Pregnancy + Postpartum

I forgot how lonely the first trimester is. It's a silent suffering. Those first few weeks and months are exciting; there's so much joy that you can't share with anyone yet. It's also some of the most uncomfortable months...

Bleeding during pregnancy. If you are anything like me, seeing blood come from your vagina while pregnant is enough to send you into a full-blown panic. Maybe I am a little uneducated, possibly bleeding during pregnancy is not talked...

I got pregnant with my firstborn in 2018. No sooner had I seen two pink lines than the comments started. A couple of the comments were "Don't get an epidural" and "Don't get induced." Those comments were followed up...

I was a freshman in high school taking a speech and debate class. Teams of two would take a topic and debate a team of two arguing the opposite. My friend Robert and I prepped to argue in support...

It took us almost three years to get pregnant with our daughter Madison. Three years of shots, fertility treatments, tears, IVF, IUI, miscarriages, heartbreak, and finally, success. I realize that even after all that, I am one of the lucky...

Yes, I had an abortion. You wouldn't guess that I would be someone who would have had one. I don't tell most people. Not that I am ashamed of it; it's not something that comes up in casual conversation....

Like many expecting new moms, I embraced the resources we now have - endless apps to track week by week, Instagram accounts dedicated to each stage of pregnancy, and calendars that help you monitor your symptoms. For someone like...

Information about lactation is easier to find than ever thanks to social media and the internet, but it seems like so many incorrect myths are hard to get rid of. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if these...

Even to this day, I look at the clock at 7:00 AM and immediately think about women sitting anxiously in a doctor’s office waiting on the next steps of their treatment.  Strong women. Brave women. Dedicated women. Dreaming women.  …the women battling infertility.  This 7:00...

  Birthdays are usually spent celebrating an individual for a year of growth and living. We make cakes, give gifts, and gather to blow out candles. Rarely do we take the time, though, to reflect and honor the process of...

Millennials and Gen Z love to break tradition. We are going to many weddings now without bouquet tosses and first dances. Gender-neutral names are growing in popularity.  It was previously traditional to have a bridal shower and baby shower,...

For couples who have experienced infertility or loss while trying to have a baby, or for same-sex couples that want a biological child of their own, surrogacy may be the answer. If you are seeking a surrogate or are...

There I was, standing with a small group of women, sharing birth stories with a soon-to-be first-time mom, watching her face go from complete joy to utter panic in a mere 5 minute time span. What just happened? What...

"Four kids." Ten years ago, when my husband and I sat side by side in premarital counseling and the counselor asked each of us how many kids we desired to have, I said four. When our first daughter was placed...