Tysha was basically born wanting to have a family of her own, with as many children as she could handle. But she got a late start, and it seemed as though she might never reach the destination she'd had in her heart when she started.

#33: 17 Years

Feb 6th, 2023 46m 11s

For 17 years Jamie had hoped to have a baby but only experienced loss after loss after loss. Meanwhile, her cousin Bonnie was watching and waiting—knowing and hoping that she could offer a solution that would bring healing to both of them.

#32: "It Was the First Time I Took Charge of the Decision" (part 3 of 3)

Aug 1st, 2022 35m 45s

After a bit of difficulty trying to get pregnant with their third baby together, Kristin and David decided to pursue IVF. It was an experience that would stretch them and help Kristin find her own boundaries around her body.

#31: Surprises, Good and Sad (part 2 of 3)

Jul 25th, 2022 21m 33s

David and Kristin got married in 2008 and after taking some time to adjust and blend their lives with their 3 children, they decided it was time to try to have a baby together. Before too long, they were parents of two daughters. And then . . .

#30: "You Already Know Who It Is"

Jul 18th, 2022 33m 51s

When David was 30, he was a kindergarten teacher in a rough part of LA. He decided that, despite being a single man, there must be something he could do to relieve the suffering of a child in foster care and chose to pursue adoption for a child

#29: The Surrogate

Dec 14th, 2020 33m 55s

Amanda was at a crossroads in her life—a tricky transitional place between bearing children and moving beyond that—when a friend asked for some help finding someone who might be willing to be a surrogate for her. Amanda took some time to think

#28: A Physician and A Mother

Oct 1st, 2020 50m 57s

Rebecca decided to pursue a career in medicine about the same time that she had her first baby. And it has always been an open question whether she could have both the family she dreamed of and the career she felt called to. Recently that quest

#27: Everything Changes

Apr 4th, 2020 39m 17s

Four and a half years ago, Jill stood on the sidewalk and watched as another family drove away with the little boy she had given birth to days before. While pregnant, she had been unemployed, depressed, and certain she could not care for a chil

#26: A Lot of Things Can Happen

Jun 3rd, 2019 48m 40s

Robin’s first pregnancy was one of the happiest times of her life—and something she had been looking forward to since childhood. But when she was 41 weeks and 6 days pregnant, she found out that a lot of things can happen when babies are born.

Mini Episode #3: Between Worlds, Still

Apr 1st, 2019 12m 20s

Valerie and I often talk about how, no matter when we talk to someone, we are always in the middle of their story. We continue to change and evolve and process and grow. Our priorities change, our circumstances change, our lives change. We adju

#25: Are We Done Yet?

Feb 27th, 2019 48m 44s

Andrea Weaver’s familyWe all know that in family planning there is no “one size fits all,” there is no, “take this quiz and find out how many kids you should have!” There is not necessarily a magic number or a magic feeling. We knew that for m

#24: A Hand to Hold

Nov 26th, 2018 46m 42s

Eighteen years ago, when Kelli was 24 weeks pregnant, she left work wondering if she had pushed herself too hard. She was feeling sick—something was wrong. By the end of the evening she would be rushed to the hospital and her baby would be deli

#23: “You Just Live Life As Best You Can”

Jul 17th, 2018 57m 55s

When Kristy went into labor at 33 weeks gestation and had her baby via emergency c-section, it seemed like a series of small miracles took place. She and the baby would have the healthiest outcome in a scary, unpredictable situation. End of st

#22: Helen (part 2 of 2)

May 2nd, 2018 27m 56s

It wasn’t too long after her mother died that Meg began to feel . . . tired. Maybe a little under the weather. Possibly depressed. But it was winter—cold and gray. She was grieving. And her life was hectic with house renovations. And then a mo

#21: The Greatest Gift My Mother Gave Me (part 1 of 2)

Apr 11th, 2018 31m 33s

The relationship we have with our moms can be fraught and complicated. We must differentiate ourselves from our moms, but no matter what we do or who we become, they are always guides or shadows on our paths. We can never fully disentangle our

#20: Before, After, & Then After

Mar 19th, 2018 59m

Natalie was 19 when she got pregnant. Plans to marry her boyfriend quickly fell through and she was left with a choice to keep the baby or place the baby in a closed adoption. With her parents’ help, she chose adoption. And then she found out i

#19: “I Could Bring Him to His Family”

Oct 19th, 2017 46m 16s

Jill is, and was, a productive, contributing member of society. She has a master’s degree, she’s worked for several companies, and as a teacher she’s seen her students flourish. In 2012, she had friends, a community, a great apartment, and a pr

#18: “We Have Derailed”

Jul 28th, 2017 38m 8s

It’s often the long view of life that is the clearest. We know where we want to go, where we want to end up, but it’s the getting there that is difficult. If we are serious about what we want, we do whatever we can to stay on track.When Grace

#17: The Midwives

Apr 27th, 2017 43m 53s

When you are pregnant and on your way to becoming a mother there can be so many worries and wonders you have about what is going to happen to you—what is happening to you—and your family. Some of those worries are physical, but they can be ment

Mini Episode #2: Imperfectly Perfect

Mar 28th, 2017 10m 28s

In this week’s mini episode JoAnna reads her essay about her baby Levi, who, after being diagnosed with trisomy-13 at 18 weeks, beat the odds and was born alive at 35 weeks gestation. Levi may have lead a tiny and quiet life, but his existence

#16: “This is What I Am Meant To Do”

Mar 6th, 2017 34m 21s

Bente kept a journal when she was growing up in which she wrote that she would have 12 kids: 2 boys, then 2 girls, then 2 boys, and on and on. A couple of decades later we meet up with her and find that things went surprisingly well for her.N

#15: Who Am I Without This?

Feb 6th, 2017 43m 29s

“At some point, every woman needs to make peace with her uterus.”So says Liz Ostler, who has known since she was a child that she would be a mother. It was the fact she based many of her life decisions around, the hope that caused her to hold

#14: “In The End, Wasn’t It Worth It?”

Nov 9th, 2016 36m 45s

Before Nicole even had a chance to take a pregnancy test, her body was reacting strongly to the baby that had just begun to develop. She had a severe case of pregnancy sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum—which is definitely NOT morning sick

Mini Episode #1: Love the One You’re With

Sep 30th, 2016 9m 32s

Today’s episode is an essay written and read by Lizzie Heiselt. It takes on the “all that matters is that you have a healthy baby” idea. For anyone who’s been told this, you know there’s not really a response to that. On some level, it’s true.

Bonus: A Beautiful Heart

Aug 31st, 2016 8m 12s

In the days after Gina gave birth to her stillborn son, James, she wrote a record of the event on her blog. It was a beginning of her mourning and rebuilding process and captures both the grief she was feeling at the time and the hope that she