“The birth parents might want you in the labor room.’ I started bawling and was so nervous. I prayed we’d all end up okay.”
‘Her birth parents wanted to spend time with her. I wasn’t sure if I would see her again. All I could do was pray.’: Mom describes emotional adoption, ‘She is our greatest joy’
‘I’m the girl who is dating to marry in a generation focused on ‘talking’ and hooking up.’: Young woman says ‘I’m a rare breed, and that’s OK’
“The ‘talking’ stage leaves so many holes and room for error and miscommunication. Call me old school, but I don’t want to know quick facts, I want to get to know each other deep down.”
‘Why is my doctor calling me at 6:30 a.m?’ They made the decision I wasn’t having more kids.’: Mom reflects on cervical cancer journey, ‘It changed the way I think about life’
‘I needed the most invasive surgery. How do I explain any of this to my children? They were so small. All we could do was pray.”
‘I woke up on my wedding day to the phone ringing. ‘Come down right away!’ It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t fate.’: Twice widowed woman recounts sudden losses of fiancés, ‘There’s no shame in grieving’
“I remember a deafening silence and then a loud scream, ‘MIKE!!!’ I ran until I collapsed and heard the sirens.”
‘She was a homeless, single teen mom who aged out of foster care. She had 6 kids and was the same age as me! My heart broke.’: Single woman fosters 36 kids, adopts 2 children into ‘forever family’
“I made sure the case worker knew I spoke Spanish. I wanted him to have a familiar culture and language. ‘We have a baby boy at the hospital who is ready to be discharged. He is Hispanic. Are you willing to take him?’ This was the moment these 25 years and Spanish classes had prepared me for! I walked into the hospital with an empty stroller, and came out with a forever son.”
‘You hold one while feeding another. You get in the shower to hear the baby cry. You get them to sleep, and wonder if you loved them all enough today.’: Open letter to ‘the mama with more babies than hands’
“It’s falling asleep just to be woken right back up. It’s wondering if they will ever be able to do anything on their own, and then crying when they do. It’s getting them to sleep, and wondering if you loved them all enough today.”
‘I heard a knock on the door. Our ultrasound tech was called into another room. ‘OH MY GOD, IT’S TWO!’ I screamed.’: LGBT mama births surprise twins through IUI, navigates Postpartum Mood Disorder
“Our physician said three words: ‘How are you?’ As I bounced our colicky daughter up and down in my arms, I immediately fell apart. For the first time in two months, I answered that question honestly – I told her I was not okay and I needed help.”
‘Can I go to the nurse’s office?’ I was dizzy, ready to faint. My teacher turned to me and said, ‘Absolutely not. Sit down.’ She didn’t believe me.’: Young woman recounts journey with Type 1 Diabetes
“In a slight state of shock, I asked again. ‘It’s an emergency.’ She continued to dismiss my requests and began completely ignoring me. She didn’t believe me. Furious and embarrassed, I walked out of class against her will. I hid my illness from the world.”
‘There’s a second sac…and a third.’ My heart stopped. ‘Oh my God, triplets!’ All my plans were quickly whisked away.’: Mom births triplet rainbow babies after miscarriage, infertility, ‘It takes a village!’
“All of a sudden, I was terribly confused. ‘No way,’ I told the sonographer, half smiling and fully hoping she was joking. We left the OBGYN that day not knowing just how much God had in store for us. 27 weeks into my pregnancy, I began experiencing early contractions.”
‘I’m really sorry.’ I had 2 babies at home! I soon wondered how staying alive could feel so much like dying.’: Woman beats invasive breast cancer, ‘All we have is today’
“I thought I knew what was coming. But really, I didn’t. My mouth felt dry and tasted oily, my stomach churned, my scalp prickled and my bones ached. I hovered in a depression for weeks. My kids needed any precious energy I had.”
‘I overheard nurses murmuring about a ‘bruise.’ Then I heard, ‘I don’t think that will fade.’ The left side of her face was a deep red.’: Mom vows to raise baby with Port Wine Stain as ‘the most confident girl to ever walk the planet’
“We weren’t trying to get pregnant. They lifted me off the toilet after I nearly passed out. My vision dotted with stars, I remember saying, ‘I don’t care if it’s permanent. I love her just the way she is.’ Everywhere we go, strangers ask, ‘WHAT happened?’ We can’t go to the store without getting stared at.”
