Other Mothers' Day - Local Care Midwifery

This post was originally published on May 2013, updated on May 6, 2016 , and again on May 10, 2019.

Mother’s Day Weekend is here again.

On Sunday, flowers will be delivered, cards handed out, brunches served, dinner reservations made, all in honor of mothers.

My own mothers (both biological and ‘step’) live many states away. While I will not be seeing either in person, we will share a phone call, virtual hugs (and yes, shhh, don’t tell, flowers have been ordered).

On Sunday, through this website, clients and friends of LCM will be virtually gifted with a slide show of flowers.

My family will likely have a nice meal with me, maybe give me some gifts. Undoubtedly, they will encourage me to take the day off and put my feet up (and my phone down).

I love mothers. I love mothering. I love honoring mothers. I even love (albeit self-consciously) being honored.
I love Mother’s day. Yet, I cannot help thinking about the other mothers….

Today, the Friday before Mother’s Day, I proclaim to be Other Mothers’ Day.

Other Mothers are the women that are not honored on Mother’s Day, but to whom being a mother is so very important.

They are:

Women whose babies were born still, either prematurely or full term.

Women choosing to not get pregnant now because they know they are not yet ready.

Women that have had babies that were born too early or too sick to survive.

Women that want desperately to conceive, gestate and birth a child but cannot.

Women that have no partner and choose to not raise children as a single parent.

Women that join religious orders, birth no children of their own, yet act as mother to us all.

Women whose children have been taken from them by illness, injury, or violence.

Women whose children have been taken from them by family members, a former spouse, or by the State.

Women that gave birth to a child and then bravely gave that child to another to raise.

All of these women are mothers. They are our Other Mothers. They are the women whose babies won’t grow up to make cards, macaroni necklaces, or pick grubby dandelion bouquets. They are the women that keep the sacred dream of motherhood alive. These are the women I honor today.

Are you an Other Mother? Here is a present just for you. A flower and a cradled raindrop.
Thank you for your love, your hope and your dreams. Thank you for being the good mother that you are.