“As I watched my newborn having a seizure, my empty womb could feel those movements. I knew in my gut she’d had them before, inside of me, the place she was supposed to be safe.”
Devon Ledbetter
‘My husband texted our family, ‘She’s out and healthy.’ It was before we knew any different.’: Adoptee traverses first time motherhood with medically complex child, KCNQ2 genetic mutation
‘I was 18, too in my prime to be PREGNANT! Boy, were those two lines so clear.’: Young woman navigating single motherhood urges ‘it doesn’t define who you are’
“I was promised my boyfriend would be there for me. Because of my circumstances, my party life had stopped. Meanwhile, his kept going. My relationship with my child’s father was slowly crumbling.”
‘Did it ever occur to you ‘fat’ is not a feeling?’: Woman urges ‘you deserve to love your body’
“I’ve heard ‘I feel fat’ come out of the mouths of women of all shapes and sizes.”
‘Mommy, I think when it rains, it’s because the clouds are sad and they are letting out their emotions.’: Mom pens sweet letter to her sensitive child, ‘I’ll always be your greatest cheerleader’
“You live each moment and emotion to its fullest. When you’re happy, you radiate joy. And when you’re sad, you’re not afraid to cry and let out your emotions.”
‘It isn’t the sleepless nights, the many mundane tasks, or even the physical toll of pregnancy and breastfeeding.’: Mom of 3 reflects on the trials of motherhood
“It’s loving your children more than life itself and wanting to give them the world. It’s knowing you’ve only got one shot at motherhood before they’re grown up and gone.”
‘Why was I the last to notice my baby was in distress?’ I needed constant reassurance everything was going to be okay.’: New mom thanks nurses during short but grueling NICU stay
“One night, while I was holding my fragile Heron, he turned completely grey. All I can remember is sounds exploding from seemingly everywhere and a sea of NICU staff rushed into the room. All we could do was stand back and watch.”
‘You didn’t lose your baby, but there’s two in there.’ This was the moment I knew I was in for a wild ride.’: Twin mom thanks NICU nurses for helping premature daughters ‘come home’
“At 26 weeks, I went in for a routine ultrasound only to be told I was being admitted. I knew it was coming to be life or death for this baby. My sweet Baby B was at risk.”
‘I set the box of ashes on the couch. She gathered her blanket close, the first time she’d sit next to her Daddy without weeping.’: Widow shares heartfelt moment with daughter after losing husband
“I go to my bedroom and pick up the box. My heart immediately recognizes its weight. My hands know every edge and corner of this container that holds all that’s physically left of the man I thought I’d grow old with.”
‘Poor thing.’ It’s not something to avoid or pull your children away from at the playground. It’s pure, unfiltered joy.’: Special needs mom advocates for Down Syndrome acceptance
“It’s giving zero F–KS, wearing what makes you happy, and being proud of how you look. It’s loving people for exactly who they are and showing everyone kindness without expecting anything in return.”
‘The excitement of a normal poop, the pain seeing your child poked 1,000 times, the strength to continue walking inside.’: Hospital mom describes emotional journey during NICU Awareness Month
“The late night calls of a parent, the early morning calls of an emergency, pressing a button on an incubator before you can touch your child, the longing to rock your baby to sleep just one time.”
