I had been exceedingly determined to have a vaginal birth and was very stringent about allowing even a little doubt to creep in regarding the alternative. I skipped the chapters on C-sections in my... Read more >>

A Letter from a Mother to her Child, March 1996. Forty-five years ago…I can still feel the excitement and anticipation. There was a borrowed six-month-size crib in the corner of the one-room... Read more >>

Well, let me tell you, the horror you have going into labor and delivery is your own fear. Everyone is scared regardless how many you have. Well, here’s what happened to me—now this does... Read more >>

There’s a song by Ben Folds called “Gracie Girl.” We played it for the father-daughter dance at my oldest daughter’s wedding last year. It begins: You can’t fool me, I... Read more >>

I arrived at the hospital at 5:56 a.m.My doctor told me I was nine centimeters dilated and in a few minutes, it would be time to push. I waited for about fifteen minutes and I got the urge to push. My... Read more >>

No pain was felt only confusion. They say it’s a girl. A boy was wanted. Sad that thanks isn’t given for a half healthy girl who will struggle to survive. Be strong my daughter.... Read more >>

If I had known how much more immensely interesting I would become by gaining fifteen pounds and running around in clothes covered in vomit, I would have taken up binge drinking years ago. After years... Read more >>

“If there is a will, there is a wall”—once I heard this at my church, I could not get it out of my head. I was raised with the exact opposite dictum: “If there is a will, there... Read more >>

Later in the session, Mary remembered of how she had succeeded in completing a twenty-two-mile marathon. She recalled that during the run she had nearly given up several times, but somehow found the... Read more >>

Growing up, I always envied the children that I went to school or church with because they had both their parents. I often dreamed of what it must be like to have both parents loving and encouraging... Read more >>