Alright everyone! Here’s my favorite part of my interview with Dr. Kelly Baek, the fertility specialist who helped me meet and love my three incredible children. She shared a ton of interesting information about infertiltiy, how she works with patients, treatments and more on her practice in part one of the interview here. But below she shares what lead her to become a fertility doctor, what a day in the life is like and how she spends her time the rare hours she’s not working. Please welcome back the wonderful Dr. Kelly Baek!
Why did you become a fertility specialist?
I became a fertility specialist because when I did my residency at NYU and rotated through the fertility center I immediately identified with the women. Many women there were having difficulty conceiving because they had delayed having children for their careers. I was also fascinated how quickly technology was advancing in fertility. Working with pioneers in this field including the doctor who invented ICSI (which is where a sperm is injected into an egg to aid fertilization for male factor infertility) and the doctor who developed PGD (where embryos are screened for genetic disorders) inspired me to help create change and advance this field further.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love being a diagnostic fertility specialist. Going through fertility treatments can be overwhelming for some patients. I love empowering patients by educating them with information specific to their care based on their individualized assessments.
And the hardest?
The hardest part of my job is recognizing however hard I try to customize and change treatment approaches to achieve success, that sometimes I can’t help patients achieve their goals and to acknowledge that we are limited by nature.
You work most days and weekends – what does your typical day look like?
Yes unless I am away on vacation I do work 7 days a week.
Monday through Friday: I wake up around 5-5:30 am and read the nypost.com, throw in a load of laundry or unload the dishwasher. Then I head to work at 6:30 am. I arrive at work around 7:15am to start egg retrievals, review patients’ records and fertility monitoring. I perform ultrasounds, iui’s, egg retrievals, and embryo transfers back to back all morning until 1pm. I then start my consultations at that time. When I finish my consults for the day, I answer staff tasks regarding patients, review patients’ test results and return calls.
I don’t take breaks or lunch during the day and prefer to power through the day. After work, I either head home to pick up one of the boys at their sport’s practice, attend work meetings, or have dinner with my girlfriends.
Saturday and Sunday: I only work half days as I don’t do consultations so after I perform my patient’s ultrasounds and procedures I head home to have lunch with my sons if they are not away at a sporting tournament. I love to take walks on the beach with them and cook. Cooking is my weekend release and I love cooking for my family and my friends. My sons like to take turns finding a recipe to try and cook with me on weekends. On sundays, I buy groceries and prep dinner for monday and tuesday. I keep it simple. Marinate fish or protein for easy dinners where we just need to grill.
I go to bed early and unplug and try to get to bed by 9-10pm.
You are an IVF mama to 3 boys. How that allowed you to relate and empathize with your patients on a deeper level?
Absolutely. Having experienced the frustrations of not being able to conceive even though I myself was a fertility specialist, is one of the biggest reasons I am very diagnostic in my approach to fertility evaluation and treatments. I want to know all the potential challenges a patient may have to correct each one before proceeding with any treatments. I remember all too well what an emotional toll every two week wait took on me. That is why I make every effort to optimize a patient’s potential success before simply just starting treatments.
How do you balance work and mom life?
I returned to work a month after having the twins. From the very beginning, I relied on my husband, my family, and my babysitters to help me care for my children. My “team” help me be a better mom and physician so that I can focus on my patients when I am at work and then on my sons when I am home.
When they were younger, I restricted the number of consults each day so that I could arrive home for bath time and dinner. I tried my best to put the phone down and not return calls and emails until after I had tucked the boys in bed.
Now that my sons are older and independent, I work later and attend more after work events and meetings. When I arrive home, I put down my phone and try my best to be present for the boys.
When you are able to find some “Kelly time” to unwind, whats your favorite way to spend it?
Evenings my sons are at sports’ practices, I meet my girlfriends for dinner or for walks around the neighborhood and the beach. I find connecting with close friends and simply being outdoors helps me feel restored. I also love to watch trash tv and netflix.
Thank you so much Dr. Baek for sharing so much information with us, and for sharing what your world is like as a fertility doctor and mama of three!
You can find Kelly at @drkellybaek on Instagram where she shares more about fertility treatments, and at California Fertility Partners if you’re looking to book a consult. Remember to always reach out to me if you need any emotional support. My journey to my children may look over, but my journey with you is not. And I am always here.
