Sky Allen McSpadden proudly served in the United States Navy for nine years, based in Jacksonville, Florida. For five of those years, he was stationed aboard the USS Halyburton, a period of service that took him across the world — to places like Greece, Spain, … Continue readingMom honors Navy son’s service
“Alicia was my fourth child, my littlest one. She was like a little porcelain doll. We pretty much centered ourselves around her. She was my kids’ pride and joy. She wanted anything, she got it. She was going to turn 2 last July. Then in … Continue readingBlessing box: ‘Her story doesn’t end here’
“When I was young, I wanted to be an OBGYN. I wanted to be there when babies were born. There used to be a show on Lifetime called ‘Birth Day.’ I watched it with my mom, on repeat. I learned all the terms they used … Continue readingPostpartum doula is there for new moms
“I’m an introvert. I like my alone space. But you don’t have alone space anymore when you’re a mom. With two kids, that’s something I had to navigate. Especially with my first child. Two months after he was born, I developed postpartum depression. I got … Continue readingNew moms need to take care of themselves first
“I remember everything. I was 7 years old when she started being nauseous and feeling weak. I would walk her to the restroom and back to the living room. At first, she thought she was pregnant. But it was cancer. And it spread. It attacked … Continue readingShe continues her mother’s life lessons
“2020, and with it COVID-19, caused severe strife and strain in many people’s lives. From the loss of a loved one or a job, to financial issues, it was definitely a tough year. For some of us, though, 2020 didn’t create any problems that weren’t … Continue reading‘I finally started taking care of myself again’
“When the initial shutdown began in mid-March, I was seven months pregnant, and my sister was due to deliver her first baby any day. It was a time full of excitement, of course, but also a lot of uncertainty — the uncertainty of what was … Continue readingFirst-time mom performs balancing act in pandemic
“When my husband and I walked into labor and delivery, I knew our lives were about to change forever. But I had no idea the world would be shut down when we left the hospital with our girl. “Sloane Pepper was born on March 16 … Continue readingShe’s raising her first baby during pandemic
“My mother works for the county. She’s been at Stallworth Stadium several weeks now, where they’re testing people for coronavirus. They’re open every day, and she only gets one day off. So it’s been physically and emotionally exhausting for her. “They’re testing about 250 a … Continue readingHer mom on coronavirus testing front lines
“When I heard about the coronavirus, the first thing I did was pray, ‘Please don’t close the schools. Please don’t close the schools.’ My boys are particularly rambunctious, and they don’t always get along perfectly with each other. So when the kids usually go to … Continue readingIt’s no summer vacation for busy mom