TheMommyBlog

Sunday, September 16, 2007 Other people who write, Current Affairs

I think I mentioned earlier this summer that I met my long-lost twin when I went back to Sweet Home Chicago. It’s funny how you can chug along at just one degree of separation for years and never know how close you were to having this friend in your life sooner.

Anyway. She is none other than the fabulous Dr. Val Jones of RevolutionHealth.com (you might have seen they were a sponsor if you were at BlogHer ‘07 ). As senior medical director and expert medical blogger, Val writes “The voice of Reason: My take on health, medicine, and the pursuit of happiness.” Amen to that.

Last week Val had a podcast scheduled on the topic of pregnancy after age 35. She shot me a quick email the day before telling me about it and asking if I’d like to sit in, if only to help keep things moving.

A growing number of women are becoming pregnant in their 30s and beyond - and delivering healthy babies. Revolution Health’s Dr. Val Jones recently hosted a conversation with Dr. Mary E. D’Alton, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons on this topic. Dr. D’Alton is an expert in multiple pregnancies and medical complications in pregnancy. Dr. Val and Dr. D’Alton were joined by bloggers who are interested in pregnancy after the age of 35.

Sure, why not? I’m not too under qualified. All my babies were born before I was 34 and each of them had horrifying emergencies that while uncomfortable at the time, make for very good stories now. I am not the person you want other women to consult when thinking about how to minimize mishaps and maximize health during an at-risk pregnancy. Invariably, I’ll answer, “YOU CAN’T! No matter how healthy you are, no matter how much you plan, no matter how good your karma and knowledge and instincts are, things can and will go horribly wrong. Not that you don’t recover, and not that it happens to everyone, but I am definitely not one of those uncomplicated, serene cases. And it’s a damn good thing I have a caring family and titanium sense of humor.

Back to the podcast. I was honored to be asked, and was really looking forward to it because I like Val. Plus? She is one of those persons whom the camera, video, and the radio loves. She sounds crisp and warm, and forget about how she presents herself. She was born to it. (I? Was not. If you’ve heard any of my other interviews, I generally laugh too much, say “um” a lot, and end up babbling somewhere off topic before being dragged back on point.)

Well, grab a seat for this intimate interview between a top medical expert, the head of OB at Columbia, and me. Heh. Listen here.

And try not to hold your breath during the incredibly long, awkward pause in the middle where I offer speculative, big-picture views that totally flummox data- and science-driven women. Hello? Scientists? They like facts and data. In fact, at one point I’m aching to move on, meekly retracting and saying that there’s no data whatsoever to support anything I said, but we can’t leave it alone, and then Val is mistaken for me as the questioner and we’re both all NO THAT WAS NOT VAL IT WAS MINDY. Because, I suppose, as a mommy blogger I can be forgiven for touring left field now and again.

Oh! And speaking of touring, we’re hopping down south to join Val and her husband at a fancy-pants beach resort, where we will sip champagne, eat til we’re sick, and totally not care what people think of us in our bathing suits. I cannot, cannot wait!