‘I finally got a pregnancy test. Told no one. Waited a few more days. Negative.’: Triplet mom left feeling ‘confused, excited, terrified’ after thinking her body was ‘actually working’ by missing period

“I told my husband over dinner while our kids were also trying to talk. Poor timing, but I hadn’t told anyone and just needed to get it off my chest. I took him by surprise. ‘I thought I was pregnant, but I’m not.’ My eyes were filling with tears. I hated how emotional I was getting. He was shocked. Relieved. Not as sad as I was.”

‘We should buy a test.’ ‘For what? I have an IUD. There’s no way!’’: 19-year-old mom has surprise pregnancy on the pill, second baby with IUD, ‘I can’t imagine my life any other way’

“WHAT!! How?? I had an alarm on my phone reminding me to take my pill every single day! She insisted I test anyway…sure enough, it was positive. ‘This isn’t a baby yet. You have options.’ Once I saw the baby on the ultrasound, I knew my only option was to give our child a chance at life. I knew God had a plan for me.”

‘What are the chances lightning strikes twice?’ Then I got the news. ‘Ashley…I have cancer, too.’: Twins battle breast cancer simultaneously, ‘we found strength in each other’

“The day after my biopsy, I received a phone call. ‘Wow, the results came fast. Must be good news!’ The nurse put the doctor on. ‘Hi, Danielle. I want you to know we found cancer…’ Suddenly, all of the air was sucked out of my body. I called my sister. ‘Man, you cursed me. I have it.’ I could hear my mom in the background saying, ‘Are you EFFING kidding me?!’ We were battling this together.”

‘Are you driving?’ she asked, ‘You might want to pull over.’: Self-proclaimed ‘cocky millennial’ mom admits she was ‘scared, angry’ after daughter’s epilepsy diagnosis

“She wasn’t acting like other 2-year-olds we knew. Everyone told me I was crazy, but there was something wrong. I told her I pulled over, but kept driving. ‘I think your daughter is having seizures. I think she has epilepsy.’ There was a long pause as I pulled over, no longer cocky and full of myself. ‘Excuse me?’ I replied. I don’t remember the rest of the conversation.”

‘Barbara, what’re you doing all by yourself, girl?’ She did this every single night.’: Mom thanks ‘the most inclusive person I’ve ever met’ in a humbling tribute to once-bullied woman

“When I moved two years ago, I didn’t know a soul. After 9 years in Chicago raising babies, I was terrified to start all over again, leaving behind an amazing mom tribe I’d formed. Starting from scratch in a new city is like dating. But during my first year in San Antonio, I met Amy at a PTA meeting.”

‘She’s lying. NOTHING is wrong. She just wants narcotics!’ My mom was in the throes of kidney failure.’: Woman ‘shocked’ by hospital malpractice, urges ‘it is your right to request a new doctor’

“My mother is a strong woman who NEVER complains about pain. Yet, there she was, writhing. Our doctor pulled up her records and angrily listed off her history of meds out loud. ‘Why did you take these?!’ He interrogated her. He wouldn’t give her an IV drip or her blood pressure meds. Her body was never physically checked. Instead, he tried to ‘out’ her as a drug abuser in front of her family!”

‘You need help.’ I got her from preschool, pulled over ‘to rest,’ and woke with officers knocking on my window.’: Mom of 4 finally gets sober after being institutionalized over 20 times, learns she is ‘not alone’

“This started long before ‘wine mom culture’. Earlier that morning, I was running errands alone. I pulled into a grocery store without thinking. That’s all it took. Horrified, my husband said, ‘You’ve got to stop. Emily, you need help.’ He breathalyzed me daily while taking away all access to money. I was greeted by judgmental preschool moms. These were the same women who cooked dinners every week for my husband and kids while I was gone.”

‘Where is my wife?’ An old man turned a corner and put his hands on my shoulder, tears in his eyes.’: Woman comforts distraught stranger with Alzheimer’s, ‘Kindness costs nothing’

“I jumped up. My first instinct was to get angry and ask him to please not touch me. Then I noticed something. The man was crying. ‘Do you know where my wife is? I’ve been looking for her.’ He was now shaking and crying softly. I was thinking maybe he lost her in the aisles. Hasn’t everyone lost someone this way? I was wrong.”

‘Hand them over.’ I asked her why. ‘You-guys-are-on-them-too-much.’ Say what? Us guys? Us?’: Mom stunned when 16-year-old ‘budding Instagram model’ daughter insists on no screen time at dinner

“My 16-year-old daughter pointed to each of us. She put out her hand, palm up. No lie, I was confused. Why did she have her hand out? Did she want a high-five? Was she looking for money? There had to be something wrong. She placed them on the table, screen down, and then made eye contact with us. I mean, ACTUAL eye contact. I stared at her, hanging onto every-single-word.”

