Motherly Stories

I’m not pregnant anymore, but my body is broken

This culture does not make it easy to be a woman, let alone a postpartum one. For godssake, let us have postpartum, too.

I love my baby, but I miss myself

Nothing has brought me greater joy than motherhood, but nothing has brought me greater grief than becoming a foreigner to my own skin.

To my friends going through IVF, I’m sorry I didn’t understand

If you have friends battling infertility, you don’t know what it’s like until you have lived what it’s like. 

This is why we need to prioritize the care of postpartum mamas

Paid leave is not a vacation. Four weeks of it isn't enough.

Sometimes, motherhood is just too much

I have to imagine you feel this too. I have to believe that these feelings, these days of mine are felt by others. I’m saying it out loud because this rawness is so very real, it’s oh so real, and I can’t cover it up.

7 things people don’t tell you about raising teens

What I’ve realized about the teen years is that, like all stages of parenting (and life, for that matter), they are a Both/And experience.

To my husband: When motherhood gets tough, you make it easier

I know that most times I am our child's safe haven, but at the end of each day, you are mine.

From a mom of older kids to a new mama: It won’t always be this hard

To those mamas who feel exhausted and stuck, like things will never get easier, let me tell you: things will get easier.

Our children may never know all we do—but they will know our love

I know you may not know it, but you are seen. You are needed. You are wanted.

What moms are feeling is so much more than ‘burnout’

'Burnout' is a bite-sized buzzword for a really complex and layered issue.

Motherhood is holding on, and then one day letting go

It’s holding on. To firsts and lasts, to moments of magic in the mundane, and to an ache of loving so deeply.

A letter to new cancer moms

Sweet friend, I wish I could promise you that your child is going to survive this. That you are all going to come out of this undamaged. But, I can't promise you any of those things. What I can promise you? You WILL have support. 

To the working mom who’s also a stay-at-home mom: I see you

At the end of the day, we don’t want our children to say that mama did it all. We want them to know that mama did what she could, and that was more than enough.

To the mama preparing to meet her baby—I remember

I remember the feeling of lightness when Sunday arrived and the heaviness in the days that followed when the visitors left and the hormones crashed and a wave of newness like nothing I’d ever known came over me. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

To the women who made me who I am

You taught me that mothering—or womanhood—does not always have to be synonymous with strength. That there is room for weakness and error. That I have somewhere to rest my weary head until I have the wit to rise again. Thank you for being a resting and a rising place all within the same breath.

Mom Guilt 2.0: When you feel guilty for not feeling guilty

If we aren't careful, mom guilt will consume us and ultimately block out the joy of parenting too.

I’m the mother of a trans child. Gender-affirming care saved my teen’s life

Accessing gender-affirming healthcare was the step that transformed my child’s life for the better.

I am worried about—and inspired by—my friends in Ukraine

I love you so much, Ukraine, and I admire your love and sacrifice. America stands with you, we are learning from you, and I trust that we will unify through your example.

Dear friends: I know it’s hard when life is overwhelming—but I still need you

When life gets overwhelming and I go quiet, that’s when I need my friends the most.

As I tuck my babies in at night, I’m thinking of moms in Ukraine

I’m a mama in Oregon. But, because I’m a mama, my heart feels the terror of a mama in Ukraine.