Motherhood changes us. Celebrate the ups and downs with these honest, insightful essays about becoming—and being—a mom.

Our society has conditioned us so deeply to think about parenthood in one way that we don’t even question our biases.

Divorce is tricky. Divorce with kids involved is even trickier.

From the minute I open my eyes to well after the kids are in bed—I’m doing something, or thinking about doing something.

The mental load of infertility is huge.

This is what we do to love our children: We choose to enter their world and remind them of how much they enrich ours.

I know: You want to cry and celebrate at the same time.

The realities of being pregnant for a second time remind me where I’ve been and where I could find myself again.

As our children grow, we too evolve as parents, growing and changing together.

My best mothering move is encouraging her to listen to her body and trust her intuition.

As parents, we are allowed to have our own stories.

When our kids leave the nest, they aren’t the only ones who have new opportunities and possibilities ahead. As parents, we do too.

I dream about being done, about getting my body back and wearing a normal bra again.

Dinnertime didn’t feel like a time of connection; it felt like a time of tension.

Divorce and custody are two different ball games.

Matrescence is a continuum, and the majority of moms are in the ‘messy middle.’ Here’s what that means.

Our children will grow up in a world of pronoun inclusivity and they will expect you to respect their own identity and those of their peers.

I thought a lot about my relationship with my mom during my postpartum haze.

I. am. Exhausted. Aren’t you?

But you’re not alone, mama. Here are 5 tips to better take care of yourself while mothering your toddler.

I was a wife, a sister, a daughter, a veterinarian, a new mother—and I was dying.