About

The internet is teeming with advice for moms and moms-to-be, but when it comes to the unique challenges faced by moms living with chronic illness, the resources are few and far between. Mamas Facing Forward is dedicated to addressing this very important unmet need.

While not meant to replace the advice and guidance of doctors, Mamas Facing Forward endeavors to be a “one stop shop” for moms and moms-to-be who are living with chronic illnesses and have questions or concerns about pregnancy and parenting. We want to make existing resources easier to find, and work towards creating additional resources where they are needed. We want moms with chronic illness to know that they aren’t alone, and that help is available.

Our Mission

To provide resources, encouragement, and community for moms and moms-to-be living with chronic illness.

A note to parents who aren’t moms!

We recognize that not every pregnant individual identifies as female, and that there are plenty of parents living with chronic illness who aren’t moms! Our website and support group were created with the idea of primarily supporting women and moms, because that is the lived experience of our founder (who was wary of biting off more than she could chew!)

While we hope that some of our content can still be useful to those who don’t identify as female or moms, we also recognize that all parents and pregnant individuals deserve resources, encouragement, and communities that reflect their own lived experiences. If you are someone with this type of life experience who would be interested in sharing your story, or if you have suggestions for how we can work to be more inclusive, please reach out to us at info@mamasfacingforward.com!

History of Mamas Facing Forward

Mamas Facing Forward was launched by Mariah Z Leach, a mom of three who has been living with rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 25 and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis since age 5. After learning firsthand the challenges of pregnancy and motherhood with a chronic illness, Mariah became passionate about supporting people with chronic illnesses who are or want to become mothers.

Mamas Facing Forward was originally launched as a Facebook group in 2015. Our community on Facebook continues to grow, connecting thousands of moms and moms-to-be living with chronic illness from all over the world, and offering a platform to ask questions and share experiences. If you’d like to join our Facebook community, please note that you’ll need to answer three screening questions before you can be approved.

This website launched in September 2018, and is intended to advance our community by serving as a database of useful resources for moms and moms-to-be with chronic illnesses. If you’d like to share a resource with us, please email info@mamasfacingforward.com.

Funding

This website was launched in 2018 with help from a $5,000 grant from the inaugural HealtheVoices Impact Fund, a program that supports innovative efforts by health advocates to serve and assist patient communities. In 2023, we received a $1,500 educational grant from PhRMA, an organization working to drive patient-centered progress in innovation, affordability, and access to life saving prescription drugs. Mamas Facing Forward also provides limited, relevant links as an Amazon Associate. All other funding for this project has been provided by Mariah Z Leach.