Laura

Mother to Angel

Born into Summerland on March 4th, 2011

San Antonio, Texas

My fiancé and had been living together for three months and hadn't even told our parents about our engagement yet when my period was late. Not late. Absent. I was on birth control, so I thought it was no big deal, that I was just overreacting. Finally, after a week of waiting for at least some spotting and none showing, I broke down and bought a pregnancy test. I got a three pack of electronic tests - the ones that clearly state "pregnant" or "not pregnant" after peeing on them. The first one I did in a McDonald's bathroom. I was so nervous that I peed on it too much (I didn't even know it was possible) and it came out with an error. The second one, I did in an Arby's bathroom the next day. It said “pregnant” but I didn’t believe it so I used the last one and the results matched. At 20 years old, I was pregnant with an unplanned child.

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Ashley

Mom to Rory Mae, July 27, 2010

Seattle, WA
 

My husband and I had known we'd wanted kids, many kids if we could have them. Almost three months to the day before our wedding, I discovered I was pregnant. Shock turned to fear which quickly turned to joy and excitement, anticipation, thrill. As time passed we planned, budgeted, announced to a handful of friends and family that I was expecting. We'd planned a natural birth and I was being watched over by a midwife, independent from a hospital. I didn't have many pregnancy symptoms and I was thankful for it.

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Jennifer

Mom to a baby boy miscarried at 9 weeks in October 2009

and Bethany Sara born sleeping August 8th, 2010

Minneapolis, MN

I miscarried my first baby in October 2009 at 9 weeks. The baby had stopped growing at 7 weeks, but I didn't start having miscarriage symptoms until 9 weeks. I had to have a D & C procedure to have the baby removed. It turned out to be a baby boy who had a chromosomal abnormality called Trisomy 15.

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Heather

Mommy to Madelyn Rebecca

Lived for 1.5 hours on August 28th, 2009

St. Louis, MO

Our family’s story began on May 8, 2004, the day Nathan and I promised to love and cherish each other for the rest of our lives.  As I made my vows to him, I hadn’t the faintest idea how our lives would change just over five years later through the birth of our daughter, Madelyn.  In fact, neither of us envisioned ourselves as the “having babies” type.  Our plan was to work hard, retire early, and enjoy the extra money we wouldn’t be spending on things like daycare, diapers, and college funds.

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Susan
Mother to Gracie
Stillborn on August 1st, 2009
Montgomery, PA

My husband and I got married in July of 2008. We had been together for 14 years already, so we knew that we wanted to more or less start our family right away. We got pregnant at the end of November 2008, which thrilled us both. I went into pregnancy with a pre-existing diagnosis of chronic hypertension. It had been well controlled by medication for several years, and I had gone through the process of switching over to something pregnancy safe before the wedding. It’s funny the reactions that that pre-existing condition elicits from health care providers, though. From day one of my pregnancy, everyone expected that I would be pre-eclamptic by the end of the pregnancy…that expectation was always there.

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