“We entered into the adoption of our daughter the way birth mom wanted – a fully closed adoption. She knew she could not safely care for her baby with the life she was living, but her heart was hurting. In my heart, I knew we needed a plan C.”
‘Why did you choose open adoption when you don’t have to?’ It shouldn’t have to be ‘either/or,’ it should be ‘and.’: Adoptive mom reflects on unique journey, ‘This little girl deserves the world’
Dear Moms, You Never Know When The Last Day Will Be
“Will today be the last day of babbling, replaced with the sweet sound of ‘mama’ over and over again? Will today be the last day of crawling into bed, now replaced with sleeping alone while hugged by blankets? Will today be the last day being a passenger, now replaced with waving goodbye as the car rolls down the driveway?”
Why I’m Done Explaining My Decisions
“I’m through with unnecessary excuses and apologies and rationalizations for the choices I believe are best for ME.”
‘My circle may be small, but the love is big.’: Mom shares importance of having supportive friends
“Once I became pregnant, I realized who my true friends were.”
‘I hated my life, hated being different. I’d hit rock bottom, to the point where I didn’t want to live anymore.’: Mom survives sexual assault, toxic marriage to find self-love
“This little baby woke up a dormant side of me I had been too afraid to show to the world. I knew then that I couldn’t be the best mom to my child by living in fear. It was time for me to learn to live authentically.”
‘You’re going to die at any moment.’ All I could say was, ‘Good.’: Anorexia warrior shares journey to recovery, ‘I deserve this life’
“Living in a malnourished state made me OBSESSED with food. I would spend my spare time walking around supermarkets staring at food, picking food up, and buying food for other people to fill some sort of void.”
‘She’s not a tally on the task list. She’s who I’m doing it for.’: Mom shares turning mundane tasks into magical moments for kids
“It doesn’t have to be a chore. The cleaning, the mundane daily master list… that’s the experience.”
‘Yes, I’m so lucky. I only had to sacrifice my hormones, my social life, and mental wellbeing. But hey, at least I’m lean!’: Woman shares anorexia recovery, road to healthy pregnancy
“It didn’t hit me when my heart rate was at 40 bpm and the doctor called cardiology in a panic. Or when I was freezing cold in the summer heat. Or when I woke up at 3 a.m. every morning, dripping in sweat. I finally realized something was wrong when I stopped loving my dog.”
Parenting Feels Like An Open Invitation For Criticism
“When I became a mom, I was shocked by the amount of unsolicited advice I received. The mommy shaming train took off the second I got pregnant.”
‘Make no mistake, we didn’t adopt because it’s hard or good. We chose to adopt because it matters.’: Mom emphasizes both struggle and beauty of adoption
“We had so many misassumptions of ‘what we wanted’ going into the process. We were nervous, excited, and completely clueless.”