Lauren Hale – A Different Breed

She sighs, in the penumbra of the small and softly lit lamp, as her baby snuggles closer to her neck, his chubby fists opening and closing. He exhales and relaxes his body with a small rattled whimper. She waits, her eyelids drooping more with every passing second,...

Batman to the Rescue – Joanell Serra

Three days before Christmas, alone in my kitchen, I slammed my dishwasher door so hard I heard the brittle crack of something breaking inside. I thought of opening the dishwasher back up and slamming it shut again and again pouring my frustration out on to every...

Kimberly Zapata – Fahrenheit

This post has an intense and abrupt ending. If you are fragile, you may want to skip this particular post as it may trigger you. It was 97 degrees when I went into labor as I waited on an underground subway platform for an uptown F train to the hospital. I wasn’t...

Robin Neidorf: That July Afternoon

My baby and I were often alone together in the early days and weeks. My husband returned to work after a week, my mother returned home after two. Like many new mothers, I lacked confidence in my mothering skills. Is it easier for women who had younger siblings? For...

Jen Gaskell: Rising From the Ashes

It was Mother’s Day, 2011. My daughters were then 7 months old and three and a half years old. I was at a free yoga class twenty minutes from my home. At the class’ end, I lay in relaxation pose. I felt a peace I hadn’t felt in days, my body and mind relaxing...