“You may regret it when you’re 34 weeks pregnant, and it takes so much effort to do the littlest things. You may regret it when you’re in labor with excruciating pain so intense it takes your breath away, as sweat forms in places you didn’t know produced sweat. No matter how much you can’t afford her, no matter how much time you don’t have, the second that child is placed on your chest, something changes.”
‘You’ll never regret having kids. The second that child enters this world, he’ll steal a part of your heart you didn’t know you had left to give.’: Woman claims a mother’s love transcends all circumstance, ‘No matter the chaos she brings, she’s worth it’
‘I kept crying out, ‘Please wait! It’s too early!’ I was 19, pregnant with quadruplets. My water broke at just 24 weeks and wouldn’t stop.’: Teen mom births miracle micro-preeme after losing 3 of her quadruplets
“I stopped feeling my girls move. I lifted my shirt over my baby bump. I could see the ultrasound as the tech moved the wand around. I knew immediately something was wrong. I started to cry to my fiancé. ‘I can’t lose my babies. I can’t.’ The words were burned into me, ‘Babies B and C no longer have heartbeats.’ My cervix was giving out. ‘What else could go wrong?,’ I asked. I had to stay strong so my survivor could have a chance.”
‘Looks like you have two babies in there. Oh wait, sorry, three babies!’ There was already a complication. ‘High risk? Mono-what? They had a 50% chance of not making it to birth.’: Mom of five reflects on high-risk triplet pregnancy
“I was staring at the biggest shock of my life. But multiples don’t run in either of our families, so I knew it was unlikely. The fact they were mono-mono twins gave them a 50% chance of not making it to birth.”
‘He asked, ‘What do those two lines mean? Is this real life?’ We were wildly unprepared for a baby. I’m only 23!’: Young mom discusses challenging pregnancy and NICU journey
“The stress and worry of the NICU life, the hospital bill and being away from my daughter, trying to ‘lead a normal life’, was debilitating. I was not okay, but I tried to be; I had to be okay for her. She fought harder for her life in 27 days than most people do in 27 years.”
‘Your daughter will never be more than 2 feet tall.’ My husband and I broke down in tears. ‘…If she survives.’: Mom births baby with rare Thanatophoric Dysplasia, ‘I will never give up on her’
“The news broke me and honestly ruined my pregnancy. I prayed our baby girl would grow, that her little chest would expand to survive this birth. I wanted Paisley to have a life, no matter if it was only for a few seconds or a few years. She deserved the world and I was determined to give it to her.”
‘How was I going to be a parent when I still had a lot of growing to do? How can I afford a child?’: Young mom discusses challenges and unforeseen positives of having a child at a young age
“The greatest part about parenting for me has been the ability to see life through a different lens. Even though getting pregnant was a major curveball in my baseball game of life, it put me into a position to grow immediately. I am a firm believer life doesn’t always give us what we want, but it will always give us what we need.”
‘Something is wrong with her brain…’ I was wailing, screaming. ‘What does that mean?!’: Mom births rainbow baby with Spina Bifida after 3 pregnancy losses, ‘She is a twice-born miracle!’
“24 weeks pregnant, we got devastating results, yet again. But this time was different. We found out our miracle child had a rare diagnosis. We were given the option of terminating her, just after I finished telling the doctor how beautiful she was. After 5 long, painful, and agonizing years, I cried. Nothing was going to stop us from having the family we dreamt of.”
‘My baby was at ‘high risk’ of having Down syndrome. I mourned the baby I thought I was going to have, what she would look like, if I would be able to look after her.’: Couple ‘mentally prepares’ after Down syndrome diagnosis
“The sonographer saw a tiny little egg. It turned out that tiny egg was the one that was going to make me a mum. The very next day, I had a phone call, telling me my baby was at ‘high risk’ of having Down syndrome. Until she was born, it was easier to pretend everything was normal, so we did just that.”
‘It’s been 2 weeks. When will your belly go down?’ ‘When will you stop being moody?’ She is not herself. She probably never will be.’: Mom urges us to ‘rally behind’ women post-labor
“Spouses, ask how she’s feeling. Her entire body just stretched and morphed to share it with another human being. Do you know how absolutely bonkers a woman’s hormones are during pregnancy and after delivery? Becoming a mom for the 1st, 2nd, or even 5th time changes you, forever. Clap for new moms. Your words matter. We need them to be positive.”
‘What if I never love my child? I hate being a mom.’ The day she was born, I became a different person.’: New mother suffers severe postpartum depression, ‘I was on the brink of suicide’
“The moment after her birth I had so longed for – the intense emotion I was supposed to have, never happened. The feeling I was supposed to get when she first cried, never happened. The love I was ‘supposed’ to have seeing Dan hold our daughter, never happened. The day she was born, I became a different person. I started hearing and seeing things. These images and voices would pop into my head.”
