A mother of five tells how it happened, and how her heart and her life have continued to expand to meet the demands and joys of her family life. By Janine Salas-Mason.

Can alcoholism, mental imbalance, and a restraining order ever be funny? Daniel D’Andrea gives us this absurdist fable of one man’s separation from his family, and you will surely laugh when you read it.

Readers’ Award Winner!!!! Sharon Lee Fernberg tells a story of bringing new life to her life — well new lives really.

This dad’s clever, chilling take on the obsessiveness of parenthood provides an entertaining perspective from Scott Dunlop.

How fast they grow! Misty Noble-Hodge tells the story of her son’s birth via induced labor, with a touching reflection on how quickly the time has passed since then.

Unexpectedly, Janine Dunlop goes into labor at 33 weeks. She recounts the fear, the frustration, and the strength of her family as she nervously awaits the birth of her daughter.

Think it’s a man’s world? Maybe not for Christopher “G” Garlington, who provides a lively and pun-filled essay about coming to terms with one [a visit from her friend] aspect of his daughter’s teen years.

A headstrong career girl, ready to become a mother and turn the child over to “Mr. Mom,” has a lovely and profound delivery-room revelation. By Bitsy Parker.

itchingtowrite shares her own Bollywood-tinged story, of the first prenatal visit to the doctor.

When do you know you want to become a parent, or perhaps that you never do? For one woman in her thirties, seeking the answers over the last half of her life has provided an answer, of sorts. By Dawn Allcot.

Editor’s Award Winner!!! A wry sense of humor and an unexpected newspaper ad give Tess some perspective as she ponders life after a family tragedy. By Ann Wertz Garvin.

Mother-of-two Rasana Atreya provides a glimpse into the fun filled world of birthing babies.

A view from the stirrups as one woman contemplates the repercussions of a date gone terribly wrong, as told by author Ann Wertz Garvin.

Terri Rimmer talks about “open adoption” from the birth-mother’s perspective ­­­­­­­­– with heart.

Keeping her deft sense of humor intact, Sue Donckels explores the many angles of fertility treatments, and manages to persuade those “little cloaked prudes with wings,” aka her eggs, to greet the sperm open-armed at last.