“The phone rang. This poor woman from a local charity was going on and on about how I must donate. Something inside me cracked. I exploded, ‘I DONATED MY SON’S ORGANS THIS YEAR AND IT’S ALL I’LL BE DONATING FOR QUITE SOME TIME.’ Anger was rearing its ugly head.”
‘Dropping off my 5-month-old for a nap, a car came flying through the intersection. We spun 360 degrees. 25 years later, I still smell the burning airbags.’: Bereaved mom details grief journey
‘How could this happen?’ One ovary and one fallopian tube, I saw two lines plain as day on the pregnancy test.’: Woman with partial hysterectomy, HELLP Syndrome delivers 1-pound miracle baby
“‘Your breathing sounds like you’re under water.’ I remember going to sleep, but I didn’t wake up. When I opened my eyes, I motioned for my husband to bring me something to write with. I vividly remember asking, ‘Did our baby die?’ My husband answered, ‘No.’ And then I asked, ‘Did I die?’ I spent 24 hours in between two worlds, praying for a miracle.”
‘I recorded a video for my daughter in case I didn’t make it. ‘Mommy loves you more than life itself.’ It was suffocating.’: Mom undergoes second open-heart surgery, ‘Every day, I wake up grateful’
“I walked to my car, sobbing. This wasn’t the news I had expected. Suddenly, every scenario of my daughter growing up without a mom went flashing through my mind.”
‘You can’t be pregnant…can you?’ I was an 18-year-old with an IUD in cancer remission. My chances after chemo were next to zero. ‘Of course not mom,’ I laughed.’: Teen mom births 1-pound miracle preemie after cancer, preeclampsia battle
“Next thing I know, I’m in the doctor’s office with a positive pregnancy test and a little 10-weeks fetus flickering on the screen. I went to the gynecologist to find my IUD dangling from my cervix. In my heart, I knew this was something special.”
‘When we saw the ultrasound, I almost fainted. ‘We need to hire some staff!’ It was an enormous gift.’: Gay dads welcome triplets through surrogacy, ‘We’re surrounded by love’
“We’d basically given up hope. We never asked them. They asked US. Two women wanted to help us create the family we had always wanted.”
‘Congrats!’ No! You don’t understand! I felt awful wishing I wasn’t pregnant. I had one test, and I took it. Life would be much easier.’: Pro-life mom adjusts attitude after surprise pregnancy
“He asked, ‘Are you?’ Softly I said, ‘I am.’ I was shaking, crying, and hyperventilating. The baby I wasn’t sure I even WANTED, might not survive. All while thinking, ‘Life would be so much easier without being pregnant.’ I don’t swear much, but I definitely swore in that moment.”
‘You aren’t leaving without delivering.’ I sat in disbelief. After 7 days of life, they cut into his side.’: Woman gives birth to baby with CHD, ‘We are blown away by his strength’
“I was recovering from birth while walking from the parking garage to my baby multiple times a day, changing my pad in a hospital bathroom, setting alarms to pump. I mustered up the strength to sit at a hospital, postpartum, while my 1-week-old baby had his chest cut open.”
‘I was coughing so much I fractured my rib. ‘I will fight for myself and my baby.’ I gave my life to bringing a baby into the world.’: Woman with Osteogenesis Imperfecta gives birth to healthy baby, ‘Never give up on your dreams’
“The doctor wouldn’t test my hormones. I was livid. ‘If you don’t give me an exact reason, I’m going to disregard your opinion.’ I know people were scared, but so was I.”
‘He was too small to be saved. Have $120,000 cash ready if you want to move forward.’ Our jaws hit the floor.’: Sister becomes surrogate after unexplained infertility, still birth
“At 22 weeks, I started getting swollen. I gained 16 pounds in a week. ‘I advise you not to carry another pregnancy.’ We felt lost and alone until a glimmer of hope entered our lives.”
‘It’s not that bad, be grateful.’ Our pregnancies can’t be rescheduled. These are memories we will never get back.’: Expecting mom says ‘none of us asked for this, but we will all come out of this stronger’
“This is not the time to ‘suck it up.’ This is the time to own every feeling of weakness and uncertainty we have, and move forward in spite of it… together.”
