The silver lining

I am not one to talk about my career on here. This may be one of the last times I directly reference it, but I felt the need to share this story with you.

As you may have already read, I’ve had some major shake ups at work lately. My boss left. I was reassigned to a new role. Another key member of our team left. Then, they reassigned us to a different Director. All of this happened between the time we got home from IVF and yesterday.

I’ve been anxious about having a new Director when my last one was so supportive of our fertility journey.

When I informed my work I would be taking the full 4 weeks off, my new Director insisted on meeting me when he came to town yesterday. My HR rep told me the choice was mine as I am still off on disability, but I felt like the pressure was on to go in.

Our meeting was nothing I could have expected. They offered me a managerial role to run my entire department. This is a newly created role to off-set the assignment of the new Director. They need someone to manage the day-to-day operations and they chose me.

Why is this significant?

My workplace knows that I just experienced an ectopic pregnancy loss. They know that I have been pursuing fertility treatment and that we plan on continuing until we have a baby. In their eyes, this didn’t matter when it came to my promotion. They told me they will support whatever time off I need for appointments. They even encouraged me to make sure I am ready to come back as they don’t want to overwhelm me with the new role. I am still going back next Monday though. 

On top of all of this, I am one of less than 10 women in a tech company. I am the only woman in my department and now I will be leading it. I am honoured to work for a company that promotes women and does not let their personal journeys hold back their careers.

Three years ago, I left a government role because I didn’t feel like I could raise a child and continue my career there. Very few people in my department had children and it seemed as if you couldn’t move up if you did.

I have no doubt in my mind that my current company will allow me to continue my career and have a family. I so grateful to pursue this new opportunity.

I didn’t think anything good could possibly come after our pregnancy loss. I’ve been struggling to see the light, but yesterday was my first real day without crying.

I’ve felt lost over the past year. Our fertility journey drained me and my aspirations. It left me feeling like I had no purpose in life.

This new role has given me purpose. I am so excited to return to work, to be busy and to have something else to focus on other than miscarriage and infertility.

Thank you universe for giving me this gift.