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With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we’re taking time to honor the incredible strength, resilience, and love that mothers bring to their families every day. We spoke with moms from across the country who generously shared their stories — welcoming new babies, navigating recovery, and embracing those unforgettable early days of parenthood.
Debuting a New Addition to the Family
Welcoming a new child is one of life’s most profound experiences. Whether through birth or adoption, those first days and weeks are filled with moments that provide the first glimpses of a lifelong bond beginning to form.
There is a lot of learning and growing in those first weeks, even for parents who have older children. Megan and her husband are raising three children, a preteen and two preschoolers. Of those early days after each of her children was born, she said, “It’s all a blur. We just had to figure it out, because every kid is different.”
As Megan thought about her youngest child’s birth, she laughed at the idea that two older children had prepared her and her husband for a third. “Unlike my first two children, my youngest was a ‘velcro’ baby, who wanted to be held constantly. She only slept when someone held her,” she explained. “Eventually, I noticed she liked motion. She would sleep if she was in a swing. It was a relief when we figured out what she needed, and that’s a win for a parent when you’re getting to know your new baby.”
Jesibeth, a New York mom with three children of her own, also highlighted how those small moments of triumph are precious to mothers. “Watching them change every day — like they say, kids grow like string beans. It is absolutely true. They do, especially when they’re that small,” Jesibeth said, reflecting on the early days she spent bonding with her children. “As a single mother, I appreciated [taking that time to bond] because it allowed me to have a deeper connection with my children and also created an opportunity for me to create that healthy balance for when I did return to work.”
After the birth of her first child, Amaris appreciated the small moments of bonding as a growing family. “There are good memories,” she said. “We would have our little routine where we’d watch The U, [a local Chicago TV channel], and then put the baby down at about nine. Then, all three of us would wake up at eleven or midnight. The baby would eat. Then, we’d put him back to bed, and we would go to sleep. Maybe he’d wake up again in the middle of the night, and we’d get up again. But it was nice, being together as a family.”
Being There When It Matters Most
The beginning of motherhood is often filled with joyful, unforgettable moments. But as many moms will admit, these days are rarely perfect. The challenges parents face can be profoundly real, and learning to adapt to the less than ideal moments can shape families forever.
Just weeks after Amaris and her husband welcomed their second child, a daughter, they found themselves back in the emergency room. Their daughter “wasn’t keeping anything down and was incredibly dehydrated.” Amaris said, “[The doctors had] to use an NG tube for our daughter, because they couldn’t get an IV. I couldn’t even nurse her at the time. I would sleep at the hospital to be with her.”
Megan also remembered a time when she took one of her children to the hospital at just a few months old. Eventually, the doctors decided she needed to be transferred to a more specialized hospital nearby. “My baby was in her car seat with an oxygen mask on her little face,” Megan said, as she recalled waiting for the ambulance to arrive and transport them between the two hospitals.
Both Amaris and Megan were able to bring their daughters home after a few days in the hospital. Challenges like what they experienced as they cared for their sick children are common among parents, even if the specific circumstances are different. Parenthood can bring a lot of unique hurdles and stresses, but every mom we talked to also shared how they find ways to overcome these challenges and keep a positive outlook.
Jesibeth reflected on some of the trickier moments she faced when her children were young. “It was challenging putting the baby on the schedule and things of that nature, but I don’t let certain things create negative experiences for me,” she explained. “I always like to find the positive aspect of every challenge that I face. And in that case, it was being a new mother, waking up earlier than normal to set preparations to ensure that my daughter had everything she needed.”
While noting that some days can bring struggle or anxiety, Megan reflected on how far her family and her children have come over the years. “What's been really interesting about my experience is having a child who just turned 13, who was eight when [my first daughter] was born. I was seeing one child as a baby and then reflecting back on how my oldest was at that age, seeing how he's growing, what kind of kid he is, and what kind of person I hope he's going to be.”
ShelterPoint Is There for Parents
ShelterPoint is about helping families during the moments that matter. That’s why we’re so dedicated to offering benefits like Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), which can support families through some of life’s major highs and lows.
Every year, many states consider adopting PFML programs to give more mothers the support they need to care for their families, such as providing bonding leave to welcome a new child or parental leave so parents can be there when it matter most. As of 2025, over a dozen states have passed laws to mandate Paid Family and Medical Leave programs, and many other states have implemented voluntary paid leave programs or programs that provide paid leave for government employees.
At ShelterPoint, PFML is what we do. As more states pass legislation and existing programs get refined to address new challenges, you can stay informed about PFML by signing up for updates or exploring our PFML resources.
The ShelterPoint family of companies operates under the “ShelterPoint” name strictly as a marketing name, and no legal significance is expressed or implied. The ShelterPoint family of companies consists of ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company a NY-domiciled carrier (principal office in Garden City, NY) and its wholly-owned subsidiary ShelterPoint Insurance Company, a FL-domiciled carrier, with licensing depending on the state.
This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice.