“I saw all these moms on Instagram, three days after having their babies, in jeans going out for coffee. I had a mom pouch, wider hips, wider thighs, and lots of new stretch marks. I felt like a failure already at one week postpartum.”
‘The baby weight will melt away with breastfeeding.’ When my milk never came in, I was devastated. I hated my body.’: Mom discusses postpartum self-love, ‘You’re worthy at any size’
‘My husband decided to leave. ‘You won’t get a newborn because you’re single.’ I listened to the heartbreaking situations.’: Woman becomes foster mama after divorce, ‘My life is full of beauty’
“I sat my two children down and we had a conversation about foster care. I told them, ‘It will be hard to love on a baby and then have to say goodbye.’ They were both in.”
‘Can I call my mom?’ My heart breaks. ‘No, not right now.’ I can’t give him what he really needs, the love and support of his own mother.’: Single foster, adoptive dad admits ‘I feel guilty’
“I feel guilty I am the one who gets to see a baby take her first steps, see a little boy lose a tooth and get excited over the Tooth Fairy in the morning, or see a kid score in their football game. I wish it were different for these kids, but I’m prepared to be there for them as long as they need me.”
‘Take photos with your grandparents, because one day, when the dust has settled and the years have gone by, those photos may be all you have left of them.’: Woman pens ode to grandparents
“In a culture where I never felt quite good enough for anyone, I was good enough for them. They loved me for me; in all my brokenness and in all my flaws, my grandparents loved every ounce of my being. None of us knew it at the time, but they saved me in more ways than I can count.”
‘Motherhood feels like an unrealistic dream.’: Woman pens open letter to the ‘sweet mama who didn’t have to wait’
“Give those sweet babies all the kisses and hugs, tell them you love them. That even on the hard days you wouldn’t trade them for anything. Because some of us only dream of doing so.”
‘As I was thinking about how wonderful life was, my head slammed into the steering wheel. My final summer was gone.’: Teen suffers brain injury, graduates college, ‘Always have hope’
“I was the girl in the neck brace. ‘Just give it time,’ they repeated. My memory betrayed me, forgetting class times, notes, names. Every day, I woke up with a headache. Doctors warned me graduating was unlikely.”
‘Not to worry, you’re SO young.’ We were filled with false hope. Naively, we did the baby dance for a year.’: Woman pregnant with rainbow baby after infertility battle, ‘Keep climbing mama’
“Our Doctor looked at us and said, ‘I WILL have you pregnant.’ We entered the dark world of empty bank accounts, bruised and botched bodies, and a home with stained walls from our screams. We couldn’t give up.”
‘We have two brothers, 12 and 8, that need a home.’ A week later, I got another call. ‘Can you take in a 5-week-old baby.’ I became a mom to 3 boys in days.’: Woman adopts 3 children from foster care
“She had been left in a bush in the freezing cold and was miraculously found. This little girl that had been unprotected and forgotten—was being held safely in my arms. ‘Don’t become a foster mom as a single woman. It’s a death sentence. You’ll be single forever.’ I had a decision to make.”
‘My parents had over 30 temporary placements and adopted 9 children. I struggled with my identity. I didn’t fit.’: Man thanks adoptive family, ‘I’m meant to do something important’
“He was sitting with my uncle. ‘We can give her a break and take care of him.’ Our home was chaos but in the best way.”
‘He arrived on a redeye flight. I snuck my husband into the office. My son quickly locked eyes with his Dad and jumped into his arms.’: Military spouse plans tearful surprise visit for children
“Our oldest is autistic and goodbyes are so difficult for him. He hugged him tightly and with one final kiss, he was gone. Months later, I said, ‘I think it’s time you come for a visit.’ We kept it a secret. There were tears, so many beautiful tears.”
‘We felt a bump while being intimate. A wave of utter darkness hit me. I felt like I never stood a chance to win.’: Woman says overcoming breast cancer was ‘the fight of my life’
“I freaked out. Then, BOOM! I said ta-ta to both of my tatas.’ Words cannot express the fear I felt.”
‘Last week, Arthur stopped by with a gift. Each time he delivers a package, Hudson lights up, runs to our front windows, and can’t wait to say, ‘Hi!’: Woman shares delivery man’s act of kindness
“In a time where so many (especially young children) are having an incredibly hard time with this ‘new way’ of life and so many restrictions, this friendship with Arthur has meant THE WORLD to Hudson…and to us.”
