Motherly Stories

5 things no one told me about infertility

The mental load of infertility is huge.

I’m learning a second language to connect with my child—here’s why

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

To the mama who’s not ready for their child to start kindergarten

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

Why being pregnant after a difficult first pregnancy has me on high alert

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

As the backpacks get bigger, so does everything else

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

Parenting young adults is a whole new level of parenthood

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

I have a sister I never knew about—and it makes me think about parenthood differently

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

To the mama whose baby flew the nest

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 hated exclusively pumping—but it was still so hard to quit

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

No, you don’t have to have dinner together every night to connect as a family

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

The grief of divorce hit me most when it came to sharing custody

Divorce and custody are two different ball games.

Are you in the ‘messy middle’ of motherhood?

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

6 ways we’re creating a gender-inclusive home for our children

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. 

Children won’t save a marriage—but they might fix your relationship with your mother

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

Modern parenting is exhausting—I’m giving my kids an ’80s summer

I. am. Exhausted. Aren’t you?

Real talk: Toddlers are hard

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

I had PPD and a life-threatening illness—Here’s how I found my voice

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

My mom has Alzheimer’s, and now I feel like I’m a mom without a mom

My mom has Alzheimer's disease. The pain of watching her deteriorate is worse, in ways, now that my daughter is here, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from them both, it’s that joy can, and should, be found in the little things.

Too many politicians don’t know what it’s like to be pregnant or miscarry

Our nation’s policies have failed women and children for generations. My own miscarriage made that fact all too clear.

Dear new mama: I wish you could see what I see

I did not like who I saw when I was a new mom. I didn’t know this woman yet. I didn’t accept her.