Mash-up Clip: Advocating for My Child Then ... Advocating for Myself Now

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Aisha and I'm a former host of moca Single Mothers by Choice or smcs. Like you, as an smc, I decided to become a mother knowing I'd be the sole care provider and parent for my children. At least at the outset the MOCA stood for Black. So I'm using the word black and I'll be discussing being a single mother by choice from a Black woman's lens. You'll connect with all the interesting and fun things about this non traditional path, like discussing which sperm to use and some hard truths about fertility and the realities of dating as a single mother who doesn't have a co parent to rely on occasionally and what it's actually like to parent as an smc. This is the Black Single Mothers by Choice podcast. [00:00:52] Speaker B: In the past when I didn't feel heard or listened to and I let them know why and then I escalated it and wrote formal letters. So don't be afraid to be that loud and aggressive person advocating for you or your children's health treatments, diagnostic procedures. Yeah, go kicking and screaming if you need to. I think the system has us so afraid of being the angry black parents and if it comes down to it, be the angry black parent. You are the only person who knows your medical history and if you are a single parent, you are the only person who knows your children's medical history. So take that and do with it with you what you must. I have an 11 year old and we have recently started talking about family medical history because God forbid something happens to me, I don't want there to be gaps and her knowledge of her family medical history. Assess how your medical team responds when you ask questions, especially when you ask clarifying questions. Do they listen? Do they pause? Do they respond thoughtfully? Do they blow you off? Those are all indications as to whether you stay with your provider or you move on. You do have choices. If you're curious about how these early conversations have evolved, you can find the full mashup episodes on Start to Finish Motherhood. [00:02:27] Speaker A: Well pod, thank you so much for taking the time to listen. If you like what you've heard, please share this podcast with your girlfriends and I'd love to hear your thoughts about the topics covered in this episode. So email [email protected] if you found value in the topics covered. Consider making a donation using the link in the show notes below. Till next time, podcast. Bye now.