“In the midst of my own grief, my son still needed me, more than ever. I still felt so isolated and alone. I couldn’t just pass my kid off to someone else. He needed me.”
‘When my son was 10 months old, his daddy, my husband, left. He left the state. Left me to care for a baby alone. How could this happen to me? I did everything right. It broke me.’
‘Her oxygen levels dropped. She had blisters and dark swirls all over her body. Ever seen a movie where someone gets devastating news and collapses down a wall? That was me.’
“After about 8 hours of not being able to get our 5-day old daughter to eat, we took her to the emergency room. ‘She’s fine,’ they told me again. I kissed my 2-year-old. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’m just going to go make sure your sister is okay.’”
‘I was pregnant. I was only 21. I started bleeding. ‘Maybe it’s for the best,’ one family member said. This was supposed to be the happiest time of my life. Instead, it was a nightmare.’
“Josh came home. He suggested we go for a walk, but when I told him to just take our daughter. He couldn’t understand why – and that’s when I lost it. I was screaming at everyone, ‘WHY AM I HERE? I DON’T UNDERSTAND. WHAT IS THE POINT.’”
‘I was extremely nervous to tell her. Without missing a beat she replied, ‘That doesn’t change anything for me. I want to be with you.’
“I was so afraid of being found out and hospitalized, I hid my feelings. After a half hour of awkward stuttering, I finally spit it out by saying I understood if she didn’t want to continue this relationship.”
‘I took maternity photos in the dress I wore to my husband’s funeral.’: Mom-to-be didn’t know she was pregnant when husband died, ‘As I kissed his forehead goodbye, I had no idea I was carrying his son’
“I didn’t know I was pregnant on the day of the funeral. Clothes were strewn about in a panic as I rummaged through every drawer, hamper and closet 2 hours before I was supposed to meet the photographer. Then I saw it. Hanging quietly in the corner where it had remained for the last 7 months.”
‘You are a mother. We all are. No matter how different our journeys may be, we all cross paths at some point. We are all in this together.’
“You are part of a special group of women. You are a member of a very select tribe. You are never alone. You are seen. You are heard. You are valued.”
‘My husband called. I knew something was up. ‘She delivered a baby last night.’ I shook. I cried. He wouldn’t be the only brown face in our family.’
“A week later I received an email. I thought, ‘Leave me alone! I have a brand new baby I wasn’t expecting! Just give me a chance!’ When I clicked on the email, it wasn’t them reminding me to do my update. It was their birth mother.”
‘I just can’t do it.’ I was left at the altar. I caught him in a half-run and collapsed to the ground, sobbing.’: Woman left at altar on her wedding day
“Seconds later, the crowd was all standing. There was an eerie silence now. Someone said, ‘Well, someone go after him!’ I saw my mother rise up. ‘I AM GOING TO KILL HIM! Almost instantly, I shouted, ‘NO!’ My sister and my mother ran over, got on their knees, and held me.”
‘Are you sure you’re pregnant? You hide it so well,’ they said while I was 8 months pregnant.’: Single mom says ‘no one thought my body could handle childbirth’
“‘Guess what? It’s happened!’ I threw the pregnancy test to my 19-year-old boyfriend. During labor, I had no support from my partner. ‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. This 100% was not the plan.’ I ended my relationship. ‘Might as well be a single mom, I basically am one anyway.’”
‘Do you remember your name?,’ one nurse asked. My mouth felt like I was chewing cotton balls. ‘What year is it?’I responded with a weak, soft voice as tears roll down my face.’
“‘Bye Mom! See you later!’ I gave her tight hug, and left on dad’s motorcycle. I was in heaven, having the best time of my life. I turned my head for half of a second, and saw a big bus approaching us. That is all I remember.”