“I’ve felt different my whole life. By high school, I was beginning to figure out I was queer. I’d assumed that was the thing ‘different’ about me. That’s not what happened. I was different at my core.”
‘I guess you’re wondering about the results.’ It was like lightbulb after lightbulb going off.’: After diagnosis, woman advocates for autism in girls, ‘Representation matters’
‘That little one who once rested so perfectly upon your chest doesn’t fit there quite so well anymore, and you forget to hold the baby.’: Mom urges ‘forget about the to-do list’
“Leave the papers piled on the counter to attend the tea party. Pause the vacuuming for an impromptu game of hide-and-seek. Take him in your arms and envelop him in your unconditional love. Because there will be time—so much time—to get all the things done, and babe needs you.”
‘Hold on to that dress for me.’ At this point, I was not having any more births. But I just knew.’: Mom saves dress for daughter’s adoption day, ‘It was worth the wait’
“My mother-in-law started to show me a bunch of little dresses she found. One of them caught my eye. ‘One day, I’ll have a daughter and she’s going to wear it.’ Then I got the call. ‘We have a birth mom, and she’s chosen you.’”
‘I was 19 and diligently on birth control. My heart raced seeing those two lines. Shocked was an understatement.’: Young mom births 3 rainbow babies after multiple miscarriages, ‘Don’t give up, friend’
“At my first ultrasound, there was no little blinking heartbeat, no wiggling. I was told, ‘If you hadn’t taken the test so early, you wouldn’t have known.’ Like my baby wasn’t real. Sobbing, I told God I was done. My marriage was struggling. Then I heard the words, ‘Try again, and she will be perfect.'”
‘The phone rang. ‘Hello, Police Service. We’re on the side of the Broadway Bridge. I’m sorry. We answered because it said ‘Mom.’: Mom loses 15-year-old to suicide; ‘I choose to honor Ethan’
“He told me, ‘I started seeing the counselor when dad was being really mean to me about football.’ The more time Ethan spent with his father, the more my role became to be there to pick up the pieces. He confessed, ‘I thought about killing myself.’”
‘Go the F– to sleep! You ruined my life!’ I cried and clenched my fists. Nothing I did helped.’: Mom shares candid reality of Postpartum Depression, ‘You can come out a warrior’
“He would stay awake all day long and barely sleep at night. ‘You’re so annoying, I wish I never had you!’ When I realized what I’d just said to my sweet baby, I knew something was really wrong. I wasn’t myself.”
‘She chose US for her baby!’ He had to stay in NICU indefinitely. We were dumped at a stranger’s doorstep.’: Single mom taken in by strangers after adopting baby with Down syndrome
“I was single, had no mom to help me, and was staying with complete strangers. We had 6 kids between us at the house, one husband, and a baby at the NICU. I needed a PLAN.”
‘You must have paid a pretty penny for him.’ I was speechless. No one ever admitted race was a factor.’: Mom describes transracial adoption journey, ’Love mattered most’
“’He’s white,’ she said. ‘Do you guys think this will work?’ We didn’t care about race. Everyone involved saw what was happening, but no one said a word.”
‘How do I make it stop?’ For weeks, I’d been dedicatedly pumping milk. Now, I was presented with an opportunity.’: Grieving mom donates 600 ounces of breastmilk in son’s honor
“In the hours after my son’s death, my breasts began to ache. Elias was gone, but my body didn’t know any different. I thought of all the bottles of milk I had stored in the freezer.”
‘Come home. There’s been a plane crash, and they think it’s Mitch.’ He was moments away from landing. I felt my soul leave my body.’: Widow re-marries after loss, ‘Life handed me a second chance at love’
“I dated a few guys, but knew immediately in my gut none were for me. I was content with being a solo mom until both of my kids were grown, but the universe had different plans. On a warm April afternoon, there I was, looking at a man who didn’t seem to fear my past and wanted to apply for a spot in my future.”