“Her body was too small to close over her swollen heart. Piles of machinery overwhelmed her metal crib. I hesitantly brought a small box into the ICU. Inside was a blanket and matching hair bow. I was shocked by how stunning she looked.”
‘She may not survive surgery.’ For 9 days, her chest remained open. She wasn’t the baby I expected.’: Mom has photo shoot in ICU before preemie passes to ‘make each day beautiful’
‘That’s crazy!’ I filed it away under the ‘that would never happen’ section of my brain. Then came ‘the call.’ I broke down in fear.’: Baby diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, undergoes liver transplant, ‘She’s full of life’
“I was sleeping in hospital chairs at 20-something-weeks pregnant, walking a bridge back and forth between the children’s hospital and the cancer center, visiting my mom who was undergoing treatment for her second round of cancer. All while my husband was laid-off for needing time to help watch our other children.”
‘But it doesn’t run in our family!’ I’m too young for this. Is it really happening twice?’: Brother with Down syndrome helps parents accept son’s diagnosis, ‘We had so much hope because of him’
“The phone call came early afternoon. I should have known something was wrong. ‘Excuse me? I’m not even supposed to be at risk.’”
‘What am I supposed to tell my 5-year-old?!’ Now I’m removing my earrings. I was daring him to fight.’: Construction worker’s shocking kindness reminds mom how to ‘drop the rope’ during an argument
“A guy came running at my truck yelling for me to stop. The nerve! My anger hit an all-time high. This was going to end in tears and disappointment from my boy. I was absolutely astonished.”
‘I can’t wait to hear him cry!’ Everything was okay. Until it wasn’t. I will never forget the panic in the room.’: Bereaved mom starts company to ‘honor a life only 2 days young’
“The room was silent. Shortly after, the commotion from the NICU team began. I screamed. I yelled. I cried and sobbed as my husband sat next to me, holding my hand, feeling emotions I can’t even imagine as he watched his baby and his wife fall apart in a matter of seconds.”
‘My chin looks dumb when I smile.’ Your baby girl compares herself to the cheerleader who got a date.’: Mom preaches body positive parenting, ‘You MUST talk to them’
“’I’m so fat.’ ‘I hate this outfit.’ The word ‘thigh gap’ will enter your daughter’s hemisphere. Every billboard, commercial, random dude, social media post, and Hollywood movie will talk to her about her body. Let that fight START WITH YOU.”
‘All of a sudden, he was quiet. ‘Is this when the monster started growing?’ The terror waited around the corner.’: Mom loses son to brain cancer, ‘He was so happy to be a part of our family’
“I like to go through my pictures of Aiden. The people in them have no idea what is coming. I always slow down as I get close to the day he was diagnosed. Maybe I’m trying to stop it from happening.”
‘We believe she can’t see.’ I held her tight as she screamed. I’m not letting them take my baby alone.’: Baby diagnosed with ‘ultra rare’ Canavan Disease, ‘I WILL save my child’
“I held her down while they poked the biggest needle I had ever seen into her back. The acid was destroying the white matter of her brain. That’s when it hit me. ‘There’s no cure.’”
‘That made her BIG mad. We’re talking wailing, crying, and gnashing of teeth. ‘You’re an EVIL mommy!’: Mom feels closer to God after toddler’s tantrum
“I let her mourn and scream. There was no reasoning with her, anyways. She wanted what she wanted. But, I couldn’t stop thinking, ‘If only she knew what was coming. If only she knew why I wouldn’t pull over.’ I was contemplating this to myself and realized, holy cow, I’m no better than my toddler.”
‘I used to be the one they went to for all the things. The one-stop shop for food and comfort and love.’: Mother of teenagers says ‘it’s all a blessing… every bit’
“I used to make breakfasts for kids in footie pajamas, swinging their legs at my kitchen counter. Now, I make four frozen pizzas at once, trying to keep up with how much these tall kids are eating. I used to stay up at night worrying about what they ate that day. Now, I stay awake hoping they are driving safely.”
‘I rocked a 30-pound ‘baby’ for hours. I’ve stayed up to make sure she wasn’t gasping for air.’: Mom says that parents ‘sign up to be full-time employees to the cutest bosses around
“I’m an employee with no sick days, no breaks, and working double-time on holidays.”
‘There was a shooting downtown.’ I fell to the floor. I just knew it was my husband.’: Widow loses husband to accidental shooting, ‘Life is meant to still be enjoyed’
“My husband gave me a quick peck and was out the door. Something was wrong, so terribly wrong. I saw the news pop up. ‘There’s been an accident.’”
