“I’d fantasize about calling in sick to work and checking into a hotel just to sleep. I wanted to quit.”
‘Can you spare some milk?’ Her child was having a hard time with formula. My eyes were opened to a whole new world.’: Mom donates breastmilk to those in need, ‘It’s ALL worth it’
‘My report cards constantly read, ‘Hazel needs to socialize with her peers.’ I realized how different I was.’: Woman shares journey to autism diagnosis, ‘I’m embracing myself’
“I would copy and paste the personalities of those around me. My sense of identity was so lost. I was in survival mode.”
‘I yelled, ‘Someone tell me what is wrong!’ Tears streamed down my face. I knew something was different about this pregnancy, and it was NOT just the pandemic.’: Teen mom turned special needs mom shares journey with Down syndrome
“I was 16 and pregnant. A statistic, as most saw it. ‘I cannot do this, I’m not cut out for this.’ I remember thinking our life was over, but little did we know, it was just starting.”
‘She casually started talking about ‘OUR SON.’ Then I realized I was 2 weeks late.’: Couple surprised by miracle baby after open adoption, ‘It was meant to be!’
“I felt queasy. ‘What’s wrong?’ I’d never seen a positive, EVER. Something felt different this time. After only 30 seconds, the results were in. Our lives changed forever.”
‘The thinner I got, the more attention I received. I decided to quit eating altogether.’: Eating disorder survivor opens up about self-love, ‘I’m at peace with my body’
“I starved myself Saturday through Thursday, only eating six pretzels and half an apple every day. Then Friday came and I’d black out. That was my life. I lived for food.”
Yes, Having A Big Family Is Awesome — Here’s Why
“But of course, just like any family, there are pros and cons.”
‘I got an alert on my DNA app. It was my birth father! He didn’t even know I existed.’: Adoptee shares search for birth family, pursues adoption, ‘My story is still being written’
“We never imagined we’d be on our own adoption journey. ‘Prepare your hearts.’ We felt lost and confused. The next day, I had an alert on my DNA app.”
‘I was surrounded by beautiful fat women I adored and admired, and I watched them hate their bodies.’: Woman shares self love journey, ‘I move with freedom’
“I saw my mom tell herself she’d get back into her size 10 Levi’s someday. I saw women in bikinis being ridiculed on magazine covers. My body was something I was stuck inside of that I wasn’t happy with.”
‘Are babies supposed to breathe that fast?’ I couldn’t shake the feeling something was terribly wrong.’: Mom shares newborn’s journey with congenital heart defect, ‘He’s THRIVING’
“At his 48-hour checkup, Liam looked perfect. He was gaining weight beautifully. I had a strange feeling. ‘He’s breathing 90 times per minute.’ That sentence made the doctors pause.”
‘He was on the brink of tears. ‘I’m doing a bad job in first grade.’ I haven’t given him nearly enough credit.’: Mom details parenting through pandemic, ‘Hug your little superheroes today’
“We’ve thanked everyone from healthcare workers to grocery store employees, but we haven’t thanked the kids enough for bearing the burden of what we’ve put on their shoulders this year.”
‘After watching my daughter fight for her life, I realized I had to fight for our family. I needed to heal.’: Single mom shares daughter’s journey with Down syndrome, ‘We’re growing together’
“My husband had been cheating on me and they were pregnant. I remember thinking, ‘Her daughter will live longer than mine.’ I had to give her the best life.”
‘Our newborn photographer said, ‘Coincidentally, my daughter has it too.’ I’ll never forget her next words: ‘Appreciate his bare chest. Soon, it will be scarred forever.’: Mom details emotional journey with son’s Congenital Heart Disease
“I’ll never forget her next words: ‘Appreciate his bare chest. Soon enough, it will be scarred forever.’ Every day, I am reminded of my son’s disease in the form of an exclamation point on his chest.”
‘As we pulled away, he cried, ‘MOM!’ My heart burst with so much emotion. He was saying goodbye to everything he knew.’: Couple shares adoption journey, ‘They are IMMENSELY loved’
“My eyes welled up with tears instantly. There he was. An adorable, chubby-cheeked 9-month-old boy. ‘He’s ours, isn’t he?’ No one quite understood the ache we had in our hearts to have him home.”
