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

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

Cocoon
Cocoon
#31: Surprises, Good and Sad (part 2 of 3)
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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 . . . things started to drift.

#29: The Surrogate

Cocoon
Cocoon
#29: The Surrogate
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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 about it and found that she could be that person. Over the course […]

#26: A Lot of Things Can Happen

Cocoon
Cocoon
#26: A Lot of Things Can Happen
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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. In the aftermath of Robin’s pregnancy, she had a lot […]

Mini Episode #3: Between Worlds, Still

Cocoon Episodes
Cocoon Episodes
Mini Episode #3: Between Worlds, Still
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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 adjust, we readjust, we find balance—and then we fall again. And begin again.

Between Worlds, Still

More than 4 years ago I wrote about what it was like trying to rebuild my life after a devastating miscarriage knocked me off my feet. I’ve revisited that idea here to give an update on what feels like a continual rebuilding and readjusting to a new life. You can listen to me read the essay here. […]

#24: A Hand to Hold

Cocoon Episodes
Cocoon Episodes
#24: A Hand to Hold
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November is Prematurity Awareness month, and we have a story from Kelli Kelley, the founder of Hand to Hold on her experience watching her premie babies grow in the NICU.

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

Cocoon Episodes
Cocoon Episodes
#23: "You Just Live Life As Best You Can"
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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 story. But week after week, as Kristy and her family learned more about […]

#22: Helen (part 2 of 2)

Cocoon
Cocoon
#22: Helen (part 2 of 2)
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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 more familiar nausea set in . . . . For […]

#18: “We Have Derailed”

Cocoon Episodes
Cocoon Episodes
#18: "We Have Derailed"
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When Grace was 28, she had just finished breastfeeding her 2nd daughter. Her husband, Dave, was working through his residency as an ophthalmologist. And their life in the Bronx, New York, was busy and mentally and physically taxing. And then she was diagnosed with breast cancer.