“He filled a void we didn’t even know was there. Blood doesn’t make a family, love does.”
‘We have a 3-day-old baby with drugs in his system and no family to take him. Can you get to the hospital in 2 hours?’: Family of 5 adopt son from foster care
‘Grace, who do you want us to adopt?’ My eyes burned with tears. I could hardly look at them.’: Sister of adoptees shares perspective, ‘I wouldn’t change our story’
“‘Are we adopting a baby?’ There wasn’t a hint of concern in my entire body. Adoption was the hardest thing my family ever went through, but it made us stronger.”
5 Reasons You Should Marry A Special Education Teacher
“We don’t know the meaning of giving up on somebody we love.”
My 700-Day Period: At 19, My Period Started And It Never Stopped
“When I got to the third floor, I lost vision. My ears had a whooshing sound. ‘You’ve gained a little weight. Maybe it’s taking your heart a moment to pump the blood through.’ I was still bleeding.”
‘There was no Braille on the washrooms, no audio devices available. Some areas weren’t service dog accessible’: Mom to blind daughter pushes for accessibility
“No mom wants anything to be ‘wrong’ with their baby. I let myself be sad for a week. After that, I got my emotions together.”
‘THE BABY’S COMING OUT!’ My husband dies and comes back to life. I pull my pants down. He yells to pull them back up. Too late. Here’s baby’s head.’: Mom hilariously recounts giving birth in car
“I was under the impression I didn’t need to head to the hospital until they were 2-3 minutes apart. WRONG. My daughter decided she couldn’t wait until we made it to the hospital.”
‘I was in shock. My sweet little boy was never going to smile.’: Mom births son with Moebius Syndrome
“Every day, I made silly faces, weird sounds, and looked like a crazy mom, all in the hope he’d smile. Everyone told me not to worry, but my intuition was telling me something else.”
5 Postpartum Secrets No One Tells You About
“There is nothing in my life I could ever accomplish that means more to me than my son. That’s just the plain truth. But, I wish I had known these things before.”
‘Mommy? I think I want to start using they/them pronouns.’ I knew the tremendous weight my response would hold.’: Mom to non-binary child urges ‘acceptance matters’
“My 5-year-old looked up at me with eyes full of hopeful expectancy. ‘But I can’t wear a dress, right?’ I looked into their eyes, spoke from my gut, and simply said, ‘Anyone can wear a dress!’”
‘If I can’t have you…nobody will.’ I’d hear breathing on end of random calls. I was being watched, followed, tormented.’: Teen dating abuse survivor shares ‘warning signs’
“We scheduled a secret meeting in the woods. We slid down the hill and walked farther and farther away from carnival rides, screams, laughs, and funnel cake air. Phone in my hand, I looked down in an outer body experience to realize ‘911’ had been punched in. This was my turning point. I was terrified of the boy I loved.”
‘People say, ‘You’re so strong.’ I didn’t want to be strong. I wanted to be pregnant, and we were willing to do whatever it took.’: Couple battling infertility say ‘the future will be beautiful’
“It’s odd being THAT couple. We began to truly wonder: are children just not in our future?”
‘As I lay food on the dining table, my phone vibrates. A short, familiar text lights up the screen. Hubby: late.’: Woman shares ode to the ‘working man’
“This man of ours has worked those hands to the bone since day one. Since the 1st Response showed that 2nd pink line, he went to work. And he’s never stopped working. Never will stop working. For us.”
‘Mommy and Deanna, I love you both, and it hurts me when you say bad things.’ Ashamed, we went from enemies to sisters.’: Mom shares journey to peaceful co-parenting
“Our first meeting nearly came to blows. It escalated quickly after that: passive-aggressive texts and Facebook posts (and even people spying for us). Heated meetings and phone calls. Constant jabs and undermining each other. Now, we are stitched together forever through the love of our children, and for the love we have for one another.”
‘What happens when my parents find out? Will they send me back to the Philippines?’ I suppressed my feelings.’: LGBT transracial adoptee candidly shares story
“A stranger asked my mom, ’Why would you do that?’ She didn’t expect to see a brown-skinned baby with brown eyes. I’m tired of having to explain my family to strangers.”
‘I can’t do it anymore.’ She was crying. For the first time ever, I felt I didn’t know her.’: Twin shares story of sister’s suicide to raise awareness, ‘I’ll never be whole again’
“‘I am so proud of you, and I love you.’ She hung up on me. I didn’t believe her at first. At 1:38 a.m., I received the email. ‘I am about to jump off the Market St. bridge…’”
‘We had one egg left, but couldn’t afford it. ‘I can be happy with just the four of us.’ It dawned on me… I never got my period.’: Mom battling infertility welcomes ‘miracle’ twins
“The moment the doctor turned on the ultrasound screen, there was a pause. ‘Remind me, did I give you anything to help trigger this pregnancy?’ Worried, we quickly replied, ‘No.’ She smiled even bigger and announced, ‘There are TWO babies in there!’”
‘If I’m not in a relationship when I’m 30, I’m using a sperm donor!’ I never took it seriously.’: Single mom by choice pens journey, ‘I hope she’s proud to be my daughter’
“‘I thought I ‘d be married long before now!’ I had to mourn the life I thought I’d have.”
‘Were my jeans too tight? Should I have NEVER used tampons? We were not in control.’: LGBTQ mom shares journey to motherhood, urges ’embrace the suck and keep perspective’
“’We’re pregnant!’ Thank the LORD the lights were off so no one could see my tears. The concept of ‘deserving to be parents’ is a privilege too many take for granted.”
‘I want to be Tiana for Halloween!’ he screamed. I stopped listening to others and listened to my kid.’: Mom shares gender fluid parenting journey, ‘Every kid deserves happiness’
“My daughter was so upset. ‘All the kids will make fun of him!’ She began to cry. Each time I look at that picture, my heart melts because I remember the lesson learned that morning.”
‘I was at a baby shower when I started to bleed. All I could think of was sitting in a cold ultrasound room, hearing those words, ‘I’m sorry.’: Couple shares heartbreaking infertility story
“I gave birth on our bathroom floor. My husband held my hand tightly, telling me it’d be okay when we knew it wouldn’t. With tears in our eyes, we said goodbye to another baby.”
Doctors Tested For Everything BUT Autism and ADHD
“I started jerking my head and losing control of my body. I was hitting myself, swearing and shouting. I was beyond frustrated.”
‘She looks different. So what? Who doesn’t?’: Mom to daughter with rare conditions urges ‘being different IS normal’
“We got the most life-altering news. Our baby’s left arm curved in and her right leg was underdeveloped. Her thumb was missing all of its bones. She’s literally the only person in the world like her.”
‘No, GOD NO!’ He was face up in the lake, in his dinosaur footie pajamas.’: Mom recounts son’s near drowning experience, ‘I cherish every second with him’
“My dad ran down to the lake saying, ‘NO BUDDY!’ There were SO many people around I couldn’t get to him. Another fire truck showed up, because my dad was also having a heart attack from the trauma.”
‘Stop Googling. Enjoy that little baby in front of you, exactly where they are at. Because this little person will astound you.’: Mom to child with Down syndrome shares 12 touching reminders
“To all the mamas who will hear the words ‘Down syndrome’ for the first time this year, I need you to remember a few important things.”
It’s Time To Pay Attention And Shop Local
“People are getting paid peanuts by big corporations to maximize profits while laborers scrape by with miniscule paychecks.”