Motherly Stories

This theme park employee was a real-life superhero to a young boy with autism

She was his mama's hero, too.

This is why I share the story of my son almost drowning

Never in my life have I felt so much fear as I jumped in and pulled him out. He immediately started crying, thank God. I held him close to me and didn't want to let him go.

A simple note for a brand new mama

Oh mama, tonight is a very special night.

Dear mama-to-be, I envy you

This life is wonderful. So wonderful in fact that I would go back and live it again and again, which is why it is with bittersweet envy that I celebrate expecting moms and the amazing moments ahead of them.

To the mama stressing about her baby hitting milestones—I see you

We enjoy the moments with our little ones and let them develop on their own time.

9 phrases to never say to same-sex parents

5. "Who is the real mom?"

We deserve better: American mothers have been neglected for way too long

It's time to take motherhood seriously.

I don’t feel guilty for going on trips without my child

Everyone needs a life buoy to breathe easier. For some it's wine, for others melatonin—for me it's the first rush of air I inhale in a new city.

Dear teachers: You are my hero

You are relentless. You are inspiring. You are shaping an empathetic, open-minded and diverse generation. You make our lives as parents so much better.

My child isn’t giving me a hard time—he’s *having* a hard time

Once I could see his struggles from a lens of empathy, I was able to respond in love.

I had an unexpected C-section and these pictures tell my story

One mama tells us how she coped when her birth didn’t go as planned.

A letter to my daughters the night before I go back to work from maternity leave

It's going to be really hard.

How I felt when the doctor told us our baby has Down Syndrome

We wanted to run away—not from her, but from everyone else.

I can’t remember what it’s like to *not* be a mom

Of course I remember some things—where I lived, what I did most days, what I hoped for in motherhood. But I cannot remember what it FEELS like to be me-before-kids.

I’m a mom and multitasking is my superpower

Because of multitasking we can cook dinner while unloading the dishwasher, settling an argument and finally texting our friend back. (We might be three days late on that text, but look—we remembered! See? Our brains are fine.)

What goes through my mind as I grieve the loss of my mom

There are a million things that change and take on new meanings and shapes. There are a million words that suddenly don't seem so nice anymore. There are a million faces that don't bring comfort like they used to.

My kids and I stopped sticking to a regular schedule—and it has made such a huge difference

I dropped the "shoulds" and started doing what worked best for us.

Motherhood is: Needing to be *not* needed just for a little bit

I love my snuggles and I love being the antidote to their fear and sadness. But occasionally, I do wish they understood that they could easily wake their dad for help, or that he is equally capable of putting socks on the correct way.

Meet me offline, mama

Bringing Motherly right to your home through our book, This is Motherhood.

Motherhood blew my mind

Motherly's co-founder looks back on the mission that gave birth to our first book, This is Motherhood.