Real Birth Stories From Real Mamas - Motherly
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Birth Stories

At home, in hospitals, and even on an airplane: these real-life birth stories will inspire and amaze you.

mother in hospital kissing premature baby shows what it's like having a premature baby

I’m a preemie mom—5 things I wish I knew before my shocking delivery

My delivery taught me the first and potentially most crucial lesson of parenting: expect the unexpected.

The heartwarming reason why this 8-year-old delivered her baby sister

How involving her daughter in her deliveries helped them both heal from pregnancy loss. 

non-binary person water birth

These photos from a trans father’s home birth are stunning 😍

"When I saw the photos I suddenly got the sense that they need to be out there, as they represent so well two causes very close to my heart: normalization of home birth and normalization of trans and non-binary people giving birth."

black pregnant woman

What Black mothers-to-be need to know before giving birth

I was confident in my ability to have the birth experience that I wanted. Unfortunately, that didn’t end up being the case. Now, I hope other Black mothers-to-be can learn from my experience and how to prepare themselves for all possible birthing scenarios.

epidural in labor: pregnant woman in hospital talking to doula

My epidural worked *too* well—here’s what I wish I knew

I had a panic attack while in labor, but now I know what to ask for next time.

These are the best birth photos of 2021—and they’re breathtaking

These are the winners of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers 2021 Birth Photography Image Competition.

mom holding baby in the NICU

I’m a survivor. I’m a NICU mama.

Walking out of the hospital with a NICU baby is a true miracle.​

These triplets have a remarkable bond―they’re all pregnant at the same time!

As soon as two of the sisters found out they were pregnant, they encouraged their other sister to join them.

baby boy on oxygen smiling

World’s most premature baby, given 0% odds of survival, celebrates first birthday

Baby Richard weighed less than a pound when he was born 131 days premature.

Meghan Trainor shares her son’s NICU birth story

Baby Riley was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit after his arrival.

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