Giving Birth - Everything You Need to Know - Motherly
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Birth

It’s go time, mama! Whether you’re counting down the days or trying to plan ahead, learn more about giving birth with advice and essays from real mamas.

NICU baby

Doctors weren’t sure he’d survive—now one of the world’s smallest babies is finally going home to Minnesota

Born at just 8 ounces, Bilal spent his first year defying the odds in the NICU—now, he’s going home to join his four siblings.

Updated Apr. 01, 2025
Kylie Kelce

Kylie Kelce shuts down harmful claim that C-sections aren’t “real” births

“They just had massive abdominal surgery to get out the human life that they just built.”

Updated Apr. 04, 2025
A newborn baby

A grandmother helps deliver her grandson in a car—just hours after losing her own mother

The timing of Noah’s birth—just hours after the passing of his great-grandmother—felt like something more than coincidence.

Updated Mar. 05, 2025
Woman gives birth on NYC subway

Baby born on the NYC subway—and strangers rallied to help in a moment of pure humanity

A 25-year-old woman went into labor around 11:30 a.m. on a southbound W train.

Updated Feb. 13, 2025
New Hampshire - Dispatcher holding the baby he helped deliver

911 dispatcher reunites with New Hampshire family after life-changing emergency birth

“You guys have had a lasting impact on me. I’m not going to forget it.”

Updated Feb. 13, 2025
Matrescence: Two side-by-side images of a mother holding her newborn

The surprising identity shift of motherhood no one talks about

"Instead of the physical and emotional changes you go through in puberty, matrescence is about the physical and emotional changes you go through after the birth of your child."

Updated Dec. 26, 2024
Childbearing years: A mother cradling her newborn

Am I really done having babies?

It’s hard to watch your baby hitting new milestones without wondering if this is your last baby and the last milestone.

Updated Dec. 19, 2024
IVF babies

After an IVF mix-up, two moms raised each other’s baby—here’s what happened (and how to protect your family)

This story highlights not only the challenges of IVF but also the resilience of families navigating the unthinkable.

Updated Dec. 17, 2024
Black moms: A Black mom cradling her belly

Black Moms are being told to ‘speak up’ during birth—but they deserve better, too

Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. 

Updated Dec. 16, 2024
Doula

Why every mom deserves a doula (and how Texas is stepping up to help)

Black women are over three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.

Updated Dec. 13, 2024
RX kids: A new mom holding her baby

Moms are getting $7,500 for having a baby in Michigan—here’s how it’s transforming lives

What if we just paid women when they have babies? A revolutionary new program is testing exactly that—and it’s already changing lives.

Updated Dec. 09, 2024
Childbirth - Woman holding her baby who she gave birth to in the back of an ambulance

‘You kept me calm’: Michigan mom delivers baby in ambulance with help from heroic first responders

While Demsey had experienced childbirth twice before, this delivery was a first for everyone involved, including the Clinton Township paramedics who assisted her.

Updated Dec. 05, 2024
Mom holding her premie baby

The preemie crisis in America: Why the US keeps failing its most vulnerable babies

The NICU became our new reality, but the most haunting moment came when I returned home without her—staring at an empty car seat that should have cradled my baby.

Updated Nov. 20, 2024
A pregnant mother cradling her belly

They asked me to ‘prepay’ for my baby: The rising cost of maternity care no one prepares you for

Imagine this: At just your second prenatal visit, a moment brimming with hope and excitement about your growing baby, you’re handed an unexpected bill.

Updated Nov. 20, 2024
mother holding baby in hospital after birth - discarding placentas

We should stop discarding placentas after birth, scientists say

We’re missing a major research opportunity: The placenta can tell us a lot about the health of both mom and baby.

Updated Sep. 26, 2024
Infant in the hospital

The infant mortality rate in the U.S. is rising for the first time in over 22 years

There are many factors that could contribute to a rising infant mortality rate, as experts point out.

Updated Aug. 02, 2024

Kansas City dad who became a doula is inspiring other dads to ‘step up’ during childbirth

James Hogue trained to be a doula after watching his wife go through a complicated delivery.

Updated Jun. 25, 2024
pregnant woman preparing for labor - pelvic floor PT

Here’s how a pelvic floor PT preps for labor & childbirth

Looking for birth prep advice? Your internet searches stop here.

Updated Jun. 07, 2024
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