“The pain was excruciating. I cried every time I fed her. I felt like I couldn’t provide for my child. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
‘My husband sat me down. ‘I hate seeing you in constant pain. You’re good enough if you don’t breastfeed.’: New mom embarks on motherhood journey, ‘She’s our fresh start’
I Miscarried During Lockdown — Then, Something Amazing Happened
“Unable to hug, hold, or be held by loved ones in a time of extreme grief, I decided to share my story with the public. Within hours, I received thousands of messages. What I thought was an isolating experience had gone viral.”
‘We used Zoom to ‘gather’ and share your gender. We did a drive-by and virtual ‘shower.’ I have loved ones who never saw my pregnant belly in person. I’m glad I can consider 2020 the year of YOU.’: Mom pens touching letter to ‘pandemic baby’
“No waiting mass of family and friends in the waiting room. No hospital bedside meeting with your sissy. Just us. And you.”
‘Today I held back tears of frustration while the sweet girl at Chick-fil-A took my order. I forgot my mask, and my antidepressant.’: Woman urges ‘we’ll emerge from this year stronger’
“I’m tired. Worn out. Burned to a crisp. T-O-A-S-T. I think we all are. The last six months have felt like six years, and at the same time I don’t quite understand how the year is almost over.”
‘I see blood on me, but from where?! It’s 2:15 a.m. now, and I’m crying in the bathroom. I don’t like hurting out loud. What was this doing to us?’: Woman struggles with ‘mental hurricane’ during undiagnosed illness
“I’m scared.’ I shook and started crying from the sharp pains. My hand cramped up; I couldn’t open it anymore. ‘I’m here, and I got this, and I got you.'”
‘I feel like I’m pissing off a lot of people. I break my back, good mood, and spirit in pursuit of the best me. Don’t mock.’: Mom struggling with best decisions asks for understanding, ‘You have no idea’
“I’m too much or too little of something, or I’m doing too much or too little of something I should or shouldn’t be doing. Sometimes you’ve got to call other people out and now it’s time for that.”
‘We’ve been locked in our apartment for weeks. We are at peace in the epicenter of the virus.’: Woman shares positives from quarantine in Wuhan, ‘Fear and worry have no seat at our table’
“We have bonded with and supported each other in ways I’ve never experienced in my 9 years of living here. This is a bond that may lessen when our world gets back to normal, but for now I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
‘My kid’s school had a school lockdown today. I saw this on her arm. She says, ‘in case the bad guy got to us and I got killed, you and daddy would know that I love you, and she started to cry.’
“I cried as I watched her innocence get stolen away. To know that my 7-year-old was put in a position to think that thought is absolutely gut wrenching and it’s killing me inside.”
‘We had a school lockdown. We weren’t sure if it was a drill. Something seemed off. It was rushed and abrupt. I had pangs of worry, but didn’t show it.’
“One tall football player who looked like a grown man, beard and all, pressed me with questions I didn’t want to answer. The classroom was full, and all eyes were on me. A group text with my colleagues had begun. Rumors of a gun in the school. My insides knotted up.”