‘I can’t do this!’ I roared like a lion. I was like an animal pacing around trying to find the right spot. I bit Justin!’: Mom recounts ‘other-wordly’ home-birth story
“I was breathing and saying things like, ‘Help me!’ and, ‘I can’t!’ The pain was so intense. When I started to panic my husband grabbed my hands and said, ‘’Meg, the place you’re looking for is here. It’s right here.’”
‘Thank you, sis, for checking in even when I don’t always check on you back.’: Mom to son with autism says ‘check on your special needs family or friend, they may not know they need it’
“I whined about my stresses over the phone. I cried about how hard life is with a special needs child. I must have sounded so self-absorbed. And then you said, ‘I can’t relate at all, but you’re doing amazing. Don’t feel bad for venting, ever.’ Instantly, my anxiety washed away.”
‘Did you HEAR that, Amanda? Are you getting all of this? You need to listen.’ I was constantly taken out of the classroom.’: Deaf woman turned dental hygienist urges ‘fight for what you stand for’
“I was the only deaf student. The truth is, it killed me inside. When you are young and your peers see your hearing aids, they can be cruel as heck.”
‘You’re too intense.’ My heart beat out of my chest; there wasn’t enough air. I became addicted to the relief of self-harm.’: Young woman diagnosed with OCD after years, ‘I learned so much about myself’
“Someone honked their horn. Was I just involved in a hit-and-run and didn’t even know? I had hallucinations of objects flashing before me.”
‘You can only adopt if you have a relationship with the birth parents.’ I got months of abusive texts. Dad was loud and rude.’: Couple adopt foster son after roller coaster, ‘I’d do it all again’
“NOTHING prepared me for family visits. I didn’t know how to deal with the abuse. I felt betrayed and manipulated. But I’d do it all again.”
Don’t Punish Yourself For Your Loved One’s Suffering
“I felt I didn’t have the right to enjoy anything while my mom and dad were suffering so greatly. I felt guilty I didn’t take care of her from the minute I woke up until the minute I went to sleep. I stopped living my life because they couldn’t live theirs.”
‘Tash, I see a faint line. I think you’re pregnant too!’ Could this actually be happening?! Could we BOTH be pregnant?!’: LGBT couple deliver babies 2 weeks apart after 7-year infertility battle
“We were both trying at the same time. But with so many previous failures, what were the odds of both embryos sticking? ‘What?! Seriously?! How?! Are you crazy?’ Our doctor said, ‘I’ve never seen this before!’ We had to juggle life with three under three.”
Why I’m Raising My Kids Like It’s The 90’s
“Think back on your favorite memories. The ones that shaped you into who you are today. Most likely they do not involve television.”
If You Love Someone, Let Them Know, Because Life Is Too Short To Take Your Time
“At any given moment, everything can change or be taken away from us.”
‘My mom opened her gift. ‘There’s THREE shirts!’ They were 5, 2, and 9 months. It was daunting and overwhelming.’: Transracial adoptive mama urges ’love makes us a family’
“‘There are three girls.’ I immediately forwarded the email to Chris and added only one word: ‘Thoughts?’ Chris replied with two words: ‘Wow – what?’ It was time to throw logic out the window.”
‘I noticed my mom staring at this young couple. They looked uncomfortable. ‘Can I help you with something?’ My face was hot and embarrassed.’: Woman learns life lesson from mom with Alzheimer’s
“I put back the two bottles of Diet Coke I had picked out and hurried out of line over to my mom. ‘I don’t understand.’ She looked hurt and confused.”
‘His arms and legs, are they there?’ I couldn’t look at his picture.’: Mom says son with limb differences is ‘exactly who he is supposed to be’
“Friends would talk about how cute he was going to be. It was painful to hear family talk about his height or what sports he’d play. I knew there was a possibility we weren’t going to experience it.”
‘Aren’t we past this?’ Years after his murder, I was holding an unmanageable amount of pain.’: Woman details grief journey after losing husband, ‘I’m letting joy in’
“It has been 5 years since my incredibly loving husband was murdered on our wedding anniversary.”
‘Of course he doesn’t, he’s absolutely fine!’ Everyone laughed it off. My little boy wasn’t going to talk, EVER.’: Mom to son with autism urges ‘acceptance starts in the home’
“He can’t count, point, or wave. There are days he cannot look into my eyes. Days where I can only guess what might be causing his tears. But I could not imagine my world without my son.”