‘My baby is dying! We have to land the plane.’ The doctors on board shook their heads sadly. I was helpless.’: Woman recalls journey to bring adopted daughters home, ‘I’d do it over again’
“’We need to land. We have to land the plane.’ I jumped out of my seat and ran down the aisle to the flight attendant who was passing out snacks. ‘Sir! Sir! Please!’ One man stepped forward quietly and said, ‘I’m a neurologist, I don’t know if I can be of any help.’”
‘I drove 15 hours to see the girl I was ‘talking’ to. ‘Why would you do that? Why would you try so hard and drive so far?’: Husband urges ‘never stop chasing her the way you did before you had her’
“I drove 15 hours to Florida. I stayed for 20 hours. Then I drove 15 hours back. If you want something bad enough, you never get tired of chasing it.”
I May Never Be An ‘Empty-Nester,’ And That’s Okay
“As much as I would love for Ava to move out on her own one day, it would be up to her. I’d be pretty darn happy if we took nightly strolls, arm in arm, forever.”
‘He stopped breathing and was ripped from my arms. Everything changed. I set out to get all the answers.’: Mom births son with partial Trisomy 18, ‘He is a reminder life is precious’
“They performed every test under the sun. ‘He may never walk or talk.’ He could be dependent on us for the rest of his life. Well, we might as well prove all these doctors wrong!”
‘Before he ended the call, he said to his son, ‘I love you. I’m proud of you. You are capable of big things.’ I choked back tears behind my mask.’: School administrator urges ‘you set the tone for this year’
“Then, he took the phone over to show his son the airplane he was about to get on. I was choking back tears.”
‘How much longer?’ we asked. ‘We can expect twice as long as a straight couple.’ The call came. She was 17.’: Gay dads share open adoption journey, ‘It’s the gift of a lifetime’
“’How do you feel about having children?’ It was on our second date. I was in Atlanta at a business conference. My cell phone rang. ‘We’ve been matched!’ Triton and I burst into tears.”
‘Our boys thought they were seeing their new sister. The birth mama kept her. Their hearts sank, and our 5-year-old broke down.’: Couple adopts twins after disrupted adoptions, ‘They’re our miracles’’
“The day our babies were supposed to be born came and went with no news from our birth mama. Then another day, a week, two weeks. Our birth mother had gone silent.”
‘We can’t go throughout life ignoring that loss happens and life is fragile.’: 4 Ways To Support Your Grieving Loved One
“After my mom’s funeral, people were scared to speak to me because they didn’t want to say the wrong thing, but saying nothing at all was far worse.”
‘When I saw the image, I instantly started to cry.’: Mom starts petition after daughter’s photo is turned into Amazon sex doll
“I’m asking everyone to join me in this fight.”
‘A single foster mom, I had 10 PLACEMENTS in my first year. One baby had a seizure and I spent weeks living in the NICU.’: Foster mom says, ‘There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing’
“It’s so incredibly heartbreaking to watch babies struggle through withdrawals and be powerless to make things better. The first time a baby left, I cried so hard I couldn’t see the steering wheel in front of my face.”
‘If it comes to a decision, choose our baby.’ Tears streamed down her face. ‘If this ruptures, it will kill your wife and baby.’: Dad in awe after mom births miracle baby with Congenital Heart Disease
“I heard my wife scream, ‘Brian, come quick!’ I hurried upstairs to find her crouched down on the bathroom floor, groaning in pain. Even with all the pain, she had a subtle smile on her face. ‘I’m pregnant.’ I felt a surge of happiness. All the excitement was replaced with a sudden feeling of dread.”
‘The nurse broke the news over the phone. ‘There’s no way to do a burial.’ My baby was placed in a round, plastic dish and simply sent off somewhere.’: Mom of angel baby urges ‘miscarriage matters’ after hospital negligence
“There were no condolences. Just business as usual. I was nearly pleading for attention now. ‘This life was important to me!’ He looked up, straight-faced and insincere. ‘Oh… sorry for your loss.’ I thought I’d somehow be getting my baby back. I needed closure.”
The Most Difficult Part Of Grief Is The Pain Of Forgetting The Small Things
“I can’t remember if his favorite cereal was Honey Smacks or Fruity Pebbles. I know we had a cereal debate a while back and I’m kicking myself for not remembering how that one ended. I guess at the time, it didn’t seem important. But now I’d give anything to go back just to know the answer.”