Motherly Stories
Motherhood changes us. Celebrate the ups and downs with these honest, insightful essays about becoming—and being—a mom.
What overturning Roe v. Wade could mean for women who experience miscarriage and pregnancy loss
Roe v. Wade is about more than just abortion. It is about reproductive rights. It is about health care for women.
Yes my body has changed—but it’s not open for your comments
This is my “mom-bod." And I am beyond proud of it. After all, I played the part. So why not look it, too?
A love letter to my postpartum body
I am learning the language of loving you. Because after all, you made me a mother.
The village is there, but you might have to look for it
I knew that if I wanted my village to show up, I needed to send out a call.
I’m the primary breadwinner—and I still shoulder most of the housework
According to this year's State of Motherhood survey, I'm not alone.
It’s time to stop asking women when they’re having a(nother) baby
Let’s open the dialogue about women’s experiences with pregnancy loss, infertility and ideas around family and motherhood.
The decision to announce your pregnancy early is complex
Reading Britney Spears’ statement of “Perhaps we should have waited until we were further along…,” my thoughts are this: No. She did it the way that felt right for her. She wanted to share the news. The idea of loss didn’t stop her, and I find that courageous.
Dear husband: Thank you for showing our kids how to be a great dad
They learned from the best—you.
Sex after kids: You’ll have less, then more, then less—it’s all normal
Just because you’re having less sex now doesn’t mean it will always be like that.
Nicole Phelps on raising resilient kids—’It’s giving yourself grace’
Along with husband, Michael Phelps, and their foundation, they are helping parents everywhere with their new video series
Formula-feeding moms don’t need breastmilk advice right now
Suggesting that moms should “just breastfeed” ignores their own mental, physical and emotional needs.
I complain a lot about youth sports but I’m going to miss them
Even as I sit in my folding chair watching my kids sport du jour, I can feel myself missing these days.
To the dads without fathers on Father’s Day
If you are fathering without your father, never forget that your children are blessed to have you. They are your reason. And you have a monumental role in shaping them into kind and respectable humans.
I refuse to be a martyr for motherhood
I refuse to prioritize the sacrifices of motherhood over the joys. And there are so many joys.
The case for ‘staying home’ with kids
It’s not a life sentence.
Motherhood is having superpowers—but knowing they won’t last forever
Because what you have in this beautiful, messy, mommy phase is something that only lasts a short while–before time and maturity sweep it away in a quick, overwhelming tidal wave.
America runs on mothers’ sacrifice—and it’s not OK
For too long mothers have been asked to nurture in a society that does not nurture us back.
To my second child: Our time will come
When my oldest son begins to spread his wings and fly further away from home base, I will be left with my youngest son. Those magical one-on-one experiences I had with my firstborn, before his brother arrived, will be paid back in full.
How to have a positive birth experience with a C-section
Together with my doctor, we created a plan for my C-section to become the birth experience I wanted it to be.