“The nursing every 2 hours. The drive home from the hospital with this new life. Every car was an enemy. The crying days, the googling symptoms, and ‘I’m just so tired,’ days. My mom body–more feminine and efficient than before. The highlights in his hair. The days where I could hold him in my arms, and he fit just right. I’m going to miss this.”
‘Mom, can you please come over again?’ The hard nights won’t last forever, but neither will these little, chubby-arm days.’: Mom says ‘one day I will look back on these days, and miss this’
‘It was a few sneezes, some coughing, and itchy eyes. Then, it was a red ear. And suddenly, he was going to pass out.’: Mom shares seriousness of food allergies
“I did everything wrong. Instead of calling 9-1-1, I drove my son to the hospital. I was one of those parents who was annoyed my son wasn’t allowed to bring peanut butter to school. I was uneducated and ignorant.”
‘You’re sure they didn’t mix up the vials?’ My healthy husband suddenly looked terrible. He developed a painful cough and couldn’t walk 100 feet.’: Woman births late husband’s son through IVF after leukemia battle
“My husband told the doctors not to resuscitate him. ‘What am I supposed to do without you?’ I remember telling the crew, ‘I am not leaving.’ I promised to hold his hand. ‘I am so proud of you and so grateful to have been your wife.’ His dream was to have children. I still had some of his sperm saved. I knew this would be the last time I saw him awake.”
‘I think my water broke!’ It was a dark, thick blood, flowing out of me. They worried I’d birth in the helicopter.’: Woman suffers placental abruption in traumatic childbirth, ‘I thank God she’s ok’
“I was bawling my eyes out, thinking, ‘No, no. My baby is gone.’ I could feel panic in the room. There were probably 20 people rushing around, getting me prepped. Half were for me, and half were for the baby when she was born.”
‘I woke up at 4 a.m. and shook Logan to wake up — this was it! He handed me his spoon to use and I sobbed.’: Couple share experience with PCOS, ‘It was something I’d never even heard of’
“When I was first diagnosed with PCOS, it was something I had never even heard of. I thought the doctor had to be wrong. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m guilty of keeping our secret for far too long.”
‘Are you joking?’ My doctor had a very serious look. ‘Pregnancy is not something I’m allowed to joke about.’ I’d been taking birth control pills.’: Mom births warrior baby with ‘sweet cleft smile’
“I said goodbye to his sweet wide smile and tried to hold it together as the nurse carried him away. The second I got to the café, with my COVID-19 mask under my chin, I ugly cried into my sandwich. I texted my best friend, ‘I’m going to puke or soil my pants.’ I was a ball of emotion.”
‘Pregnant at 18, I heard, ‘You’re young, you’ll bounce back!’ It became etched in my mind. Stretch marks and loose skin? BAD.’: Mom learns to cherish postpartum body, ‘This body is my home’
“I tried all of the creams. For years, I wore only high-rise pants and would turn away from friends when we were getting dressed. I hated what I saw in the mirror. But one day, I looked down at my tummy and saw the ripples, the marks, the stretched belly button. And I smiled. This body is my home.”
‘First they crawl, then walk. You delight in the progress. And then, for the first time, he calls you, ‘Mama.’: Mom says ‘the growing up is so very beautiful and heartbreakingly painful’
“All the other firsts eclipse as you hear that sweet word. And you know, without a doubt, he knows exactly what it means.”
‘I called the midwife at 4 a.m. She came in and immediately asked, ‘Where is HE from?’ She pointed at my husband.’: Woman in interracial marriage says ‘our story is beautiful, but racism is woven into it’
“I told my friend all about Emmanuel’s amazing qualities and pulled out my phone to show a photo of him. To my dismay she said, ‘Is he poor? Does he live in a mud hut?’ I was completely taken aback. It never crossed my mind others would not be as accepting as I was. Not long after, I left and never returned.”
‘Dear firstborn, I held you in the hospital and knew our lives had seismically shifted. I am so lucky God gave you to me.’: Mom pens touching letter to firstborn child
“I discovered a sea of love in my heart that had no beginning and no end. I wouldn’t change a single thing on the road that brought you to me.”
