Today is my first full day of Spring Break (wooooo!) and I have a nasty migraine that has left me spending most of the day with my butt glued to the sofa. What’s extra frustrating is that I am bored and restless, I want to be doing something else, but the pain in my head is demanding I stay still. Fortunately, so far, looking at the computer screen hasn’t been an issue, so at least I can blog. This is another from my to-do list: acronyms.
When we very first started trying to conceive I picked up a copy of “What to Expect Before You’re Expecting” from someone on base for like $2. Early in the book they mention a bunch of acronyms that they use throughout and there’s a longer list in the back. It is also mentioned that these acronyms are used a lot on their message boards. It was frustrating, at first, trying to remember what everything meant. After a while I understood or could figure out most of them. Sometimes I even think about things in terms of acronyms and not the full words.
BUT when I started blogging, I knew I didn’t want to fill my posts with acronyms. Is it easier and faster? Sure. But it’s also alienating for anyone who is not familiar with the terms, whether they are someone who hasn’t dealt with conception/fertility or someone brand new to the community. I didn’t want to alienate potential readers by overloading them with unfamiliar acronyms. So I make a point to write out things like trying to conceive rather than just TTC or talk about my period rather than AF (for Aunt Flow).
A huge part of why I chose to do things this way was my experience as a military spouse. The military is famous for its use of acronyms and there’s good reason why. When my husband and I were first dating and especially when we first got married, it was completely overwhelming and alienating to hear all these acronyms that I didn’t understand. Within the community we throw around these terms like they are any other word and I admit that I’ve been guilty of using them with people like my family who don’t necessarily understand.
The tricky thing about acronyms and other community specific vocabulary is that they both create a sense of community for those who understand them and push away those who don’t. It’s great to be able to talk in shorthand around my military friends, but I have to be aware and reign it in around everyone else. I think there are some similarities in the conception/fertility community, for me anyway. When I first started blogging and reading other blogs, there were times when I was overwhelmed by acronyms. I’ve definitely found myself Google-ing stuff and then feeling like I don’t belong because I didn’t automatically know what something meant. This has been especially true when reading blogs by those in the throes of IVF.
Now please don’t get me wrong, this is not meant as a criticism of those in the community who use these acronyms. We starting thinking in these terms and it’s easy to speak in them. Especially when we are expecting to speak to those who understand. But my goals for this blog include creating something accessible to people who are not trying to conceive and/or who have not ever had difficulty conceiving, but who might still be interested in reading about my personal journey. But that’s just me and my blog. I just wanted to speak briefly about some of my thoughts on communities and their codes and the pros and cons of speaking in them.
Conception's Bitch 