“My breakup was fresh. I had 2 weeks to shove all my belongings into trash bags. I noticed some whispering, glances my way. They finished off with a hurried cheers. ‘Lisa! Do you have any funny dating stories?!’ The exchange was, frankly, humiliating. I felt like I was deficient in hitting life’s expected mile markers: Marriage. Children. More children. As innocent as conversation can be, it hurts.”
‘Here’s to being 30 and married!’ Everyone lifted their glasses in unison. I drove home in tears, 33 and single.’: Woman faces ‘stigma’ for being ‘unmarried and childless’
‘You need your husband’s permission.’ I begged. I didn’t feel maternal. I was told I’d ‘change my mind.’: Woman refused sterilization procedure multiple times, ‘they made me feel dirty’
“Every year during my annual exam, I asked to have my ‘tubes tied.’ My doctor always quickly refused. As I aged, I still didn’t want kids and neither did my partner. This time around, I was about to lose my health insurance. I was told the procedure was ‘reserved for women in their 30s or 40s who had at least 2 children.’ As an adult woman, I needed my husband’s blessing to make decisions about MY body. I was stunned.”
‘I openly said, ‘I never want kids.’ No one took me seriously. ‘You’ll change your mind when you meet the right guy.’ I’m not any less of a woman.’
“While my friends dreamt of fancy weddings and the number of kids they wanted, I scratched my head. I just wanted pets, books to read, and places to visit. I was accused of being ‘selfish.’ I was desperately hoping for ‘maternal instincts’ to kick in.”
‘I took maternity photos in the dress I wore to my husband’s funeral.’
“I didn’t know I was pregnant on the day of the funeral. Clothes were strewn about in a panic as I rummaged through every drawer, hamper and closet 2 hours before I was supposed to meet the photographer. Then I saw it. Hanging quietly in the corner where it had remained for the last 7 months.”
‘Your dad isn’t ready to give up the cuddles he’s getting in Heaven yet. He knows this baby will never know him. He wants to get to know baby as long as possible first.’
“The last few weeks of pregnancy are the slowest. Your pelvis is on fire! Your hemorrhoids are raging. Your penguin waddle CLEARLY screams dilated-to-a-4! You whisper to yourself, ‘I’m going to be pregnant forever, aren’t I?’ But then, a stranger sent me a message.”
‘Your job at this company is over.’ I was fired for providing nutrition to my newborn baby.’: Woman births ‘miracle baby,’ gets fired 7 weeks later for making ‘natural choice’ to breastfeed in private at work
“My bosses were ecstatic and couldn’t wait for my baby to arrive. They even gifted me a car seat. ‘Hey, by the way, I have a hands-free device I’ll need to bring to work. I’m choosing to breastfeed.’ My desk was in a private room away from patients. I wasn’t asking for permission. I was just giving a heads up. 10 minutes later, I got a message. ‘I have an issue with you pumping at work.’ I was heartbroken and confused.”
‘Mom received a phone call, we must come to the hospital quickly. We were meant to be picking out baby clothes! Our world came crashing down. Life would never be the same again.’
“My Auntie came out of the ward, face pale and sick. I started saying ‘no no no no’. She told me I needed to sit down, and I collapsed to the floor. We were ushered into a small, hot side room.”
‘You will definitely be able to tell something is wrong with the baby when it’s born.’ Parents hope for normal life for child born with dwarfism
“‘I am certain this is skeletal dysplasia (dwarfism) and 99% certain the result will be fatal for the baby.’ There it was. A bomb. He dropped it and then watched me completely break down. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t talk, I didn’t understand at all. Parks did his best to console me, while trying to process the news, too.”
‘I hated being pregnant. I know I’m not supposed to say that, but I did.’
“I hated the weight gain. It wouldn’t have bothered me so much if I had just looked 9 months pregnant from the start; but that slow gain that made people second guess if you were pregnant, or just eating all the carbs you could get your hands on, was a real self-esteem killer.”
‘When my water broke, it was all blood. Something was very, very wrong.’: Woman and son nearly die in ‘traumatic birth’ due to undiagnosed pre-eclampsia and HELLP
“The nurse brought me an oxygen mask. I remember thinking, ‘I’m not going to die, not today!’ and fought off the mask. My mom took my hand, came to my bedside, and said, ‘It’s not for you, it’s for Henry.’ I grabbed the mask and rallied. When everything else in my body was failing me and beginning to shut down, I pushed two times harder and fought to keep him alive.”
