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1 month ago | 
whattoexpect.com | Mariah Maddox |Caroline Picard
At a New York City bar on a cold winter night, guests shuffle in and receive tiny glass bottles full of silver glitter. It's "baby dust," explains Matt Tolbert , a symbol of well-wishes and hope for the surrogacy journey he and his husband, Joshua Gonzales, are embarking on to become parents. "Anytime they see [the bottle, our guests will] think about our children and our surrogates and send up a little prayer," Matt says.
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2 months ago | 
whattoexpect.com | Brad Edwards |Mariah Maddox |Caroline Picard |Tika Fender
Content warning: The following is a personal story that contains experience with miscarriage, stillbirth and infant loss. By Brad Edwards, as told to Mariah MaddoxFor What to Expect's "Dadvocates" series, parents who have gone to great lengths to help others share their inspirational stories. It was maybe two days before Christmas in 2017 when my partner started contracting with our twin babies. We went straight to the hospital, excited to become first-time parents.
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Jan 5, 2025 | 
yahoo.com | Mariah Maddox
Winter can feel endless when you’re stuck indoors with little ones. The short days, gray skies, and lack of fresh air can leave moms feeling drained, isolated, and overwhelmed. If you’re wondering how to beat the winter blues, you’re not alone—many moms struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as colder months disrupt routines and limit outdoor activities.
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Nov 25, 2024 | 
au.lifestyle.yahoo.com | Mariah Maddox
Mariah Maddox25 November 2024 at 10:48 am·5-min read‘Tis the season of all the merry things—the holidays, traveling and quality time with your loved ones. But ’tis also the season of all the scary things—like higher rates of viruses, and namely, cold, flu and RSV season.
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Oct 6, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Mariah Maddox
Kristen Curette & Daemaine Hines /StocksyI was the first of my friends to have a baby—and that period of my life was filled with an excruciating loneliness and various hardships that I felt none of my childfree friends could understand. In no way am I blaming them. In hindsight, I realize that I, too, was once without kids and couldn’t possibly understand how the journey into motherhood completely uproots you and changes everything.
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Sep 21, 2024 | 
ca.style.yahoo.com | Mariah Maddox
Halfpoint/ShutterstockBeing a boy mom is, well… an adventure to say the least. From wondering how many times is one too many for your son to bump his head in a day to getting an empty tin popcorn bucket slammed onto your head—raising boys is exhausting and fun and extremely unpredictable. Related: To the people who assume raising boys is wild and messy—it is, and it’s perfect I’m proud to say that I’m team #boymom, but honestly, I had no idea what I was in for.
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Sep 20, 2024 | 
ca.style.yahoo.com | Mariah Maddox
Ground Picture/ShutterstockI’ve seen it often—the glowing pregnant mama with everyone obsessing over her. Complete strangers opening doors for her. The perfect maternity photos that rack up hundreds of likes on Instagram and Facebook. The comments that harp on how much she’s glowing and everyone exclaiming that they can’t wait to meet the baby. I’ve seen all these things take place in every pregnancy that I’ve witnessed—and in my own pregnancy experience.
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Aug 30, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Mariah Maddox
Mariah MaddoxAugust 30, 2024 at 6:46 PM·5 min readSleepovers. One of the most controversial topics in the parenting realm lately. While the great debate has many questioning if sleepovers are safe or harmful, it seems like more parents are opting for the no sleepover rule. But when did sleepovers, previously considered a childhood rite of passage, become so problematic?
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Aug 24, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Mariah Maddox
Mariah MaddoxAugust 24, 2024 at 8:00 AM·3 min readYou ask a room full of parents who would consider themselves to be the default parent and—you guessed it—most moms would raise their hands. The default parent, a term that most of us are probably already familiar with, is the one who takes on pretty much everything. From scheduling appointments to taxiing your kids to and from practice—the default parent’s work is never done.
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Aug 23, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Mariah Maddox
Mariah MaddoxAugust 24, 2024 at 7:00 AM·3 min readAs mothers, I am sure that we are all struggling with mom guilt. Most likely, we face this infamous, lingering beast each and every single day. No matter how much we do, we feel as though it’s never enough. We don’t give ourselves enough credit and often question if we’re “good enough” mamas.
