“You are living a cruel joke. Our insurance covered nothing! The financial aspects were flat out ridiculous and unfair. You literally throw thousands of dollars down the toilet with every unsuccessful attempt.”

‘We felt left out of the parents’ club. It was comical how easily everybody else could have a baby. You’d look around the zoo, the grocery store, the mall. EVERY.SINGLE. PERSON has 1, 2, 3 kids.’

‘Her eyes widened and her voice changed to panic. ‘What if you have a FIFTH daughter?’ This stranger’s question left a bitter taste in my mouth.’
“I was at Costco with my little crew when a woman approached me about my growing bump. I usually try to ‘kill them with kindness.’ She noticed our four girls and our son, whom we adopted 3 years prior. She made a joke he was the only boy, then shifted her attention to what gender THIS baby would be.”

‘It’s the nicest thing you can do for a mom. Getting hand-me-downs. Mothers giving other mothers their kids’ clothes that don’t fit anymore.’
“Getting a bag of clothes from another mom is like she’s giving you a piece of her heart. That little dinosaur t-shirt she packs in a bag to give to you reminds her of the adventures her little one had in it. They hold memories, and they hold love.”

‘I’ve been counting down!’ It was my last birth. I never have to do this again, but I’m so grateful for the 3 times I have.’: Mom learns to soak in last ‘firsts’ with final baby
“I was still in the stirrups, getting stitched up, talking to my OB. She had no idea how much I had been counting down to this milestone. ‘I never have to do this again!’ She laughed and told me she’d never gotten that answer before. The last birth of our last baby. I had a ‘geriatric uterus’ this pregnancy, being 35.”