“I had one pregnancy test in my drawer and decided to bite the bullet. I watched it load and I could not take my eyes off of it for one second. After 3 minutes, the words appeared… ‘pregnant.’ My heart stopped. I got in my car and made the 10-minute drive to my ex’s house. I just wanted to get to him and hug him. I was carrying his child.”
‘I was 18 and woke up nauseous. ‘You need to tell Mark immediately.’ I’d broken off communication with the father 2 weeks before.’: Teen births baby girl, ‘I’d do it a million times over’
‘Something’s wrong. Get help.’ I went numb. My sister found me fighting for my life on the kitchen floor.’: Woman survives 2 strokes in medical mystery, ‘You have to trust the process’
“My neck was a little sore as if I’d slept on it weird. Within seconds, it felt like someone spun me 180 degrees. I couldn’t move my arms or legs. ‘Why are you on the floor? Are you drunk?’ All she could see was her baby sister struggling.”
‘Call your work, Dan’s work, Dan’s best friend, and then give me your phone.’ I felt guilty for falling asleep, for not being strong enough to give him CPR.’: Widow credits ‘tribe’ for healing through grief
“Living in the thick of the fire, my tribe was there to hold my hand as I walked through. I found myself sitting on a doctor’s couch the following Tuesday, sobbing tears of grief and agony. They helped me make sense of the madness and encouraged me to feel again.”
‘There were 10 two-year-olds in my living room, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. ‘Why are you kids acting weird? TELL ME THE TRUTH.’: Mom discovers why ‘kids are strange social beings’
“I was trying to act normal with Amelie’s mom, knowing full well it was her daughter who bit my daughter the week before. One says hello. My kids, their kids, they all act like a bunch of strangers. My son was the first one to fess up.”
‘Within 24 hours of birth the doctor said, ‘He needs immediate surgery.’ Other moms got to have normal kids.’: Mom of son with Lowe Syndrome finds her tribe, ‘They take care of us’
“I knew parenthood would be full of stress, but not like this. Hayden’s conditions were so rare, he didn’t fit into any box we could find. We couldn’t even find the questions to ask. I watched as all the other new moms got to have normal kids without a care in the world.”
‘Your second baby will make you wonder why you ever thought one was hard, but prove that a sibling is the best gift you could ever give your child.’: Mom says ‘your second baby will surprise you’
“Your second baby will make you wish for fewer hours in the day, but make you long for more time to soak them in. Your time and attention and your energy and your patience will be split in two, but your heart will double in size. These babies won’t last forever.”
‘I felt it was ‘easier’ to blend in. It sucked all my energy. I became so used to seeking approval, I didn’t realize I was losing myself.’: Woman urges ‘it’s okay to not be everyone’s cup of tea’
“It was my default to smile, nod, and be in agreement. It was my default to shrink myself so others could feel better about themselves. It was my default to dim my light because others felt I was too bright. As I got older, I started to question, ‘Why am I wasting my precious time and energy on people I don’t even vibe with?'”
‘Friends on white sandy beaches, enjoying a vacation you can’t go on for at least 5 years… I find myself thinking, ‘Why did I have kids?’: Mom shares her ‘WHY’ and says ‘it’s usually right in front of you’
“Those same friends are showing off their bikini bodies that haven’t changed since high school, while I chase after kids to separate, divert, and redirect. I grab plates of food from the table so they aren’t thrown next, and throw whatever bits of leftover nuggets or pizza on them into my mouth, as I hear my stomach growl from forgetting to make my own lunch.”
‘I got the call. ‘She has no name and no parents.’ This tiny baby was detoxing so bad she couldn’t eat.’: Mom adopts and fosters 16 kids after pregnancy loss, ‘I gave them my all’
“I got the call. The one I never in a million years thought I would receive. She had no prenatal care, she was not born in the hospital, and she was detoxing from multiple narcotics. ‘You have 2 minutes to choose a name.’ We went from one child to 4 in the span of 5 months.”
‘The devil was out to get me. I remember grabbing my kids and begging God to save us all. Then, I suddenly passed out.’: Mom shares postpartum psychosis journey to let others know they’re not alone
“It was the Friday before Memorial Day when things really began to fall apart. I remember being at church during a prayer meeting and saying aloud, ‘This is a dark place.’ I started quoting scripture he never realized I had memorized. No one seemed too concerned.”