‘It’s twins.’ They needed to perform surgery on my placenta. I saw a little 3D hand on the screen and it broke me.’: Woman births sons with TTTS, ‘My boys are my miracles’
“I felt sick, dreading whatever news the next scan might bring. One of our babies had a major brain bleed. I burst into terrified tears. Although I was pregnant with twins, I might not end up with any babies at all.“
‘I’m still forced to see him at court proceedings. I want to run so far away from him. My whole body hurts.’: Narcissistic abuse survivor says ‘there is absolutely nothing romantic about abuse’
“’Come on, it wasn’t all bad.’ I agonized over every detail of our relationship trying to make sense of it all. I cried. A lot. Just because things seemed good, doesn’t mean they ever really were.”
‘Her whole world could be breaking, but for her children, she’ll always smile. Being everyone’s everything isn’t easy.’: Mom says ‘behind those smiles, my beautiful fellow mothers, I see you’
“Motherhood is fragile. And, behind every mother’s smile is a strength that is incomparable. A woman who never quits, and in the toughest times, shows the world her bravest face.”
‘I wasn’t allowed to have male friends. I caught him messaging not one, but two escorts on a work trip using a fake name. In a year, we broke up 10 times.’: Woman urges ‘look for the red flags’ after escaping narcissist
“He felt I should put him above my children and would get jealous of them. He’d give me the silent treatment and block me for days until I was ‘sorry.’ All the while, he was speaking to his new girlfriend who he went Facebook official with 4 days after our breakup.”
‘I bought school supplies today, because I wanted to feel normal. Because I still have hope.’: Mom holds out hope for the day school returns to normal
“Last year, it was impossible to find construction paper and crayons. So, I bought the highlighters, because I still have hope.”
‘I was short-tempered. I yelled excessively. I couldn’t tolerate the messes. I’m a better mom when I work outside the home.’: Mom admits ‘I put in a full day at work and came home a new woman’
“I wish I could be the super mom with the crafts and baked goods and patience to listen to my kids explain a play-by-play of their basketball game but…I am just not that person. I love them with a love I didn’t know existed, but I have not been a good mom the last few months.”
‘We drove past a homeless man. ‘If you aren’t going to give him money, mom, we have to make eye contact.’: Mom urges ‘in a world without human contact, smile with your whole damn face’
“I usually give money. But today, I didn’t. I didn’t know where my purse was. Cars were cutting in and out of traffic. I was stressed and quickly snapped at my kids to be quiet so I could focus on driving. My daughter’s response surprised me.”
‘Comments about immigration ripped my heart out. Then we made a decision. Now comments are personal.’: Transracial family creates kids activities to celebrate other cultures, ‘People matter’
“The Facebook comments were no longer about others. ‘Someone needs to do something.’ I had to empower our family. It wasn’t enough to just read books.”
‘We didn’t want to announce, ‘ADOPTIVE FAMILY’ every time we walked in a room. It was never a question of love.’: Mom of multiracial family says ‘our happily ever after is my favorite story’
“I cried all 300 miles home. We took some time to grieve and decide if we were going to pursue adoption or remain childless. Then one day, I heard a news story out of Haiti, and something in me perked up. ‘There they are. Those are our kids.’”
‘Get off the toilet and deliver her!’ My boyfriend grabbed a shoelace and blanket. There was nothing they could do.’: Woman celebrates rainbow baby after loss, ‘She is everything to me’
“I woke up bleeding. I didn’t want to believe it was happening. ‘You need to prepare to deliver your daughter.’ I grabbed a towel and placed it down on the bed. I was only 22 weeks pregnant.”
‘I decided to homeschool. And I sort of want to throw up, honestly.’: Mom of 6 urges ‘this is a great challenge, but I’m going to make the best of it’
“This decision truly ripped my heart out. I love our school district and our teachers so much. Taking five kids out of their funding directly affects them. But it’s really the only option we can do right now.”
‘We lost 12 babies. 7 years is a very long time. Most couples we know now have 2 or 3 kids.’: Couple advocate for other bereaved parents, ‘We continue to fight’
“I go from being fine one moment to full-blown labor.”
‘My husband washed and dried the clothes. Then, he put them all away. He didn’t do it because I asked him to. I didn’t ask at all.’: Mom urges ‘you deserve an equal partner’
“My husband saw how busy I was with the boys. He saw how difficult it would be for me to break away. He took it upon himself. And after he was finished with the laundry, he cleaned the dishes.”