Hello!

So let me start off by introducing myself a little bit. I’m Dr. Heather Rupe and I’m Jessica’s friend/doctor/bible study member/prayer partner/board game nemesis. I’m part of a busy practice here in the Nashville area where I deliver about 10 babies a month. I have a son who’s 5 (he’s also a genius. . .more on that later) and an amazing new baby who’s 2 months old (also more on the miracle of him later). The week our baby came to us (he was lovingly adopted), was also the week that Jess and I learned that this book was going to become a reality. Yes, its been overwhelming, but in an amazing way. Oh, and most importantly, the reason I can work full time, have 2 kids and write a book in my ‘spare time’ (besides an amazing amount of grace and favor from God) is that my husband is a stay at home dad who is just incredible.

As I read through Jess’ entries there are a few things that I feel need some explaining.

Why is Jessica getting ‘fertility treatments’ after just one month of trying? Is that dangerous? Is he going to end up like Octomom?
Usually, it is recommended that you attempt pregnancy for 6 to 12 months before you start infertility treatments. However, during her previous pregnancy attempts Jess was put through the ringer. We know that she does not ovulate very regularly, if at all. So in her situation, moving directly to clomid was the appropriate choice. Clomid helps you ovulate regularly. It also helps you double your chances of conceiving by forming usually 2 eggs each month. It does come with an increased (about 10%) risk of twins. It does not have a risk of high order multiples (>3), so sorry Jess, you probably won’t get 6 babies and your own reality show. Side effects include mood swings, hot flashes and ovarian cysts.

Is it a good idea to have your close friends as patients?
Probably not. When Jessica became my patient our only relationship was that we were in the same small group at church. Over the last 4 years our relationship has grown and deepened partly due to our doctor patient relationship and partly due to many games of Settlers of Catan. Also, Jessica has been my prayer partner and support through the adoption process. It was with her support and the others in our small group, that I was able to keep standing in faith during our 3 year wait to adopt our son. So, if she hadn’t been my patient for the last 4 years and suddenly wanted to be now, I would probably say that no, we’re too close. But, since she has been all along and I can’t stand the thought of not being able to deliver her next baby. . .I guess were stuck with each other.

I do have lots of people that I know pretty well as my patients. How I approach this is when I close the exam door, they are treated like everyone else. I explain this at the beginning. I do everything by the book, never making assumptions and leave the patient comfortable to always ask any questions. This way nothing is missed. I also take the same approach with my patients who are themselves doctors or nurses.

So here we go. Me with my new baby. . .Jess trying hard to get pregnant. . .Both of us writing this book.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!