Category: Stories
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Grateful and Grieving
I’ve always known motherhood was an experience I wanted for my own, as many do. I dreamed of the moment when I’d meet my child for the first time. Just like on TV or in the movies, they hand you your precious little bundle, all wrinkly and new with a strong set of lungs. I…
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Use Your Support System
I feel like there’s a lot of talk about this topic but I still have yet to see a streamlined program to help people in the immediate postpartum period. Feeding was a huge issue for us until we eventually switched to formula. Then it was a year of constant spit-up. An image that stands out…
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A Diary to My Babies
There are so many hormones circulating during all of these periods—trying to conceive, pregnancy, the first year following childbirth, and beyond— that we often displace our truest emotions, anxieties and agitations as related to these shifting hormones. Though hormones definitely play a role in it all, all our feelings are completely valid as we adjust…
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I Want a Do-Over
I woke up at 3am, 39 weeks 6 days pregnant, feeling intermittent cramping and a bit unwell—that feeling you get at the onset of a fever—hot/cold, shivering, aching. I was excited because I thought this might be it, but the timing of the contractions was inconsistent so I tried to go back to sleep. I…
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Door to the World
My body had already been shaking for a while by the time I noticed it. This is normal, I thought, you’re not panicking. It’s the epidural. It’s fine. But it wasn’t fine. As I was wheeled from the delivery room to the OR, I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to move from the…
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Resist the Urge to Retreat Into Yourself
My partner and I struggled with infertility for three years before getting pregnant and it was an extremely difficult time on both our mental and physical health. I felt betrayed by my body. Instead of this experience bringing me closer to other women, I felt isolated. When I did finally have my son, I felt…
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I Am So Much Stronger Than I Thought
We struggled with infertility and pregnancy loss when trying to grow our family before our first child was born. I experienced so much pain, guilt, shame, grief and fear which occupied the space for joy and excitement while expecting and adapting to life as a parent. When our son was born, things were great for…
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A Nightmare For Me
My whole pregnancy was a nightmare for me, all because of doctors’ neglect. First I would like to tell you this all happened 45 years ago, 1977. I was only 17 years old when I got pregnant. I missed two periods, so I went to the doctor and told him I thought I might be…
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Connected Through the Journey
My journey to motherhood was fairly simple—we decided we were ready, and I soon after got pregnant. We were absolutely over the moon and I felt absolutely ready to take on parenting. Giving birth was slightly more dramatic as my daughter was born via C-section after 27 hours of labouring. However, I recovered well and…
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Two Kids and a White Picket Fence
In the mid 1980s my then husband and I were on our way to our dream: two kids and a white picket fence! We were sad when a pregnancy did not come right away. In late 1984 I got my period again and then continued to bleed for a few weeks. After consultations I was…
Connecting Threads 