“My dad NEVER let me down. He never promised anything he couldn’t keep. When you think about it, I had my adoptive parents my whole life. They just couldn’t call me theirs until it was legal to do so.”
‘You’re a MONSTER.’ I felt like I needed to ‘win’ her love. But my dad never let me down.’: Childhood abuse survivor gets adopted by biological father, ‘I FINALLY feel loved’
‘I feared I wouldn’t make enough for her, so I built a MASSIVE stash. Just because it’s a natural thing doesn’t mean it comes naturally to every mom.’: Woman donates breast milk, ‘I’m SO grateful to help’
“I never knew where breastfeeding would lead me. I never had an end goal in mind. To be honest with you, I didn’t know any of this was possible.”
‘What do you do for love? Have a baby! I was in the middle of drug deals, poisoning myself. It was a wake-up call.’: Woman details sobriety journey, ‘Obstacles gave me opportunities’
“I was taught, if you do what you’re supposed to and look how you’re supposed to look, you can and ‘deserve’ to drink, smoke, and vandalize when people aren’t looking.”
‘You must love YOURSELF.’ At 4, she leans down so I hear her. I teach her about my difficulties, and free us from shame.’: Woman with hearing impairment describes ‘pure, deep, powerful’ motherhood
“My greatest love story has been motherhood. I’d been living my life in the dark, allowing negative thoughts about my disability to hold me back. Having her has healed me.”
‘Well, my daughter got constipated. For three days. And let me tell you, I did as much as Google could provide me to stimulate her bowels.’: New mom says the ‘excitement was SILLY’ when daughter finally poops
“We started to get anxious. I was ready for my own bed, I was worried about my cat, and I just in general do not enjoy the hospital. Tension was high and we finally made a choice to go to the store for formula.”
‘They told me, ‘It’s nothing to worry about. Every baby does this.’ She was turning BLUE. I knew this wasn’t normal.’: New mom births baby with congenital heart defect, ‘She makes me proud every day’
“I broke down crying, ‘Promise me she’s going to be okay.’ I didn’t think I’d be coming home with my daughter. I couldn’t understand how my 2-year-old was on life support. How I could breathe and she couldn’t?”
‘Aunty Dana, are all angels white or can they be brown, too?’ I was ashamed. All the angels on display in my home were white.’: New mom reflects on Christmas traditions, ‘Angels come in all colors’
“I worried about how I’d pass down my family and cultural traditions. How could I make sure they saw themselves in the Christmas festivities? The next thing I knew, I had my first piece of the puzzle – a beautiful black angel.”
‘Dear friend, it’s still me. Well, sort of. I’m no longer popping bottles, I’m pouring milk into them. I’m canceling a lot and it’s hard to explain why.’: Mom to newborn says ‘please keep inviting me, it means more than you know’
“I know you messaged me this morning…or was it yesterday? It’s all a bit of a blur and my phone is buried somewhere on my bedside that has never felt so small. I so badly want to reconnect with you, but I’m trying to reconnect with me too.”
‘All babies are different,’ he assured us. I was a new mom. I didn’t have any basis for comparison. With just a few words, my heart shattered.’: Mom shares son’s autism diagnosis, ‘I follow his lead’
“It hit us like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, everything I envisioned for my child’s life went out the window. Going through life being different from everyone else seemed impossible.”
‘You should leave me. Be with a woman who can give you a child.’ I’d go from screaming to sobbing on the floor. I felt broken.’: Couple battling infertility welcome IVF baby, ‘Never lose hope’
“I found out we weren’t pregnant. 8 hours later, friends of ours told us they were expecting. I’ve never felt so defeated, so broken, so less like a woman in my entire life. I thought everyone would be better off if I wasn’t around.”
