“I hated the weight gain. It wouldn’t have bothered me so much if I had just looked 9 months pregnant from the start; but that slow gain that made people second guess if you were pregnant, or just eating all the carbs you could get your hands on, was a real self-esteem killer.”
‘I hated being pregnant. I know I’m not supposed to say that, but I did.’
‘I caught a glimpse of my 12-year-old daughter and wondered who that woman was.’
“Every mama’s heart is burdened with the weight of her children’s fleeting childhoods. But the beauty is that we are still Mama. They may be too big to carry, or are living with their spouses, but we are still Mama.”
‘What do you do with all the ‘stuff?’ It’s gut-wrenching for parents who lost a child. The dreams of a baby in the nursery are no longer viable, and now you are left with ‘stuff.’
“Our nursery sat untouched. I couldn’t open the door. There was no need for 3 burping pillows. But, there was one box that sat in our basement for nearly 2 years. I held my breath as I opened that final storage box.”
‘My husband used to come home to find the girl on the right. A little rouge, a pretty top, a sexy bra. This girl on the right was sassy. This girl on the right was F-U-N.’
“She wanted you to come home to girl on the right. But no bueno. That crap, it didn’t fly.”
‘I vividly remember the crazy looks I got with my huge pregnant belly and a newborn baby draped across my chest. I would stare too. It’s an odd sight, and honestly something I never imagined for myself.’
“But, there I was, about to have 2 babies 3 months apart.”
‘The doctor came in and said, ‘I’m sorry.’ My husband and I were too in shock to say, ‘Why didn’t you call us?!’’
“I kept thinking to myself, ‘Is my child alive? Why can’t someone just tell me what’s going on?’”
‘My uterus has not shrinked back yet. The sagging makes my C-section scar hurt.’ Triplet mom gets REAL about her postpartum belly
“I am surprised it has not gotten smaller since my last picture. Kind of disappointing, I must admit, and I am not too happy to share this picture.”
‘I’m taking pictures of my jewelry, when my husband walks in and goes, ‘What in the world is going on?!?’ I immediately start crying.’
“I realize the madness I’ve created. It’s just never-ending. I’m not really sure why I’m crying, what day it is, or what’s going on.”
‘This is our son in the hospital at 5 weeks old with RSV. Don’t be the reason a baby is hospitalized – or dead – because the baby was ‘just so cute I had to kiss her.”
“The family member developed a runny nose and cough, but was convinced it was just pet allergies since we have a dog. After they returned home, they realized it was more.”
‘I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. The woman shared that her grandmother had a son. He died immediately after he was born. Someone took photographs to show her later – because they knew she’d never get to see him.’
“I realize I eavesdropped a bit more than I intended. But when you’ve lost a baby – these moments have a way of finding you.”
