essays

I’m pregnant with baby #2, working a job and a side hustle, and I still feel like I’m not doing enough

I feel guilty when the physical and mental exhaustion makes me beg for a moment to lay down.

Why the pandemic was actually the ideal time for us to have a baby

COVID baby bust? Not for us.

Julie on being told her postpartum anxiety and panic attacks were normal as a new mom

"On my worst days I felt like I’d rather die than continue to feel that way for one more second. The mental agony was so overwhelming and so debilitating. I could barely handle it."

TikTok is teaching me to re-parent myself

TikTok is teaching me many of the life skills that were never instilled in me, and I'm becoming a better parent because of that.

Mentoria on hiding her postpartum depression and thoughts of ending her life

"My mind just couldn’t understand why I had these beautiful babies, and I couldn’t just BE HAPPY."

Erikka on experiencing postpartum PTSD after the traumatic delivery of her daughter

"I'm currently in therapy and working on reframing my experiences. I don't think I will ever forget the low points, but the silver linings are worth honoring too."

I want less for my children

I miss simple. I miss pure, innocent, naive and sheltered.

I learned to ask for what I needed at work—and ended up being hired while in labor

Pregnant with baby #2, Facebook offered her a job hours before she gave birth.

5 lies I believed about childcare before I became a childcare provider

Don't worry, mama—your baby's in good hands.

6 lies I believed about infertility before I got pregnant

2. All you have to do is relax.

Sara on wanting to hug her postpartum self and tell her it will get better

"The story of a woman trying. Trying and tired, trying and unsure, trying and afraid.⁣"

Eloise on getting help for postpartum OCD and intrusive thoughts

I did not want this to ruin my life or rule my brain.

The grief and gift of mothering a child with Down syndrome

Ace, we're so happy you have Down Syndrome. Because we love you so much.

I wish you still cared about the pandemic

We're THIS close to getting out of a pandemic. Please don't stop now.

Becca on living with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and the rage it causes

"I’ll be standing over my sink cleaning everyone's mess for the 37th time that week and it’ll only be Tuesday. Where as I have done this many times before, on this day anger will rise, hot and dizzying. These are no longer dishes, they are injustices."

This mom captured her daughter’s cancer journey in powerful photos

Lula Beth, now 4, is cancer free. Her mom hopes their photos give other famiies hope in the fight against cancer.

Ashley on postpartum anger and rage and finally asking for help

"There were nights that I held my oldest boy while he slept apologizing for being so angry and explaining to him that mommy is going to get better so he doesn't have to see me be angry with him anymore."

6 lies I believed about pumping before I had to exclusively pump

All my children were bottle fed, and I was very unprepared for it.

Happy birthday, COVID baby

It was just a few weeks before your birth when the whole world changed.

Cassandra on surviving a traumatic birth followed by PPD during a pandemic

How would she fare without me if I got sick? And even worse–what if she got sick?