“I was scrolling through my phone, doing absolutely nothing. Nothing of value. Nothing worthy of taking my attention from him. And him asking that of me —it made me uncomfortable.”
By LJ Herman -
‘What are you doing, Mommy?’ ‘Oh nothing, Sweetie.’ That was the honest, ridiculous truth.
By LJ Herman -
‘People were trying to push me away from breastfeeding. We need LESS of the fear mongering.’
“Not once did I have someone tell me, ‘Just push through! You’ve got this.’ It was always, ‘I wasn’t able to either. Just give her formula.'”
By LJ Herman -
‘We were exactly 6 months from the wedding when she broke the news. They had found a lump in her breast. My mind went blank.’
“It was cancer, and had spread. Here I was, married to the woman I will spend the rest of my life with, worried about how much of this new life my mother would be able to see.”
By Eliza Murphy -
‘Before I became a mother, I had already labeled myself as not enough.’
“When the triplets were born I almost died. I remember feeling like I wasn’t enough, like I failed them because my first moments with them were through FaceTime.”
By Eliza Murphy -
‘You’re a murderer.’ ‘You obviously didn’t try hard enough.’ These are just a few of the hateful words that have been spoken about me.
“Being vulnerable shouldn’t be an opportunity to be shamed, ridiculed, or embarrassed.”
By Eliza Murphy -
‘No one teaches you how to love a child you didn’t plan to have.’
“When the same people who told you that you ruined your life are smiling ear to ear at your baby shower a few months later, it’s hard.”
By LJ Herman -
‘I did not have my biological parents growing up and if there is one thing I can give her, it will be to be present’: Why this Marine mom decided to ‘fold up my uniform’
“I’m trying to give our little girl the best life and gift I can give her — a Momma and Daddy she can be proud of.”
By Eliza Murphy -
‘Today was Mommy day and she didn’t come’: Foster mom recounts heartbreaking moment ‘little one’ feels ‘broken’ over bio mom’s addiction
“My Mama heart ached. I cannot take away the meth exposure, the scary memories or the bitter parts of this reality. I asked him what I could do to help. With the clarity and wisdom of a much older soul he said, ‘a hug Mama, you make it better.’”
By Eliza Murphy -
‘Being on anxiety meds does not make me a failure. It means I am doing what I need to be the best I can for my kids, my family.’
“I am strong and I’m fighting anxiety daily. I am learning more about myself and my needs as a mom. I am brave. And I am not alone.”
By Eliza Murphy -
‘Her battle ended, but she was not defeated. She was ready, her time here was fulfilled’: Cancer-stricken mother shares powerful final photo shoot with family
“As Mama lay in her bed, she made sure to tell me what I needed to hear to accept the inevitable. You can never be prepared to lose someone of such value in your life, but she tried to make it painless for us.”
By Eliza Murphy -