‘Oh my God, she’s alive!?’ The overdose killed me. I was gone for 11 minutes. My dealer hovered over me.’: Stay-at-home mom beats heroin addiction, my son ‘is my reason now’ to stay clean

“I was 95 pounds soaking wet and my face was all picked apart when I got a phone call from my mom, tricking me into coming home. I knew something was up, but I was so tired and ready to surrender – I went willingly. When I got there, it was like an intervention. ‘I’m begging you, please stay the night.’ I had no choice. I finally understood.”

‘I was on an airplane with my husband heading home. Before long, I was bleeding. I brushed it off.’: Woman miscarries in hotel bathroom, ‘our beautiful little boy was born in the most unconventional way’

“I was jolted awake at 3:00 in the morning. I panicked and quickly made my way into the hotel bathroom. I had no control. I started to shake and whisper, ‘Please save my baby.’ He was so tiny, and was so incredibly loved. I started to weep as I stared at his precious little being, realizing what had just happened to me. I finally called my husband. I’ll never forget the broken-hearted look in his sweet, hazel eyes.”

‘Let’s do it. Tell them yes!’ I begged him. She was so fragile, perfect, small, like holding a doll.’: 25-year-old ‘mama to many’ discovers she’s pregnant while fostering, ‘What! Seriously?!’

“I’m only 25. Married with two kids at 23. And boom, surprise! We were pregnant again! My husband was downstairs playing on his phone… relaxing. ‘Babe….’ Silence. The look on his face – pure disbelief. I get a call. ‘We have a 3-month-old, very preemie baby girl, ready to be discharged and on oxygen.’ My first thought was, ‘There is no way we can handle this.’ I knew my husband wasn’t going to be on board.”

‘How selfish! Men looking at you in your leotards?’ On the outside we had it all. I was trapped.’: Woman finally escapes abusive relationship to pursue dancing dreams, ‘No one should fear for their lives, especially not in their own home’

“‘I knew you wouldn’t be able to control yourself. You’ve proved you can’t change to be a nice girl for me.’ Hours later, I found myself bleeding and alone, thrown from the car. Thankfully, a stranger happened upon me. She called the police. The man I had fallen for was gone. Finally, I broke. I was emerging from the nightmare.”

‘Call 911!’ My baby was twitching. I held his limp body. I heard sirens. They were coming for MY child.’: Boy suffering from Childhood Epilepsy undergoes brain surgery, ‘he is now happy and living with half a brain’

“We were getting ready for a nice picnic at the park. Suddenly, the right side of his body went stiff. His oxygen dropped. First firefighters, then paramedics. Our house was full of first responders. ‘Why is nothing working?!’ I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. I wanted him to live. I held my breath.”

‘I hate you! I want a different mom!’ He is getting bigger, I have to physically restrain him.’: Mom says son’s childhood has been ‘violently stolen’ due to PANDAS/PANS diagnosis, ‘It’s sad, unfair, heartbreaking’

“I wrote the single hardest thing: ‘I don’t like being a parent.’ His meltdowns consist of screaming, hitting, throwing, breaking things, slamming doors, spitting, you name it. I have to restrain him. I poured my heart out, frustrated, at my wits end. Then I got a message. ‘I think your son has PANDAS/PANS. Have him tested.’ Then the warning came: Some people don’t believe in this diagnosis.”

‘Mom, can I talk to you about yesterday?’ I no longer wipe tiny bums. I’m grieving the childhood days.’: Mom learns to appreciate teen years, ‘there is beauty in every season of motherhood’

“I don’t pick out school clothes anymore. There’s no one to nurse to sleep. I can’t remember the last time I cut up spaghetti, blew on soup because it was too hot. When they need socks now, they find them. And when they’re hungry? They grab their own snack. There were so many times I wished for these days. Now, I’m standing smack dab in the middle of them, grieving the past.”

‘That girl’s going to wish she didn’t sit by that nasty homeless chick.’ Patrons gave me side-eye.’: Woman encourages compassion after random act of kindness for homeless woman, ‘We’ve gotten so afraid to connect’

“After I placed my muffin on the table, I noticed a pile of filthy, worn bags filled with her belongings. A large piece of folded cardboard peeked out from the top of the bag. Immediately after I sat down, she asked me a question. ‘Have you seen any phone books anywhere?’”