“I admitted myself to a psychiatric facility. My husband went back to our newborn by himself, without paternity leave. I want to make sure other bipolar women don’t give birth without being prepared.”
‘I shoved my newborn into my husband’s arms before violently jumping and screaming, ‘I’m not going to die!’ I hadn’t slept the whole time.’: Mom with bipolar disorder shares journey with postpartum psychosis
‘Your results are ready.’ I clicked the email, braced myself for it to say ‘boy.’ PINK confetti lit up the screen.’: Woman welcomes first daughter after 5 sons, 3 miscarriages
“The second you see that plus sign, you’re already planning what life will look like with this child. You imagine who they will look like, what they will grow up to do, even the details of their wedding plays in your head. Myself and countless women know the reality of having this taken away in an instant.”
10 Honest Things EVERY Woman Should Know Before Giving Birth
“You will be a walking zombie.”
‘The OB said, ‘Oh no, wait.’ My heart started racing. ‘There are two heartbeats!’ WHAT THE! TWINS?’: Woman shares MCDA twins pregnancy, births preemies with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome
“After FINALLY falling pregnant, all I wanted was to hear that sound.”
‘Would we click? I was about to meet the man whose child was about to be in my belly!’: Mom of 2 becomes surrogate for gay couple, ‘There are many ways to make a family’
“I was not a rented womb. I didn’t do it for the money. I didn’t ‘sell’ my baby. I was so thankful to be carrying Andrew.”
‘I wondered every morning, ‘Is today going to be the day I connect with my baby?’: Woman shares motherhood journey through OCD diagnosis, ‘It does not define me’
“I would cover up the fact I felt so disconnected. Everything was ‘great,’ ‘fine,’ ‘I love being a mom.’ I was lying to them and myself.”
‘We see you as you look at the dark screen, tears running down your face, as we zoom in on her tiny heart.’: Nurse’s heart wrenching open-letter to moms of stillborn babies
“We see you as we drive home in silence, attempting to clear our mind, so when we walk through our door we can pretend we are okay.”
‘I was in a ball in the corner of the flight with a barf bag, blanket, and epic amount of guilt.’: Woman recounts journey with panic attacks
“I was basically drugging myself up to deal with life. It was like putting a small Band-Aid on a gushing wound.”
‘He abandoned me, but I chose to move on. I was so good at hiding it, nobody knew I was already suffering.’: Mom shares journey with depression, toxic relationships
“For those who are struggling with depression, anxiety, and all forms of mental illness, you won’t stay in that situation forever. I can attest to that.”
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“I won’t be curling my hair, putting on a lot of makeup, showering every day, or having clothes without breastmilk spilled all over them. But I also won’t be beating myself up for missing some unrealistic expectation of having it all together in those first few days.”