“I’ve stopped greeted aging with sadness. Instead, with gratitude and amazement. Life is fleeting. Life is precious.”
‘I packed away my son’s newborn clothes last week. Tiny onesie by tiny onesie, my heart ACHED with thankfulness.’: Mom of rainbow baby will ‘never be sad’ when watching son grow
‘Chance of defects, chance of blindness, deafness, death.’ There was so. Much. Blood. I couldn’t feel a single thing. He was STUCK.’: Mom recounts traumatic labor, son’s ‘unique health issues’
“You don’t necessarily notice the impact early on, even if you start to recognize things just aren’t ‘right.’ You see differences at the park, watching other kids interact. Your friends’ kids start walking, then talking, and you start to notice delays. You question what you did wrong and what you could have done differently.”
‘I’m stuck at my parent’s with a baby I don’t deserve. My 19-year-old body was overwhelmed.’: Mom forgives herself for her past, embraces blended family
“‘I don’t deserve to mother him.’ Am I mom or a person? He was too perfect and I was too flawed. I had to forgive myself.’”
‘You’re stuck with me now!’ The dads and I got closer than I thought possible. ‘Soon, this will be your reality.’: Surrogate births baby for same-sex couple, ‘I’m so blessed to provide joy for families’
“I sent the dads an update of what size fruit or vegetable baby was each week. ‘You’re so much stronger than most people.’ I felt those words so deeply.”
‘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.”
‘You don’t have CANCER, GET OVER IT!’ Why is no one hugging me? I couldn’t voice my pain.’: Mom battles PPD, ‘You ARE worthy, it’s ok to ask for help’
“‘SNAP OUT OF IT!’ I was supposed to be the one she never worried about. On the outside, I seemed fine.”
‘Someone commented on my postpartum appearance. I cried instantly. You have a choice, every day. Will you heal or will you hurt?’: New mom receives hurtful comment, ‘It did a number on my heart’
“It did a number on my already-raw heart. A week later, I was FaceTiming my mother-in-law. I kept the camera angled towards my husband Luke—careful to ensure no one caught a glimpse of my healing body I was suddenly insecure about. During the call, I was thrust into the camera view.”
Sweet 2020 Baby, You’ve Been The Light In The Darkness
“Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect.”
‘Your boss is basically a jerk. ‘You could be working overnight without double-time or a toilet break.’: Mom hilariously compares raising a newborn to having a full-time job
“Freaking Karen. She’s always trying to get you to buy her essential oils. You’re so desperate to just have a coffee with them and for some screwed up reason, you’re really cool with that. I know what you’re thinking, but apparently it’s legal.”
‘To my 2020 baby, you are the brightest spot of this difficult year. You are not cursed, you are not bad luck.’: Mom says newborn is ‘the beauty amidst the chaos’
“Whenever I feel overwhelmed by everything in this ‘unprecedented’ year, I hold you. And for a moment, I’m lost in the wonder which is you. You are not responsible for any of the difficulties of 2020, and you are not tied to them.”
