The sun was shredding us, both me and the stupid snow cone. By Mary Adkins
fertility
It occurred to me that I would have to live with this lifeless body—my baby—inside me for the next four days. By Sarah Gundle
I stumbled over the “they.” It felt clunky in my mouth. By Melissa Brand
They call it a “Vanishing Twin.” Two fertilized eggs eventually diminish to one. By Shannon Frost Greenstein
“I’m scared!” she refuses to go upstairs alone. “Sit next to me,” she pleads from the couch. “Closer,” then clings to my arm. By Jennifer Alessi
According to specialists, a 12-week delay won’t make the difference between someone having a baby or not. By Mimi Sager Yoskowitz
Every fertility journey is different. You never really know what somebody else is going through. By Amy Klein
No matter how many times I failed, there wasn’t a month that went by that Hope didn’t convince me I was pregnant. By Amy Gallo Ryan
After bursting into tears, you text your brother-in-law: “Sorry, this is awkward, but make sure she doesn’t use a tampon for the bleeding.” By Lorren Lemmons
Hearing “nonviable” is heartbreaking. Having to ignore that in front of 32 smiling second graders is even harder. By Caitlin Cherry
They are part of my life’s topography. Tiny specks on my map of choices, loves and losses, hurts and heartbreak. By Jordan Namerow
I wonder now why it came as such a shock to me that friends would get married, that wild nights out would become sleepless ones at home with a baby. By Claire Lynch
My daughter collapses after an endless tantrum and says, I wish I wasn’t adopted. By Tanya Friedman
This year is different. Maybe it’s because I’ve had the miscarriages. Maybe it’s because we both recently turned 42. By Angela Kidd
Next to Orion’s Belt are two dimmer stars. These are the babies I lost, one before each of my sons. By Julia Pelly
Our daughter asked good questions—what about the other baby? Were we sad? Why did it happen? By Cynthia Nuara
If my belly was round and full of baby, would I hate my body less? This body that betrayed me. By Brittany Wren
Nobody will send flowers. You don’t even have a face to conjure when you think of this child. By Maggie Downs
So why is it you want a baby, my therapist asks. Love, I answer.
By Bethany Marcel
Sorry, can’t make it to the sorority reunion. My thermometer says I’m ovulating!
By Amy Klein
All the years of doing and hoping, praying and sculpting—you wait to see if it worked.
By Lisa Romeo
What shocked me most about online dating was the absolute scorn for women who wanted, or already had, children.
By Dena Landon
My unborn kid had a 1 in 214 chance of having Down syndrome. Those seemed like pretty good odds.
By Amy Silverman
I was ashamed of my pregnancy losses. I felt I had been kicked out of some elite club of women with impeccably functioning wombs.
By Stephanie Sprenger