Medelita founder Lara Francisco worked as an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant in level I trauma for over a decade before deciding to found the company and launch a much-needed collection of tailored medical apparel. Also a mother of three, Lara is a clinician, an entrepreneur, a mother, a wife, and basically, a superhero.
Here is Lara's message to our customers, her colleagues, who share the joys and struggles of balancing the beauty of motherhood as well as a rewarding professional life:
“You slept in your clothes again?” My husband Joe said as I managed my way into our dark room the next morning. Joe was looking dapper and fresh, and there I was re-living yesterday in the same outfit. Still waking up from a typical, sandwiched sleeping event — a twin on each side of me — squooshy full-sized bed style. But awake enough to wish I had just taken my damned eye makeup off. And also thinking how lucky I was to have heard my alarm over the blaring sound machine that sometimes keeps our three children asleep for a decent amount of time. I answered him, “yeah, I did.” Proudly.
This outfit from yesterday has had quite a stint since the (now) 26 hours I’ve been wearing it. The night before, I was leaning over to grab my purse from the passenger car door, proud of myself for masterfully managing to meet Joe with the kids on time for a school pizza event, and he had said, “you know that your tags are still on your pants?” No. Heck no. I hadn’t planned on advertising the glaring Sloan Fit BR paper tag on my rear. 11 hours in, I ripped it off. Oh well.
Laughable, yes. But odd? No. I just have other priorities. We all do. Moms, I mean. My mind is always racing in so many directions in order to manage the work/kids/household hoopla, in that general goals such as, “put on pajamas for bed” only apply to children and not me. I thought about this last night as I was changing our son’s pajamas for the second time.
He initially had this shirt on that would have been fine for bed – only 2 hours in post-bath. But I noticed a bit of pizza sauce on the sleeve. So I went upstairs. Got a new PJ top. Put it on. Then thought, well now he doesn’t match. So I go find the matching dinosaur glow-in-the-dark pants, and take the original PJ pants off. And now I’m happy. I did my job. And Joe proceeds to eyeball the pile of laundry on the stairs.
Funny, I don’t think it would be in my best interest to post this story elsewhere. That’s right – I’m a bit of a quirky, working mama and I always prioritize the kids. But I know us “mama clinicians” are all of this breed. The perfectionist, high-expectations, “I have it in my mind that this is how it should be done and I’m gonna do it that way so get out of my way” attitude. My best friends are this way and everyone I’ve ever worked with is this way. We are, if nothing else, unflappable. I’m not sure if medicine makes us this way, or if we are born this way, or if the profession finds people that are only this way. But it’s who we are, and all I’ve ever known of my colleagues and of myself.
So perhaps this Mother’s Day, we should all try to switch up a bit. Maybe even sleep in our own bed and wear pajamas. Matching pajamas, that is.
Lara Francisco, PA-C
Medelita Founder
