My first article for the local newspaper ran this past week, and, though the pay was low ($228 for 1,300 words), the value of reaching nearly 50,000 readers in our area is priceless. I'm proud of this work.

I wonder who took the time to read my story? I wonder if a newly-pregnant or newly-postpartum mother read it and decided to advocate for herself and her needs? I wonder if the information spurs new initiatives or, at the very least, lively conversation about how our society fails in caring for mothers, the humans who do the most difficult job of carrying, birthing, and raising the next generation of thinkers and doers?