‘College is NOT an option for you.’ It was a defining moment. My body gave up, but I was ARMED with newfound determination.’: Young woman shares journey with Cerebral Palsy, ‘I had to learn to embrace myself’
“I went into the hospital that day thinking my life was going to change for the better, but instead, it was worse than ANYONE could’ve imagined. I had to take control and shock EVERYONE.”
‘I left work to become a stay-at-home mom. I ceased to ‘exist.’ I expended all my energy, but had little to show for it.’: Mom starts journaling business for kids, ‘I wanted to work on MY TIME’
“There were things which took me by surprise when I left the corporate world, the most important realization was I didn’t WANT to be a stay-at-home mom. My feelings of loneliness led me to create a practice of gratitude.”
‘I want a divorce.’ I was blindsided. In one moment, my entire life turned upside down. I needed to escape it all.’: Woman shares healing journey after divorce, ‘You WILL be happy again’
“They say in New York you only get two out of three: a great career, love, or apartment. I had all three. By all accounts, I had a perfect life. Then my husband dropped a bomb on me.”
‘I drove with a huge cooler full of milk, sobbing. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.’: Mom donates 10,000 ounces of breast milk to moms in need
“Breastfeeding may be natural, but that absolutely does not mean it is easy.”
‘I lived a double life, high schooler by day and patient by night. I hid my illnesses out of pure embarrassment.’: Chronic illness warrior shares self-love journey, ‘Now I embrace my scars’
“I received cruel messages like, ‘If I were you, I’d rather be dead.’ My health was a taboo topic. When I got my NJ tube, I realized hiding my illness was impossible.”
‘All my life, I heard, ‘Breast milk is the only way to go.’ I felt like a failure. What was wrong with my body?’: New mom shares breastfeeding journey, donates breast milk, ‘I am beyond grateful’
“I had no idea where to start, where to go, or who to ask for help. I didn’t know anyone who was pumping, let alone donating breast milk.”
‘My doctor said, ‘You’re just a tired mom.’ I was too weak to move from the couch. Breathing became a challenge. I knew he was wrong.’: Mom navigates life with chronic illnesses, ‘Be kind to yourself’
“I pushed my health to the back burner. Finally, I had to take a step back. ‘How can I care for those I love when I’m not caring for myself? I knew my doctor was wrong.”
‘I was so bloated people asked, ‘How far along are you?’ If only they knew I was slowly dying on the inside, never able to have another child.’: Chronic illness warrior shares journey, ‘I am FIERCE’
“My large intestine quit on me out of the blue. I fought through the pain until I was no longer able to hide it. If felt like my world was slowly caving in.”
‘The judge skimmed my letter. In less than 5 minutes, we were ushered out of the courtroom. I felt powerless.’: Foster mom advocates for child welfare, ‘They need people to fight for them’
“My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel. I was fighting back tears. My 6-year-old foster child sat in the backseat, oblivious. The system was failing him and no one cared.”
‘As I laid eyes on her for the first time, they quickly pointed out everything ‘wrong’ with her.’: Mom ‘blindsided’ by daughter’s Down syndrome diagnosis, ‘I’m no longer afraid’
“Her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, the way her tongue rested gently on her bottom lip, and her tiny pinky with the slightest curve. I was in shock.”
‘Everyone thinks you’re free once you leave an abusive relationship. It’s not true.’: Woman shares self-love journey after abuse, ‘I’m stronger than I thought’
“You have to stay strong, every day.”
‘What’s so special about this photo?’ It’s just an egg on top of toast, you may wonder. But to me, this is the best photo in the world.’: Mom celebrates parenting win after sons’ act of kindness, ‘I’m raising boys not defined by gender stereotypes’
“I often wonder if we are doing this whole parenting thing right. Then, Saturday morning happened. I am raising sons to be men who are not defined by traditional gender stereotypes.”