result(s) of their perseverance in the face of uncertainty.
A particularly heartwarming result of the reunion was newfound friendship. As families mingled with other families just like them– families who also weren’t made overnight- I witnessed parents trading life experiences and advice on everything from the best strollers and the magic of WubbaNubs (a new one for this mom!) to how to get the new babies to sleep through the night. I imagine more than a few even exchanged phone numbers for future playdates.
It was beautiful to see these former patients getting on with just living life – no more appointments, blood work, two-week waits. No more building life around a cycle. Everyone could move forward, their lives now happily shaped around children.
The Baby Reunion celebrated the incredible births of children who would not be here without the expertise and guidance of our outstanding medical team. It also celebrated the transformation of patients into parents, finally walking in the light outside of their tunnels.
Congratulations Carolina Conceptions Families!
Stay Tuned for the Carolina Conceptions
10th Anniversary Baby Reunion Next Year!