MomsRising: Created By Moms, For Moms

I love MomsRising because it’s a group created by moms, for moms. Staffers on hand with snacks, wet wipes and Tide sticks, because spills always happen on the way into a big meeting. Babies cry during critical presentations, and that’s the point. Because a mom doing her job without child care is a worker deprived of the essentials to contribute her full potential. Emergency stuffed animals and stickers peek out of organizers’ bags, and the founders jump in to hold your baby so you can drink your coffee hot. It offers moms the rare chance to show up and speak for ourselves in a world of men who dictate what motherhood should look and feel like.

The women who lead MomsRising—who founded it, who organize the events, and who come with us to meetings with lawmakers—embrace the messy parts of motherhood. “Bring us your tired, your cranky, your smelly babies yearning to be changed” seems to be the motto of every training day. (There are no changing tables in the Capitol, so when you’re there with your baby for a political action, just find a spot of polished marble that works for you…)  

I love MomsRising because it’s a group created by moms, for moms.

I went to my first event a few weeks postpartum, shell shocked by how many of my old hobbies were now closed to me. Amid the family friendly activities, logistical support, and knowing eyes, I felt valuable in a community of strangers for the first time since becoming a mother. And to know that my participation was constructive—that by becoming a mom and showing up to their event I was supporting families around the country to be happier and healthier and safer… What a joy I never could have anticipated. What a contrast to life outside—a glimpse of how good things could be if we built a society that actually cared. 

Bringing the Reality of Families to Capitol Hill

At a time that often feels so hopeless and lonely, there’s nothing quite like bringing a teething toddler to the halls of power without that “brace for impact” feeling we all get when we’re afraid our baby will fuss in public. The goal is to remind lawmakers that corporate lobbyists aren’t the only ones who should feel at home in their offices. Honestly, there’s a satisfaction in noticing that they seem a little afraid of us too. Furrowing their brows and offering thoughts and prayers doesn’t fool moms. Prayer is a powerful thing; but it is not a substitute for action. Imagine us trying to pull that stunt instead of making doctors’ appointments, or changing a diaper. “Mom, I’m hungry and our fridge is empty again!” “You’re in my thoughts and prayers honey, I decided not to go to the store.” We don’t elect our lawmakers to intercede with the Almighty. We elect them to do the work. We call them leaders because it is their job to find a way out. In the most powerful country in the world—the wealthiest in the history of human civilization—those holding public office should stand to find more than excuses for a job that isn’t getting done. If American families are suffering, it is not because moms aren’t working hard enough.  

 

 

 

 

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Changing the Conversation About Motherhood

I’ve lived in four states and the District of Columbia and I can say one thing across the board: moms in this country work like hell. There isn’t an hour in their day they’re not working for their boss, for their family, for their sick friend who lives alone. Latina moms and white moms, doctors and house cleaners. The sense of personal responsibility hanging over our heads at every moment of the day would make our president faint.

So how did we become home base for all our country’s problems? The manipulative “welfare queen” stereotype, or the woman who should have thought twice before bringing another baby into this world?

I’d bet that it’s because moms are too busy working our tails off to waste time on the finger pointing and politics. We see a problem, we fix it. We don’t blame someone else.  

It’s time we shifted our attention toward the problems beyond our individual control: why is it more dangerous and more expensive to have a baby in the United States than in any other developed country? [1] Why does our child care cost more? [2] Why are our kids more sick? [3] Why is formula so expensive? And speaking of formula, why do 60% of American women stop breastfeeding before they want to? [4] (Since lawmakers love to call formula a frivolous expense and to remind us we could breastfeed instead.)  

The cost of living crisis in this country is not a mom-made problem. It’s not about moms needing to work harder, or to stay home when they’re already struggling to make ends meet on two incomes.  It’s fueled by lawmakers and corporations distracting and confusing the facts enough that we forget to look beyond our immediate surroundings. When every other developed country addresses their birth rate with common sense policies to keep moms and kids safe, healthy and fed, who but our lawmakers are responsible for our country’s shortcomings, saying that moms are asking too much of our government when we have enough to spend nearly a trillion dollars a year on our military—as much as the next six countries combined—and not a penny on pre-k. (Not that our military families receive red carpet treatment either. Ask anyone on active duty, their family isn’t seeing the slush fund.) 

If I have one word of advice for our country’s leaders, it’s this: if you need a role model for how to get a job done, look to moms. If you want to understand what’s not working in this country, ask a mom. And if you need a reminder of what real work looks like, watch a mom.

I don’t expect the world from our representatives in government. But I do expect them to work as hard as any American mother. And if they can’t find it in themselves to mirror that work ethic to get this country back on the right foot, maybe they should step aside and let moms take the helm. Trust us, we’ve never seen a mess we couldn’t clean up.

[1] “U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis Comparison | Commonwealth Fund,” June 4, 2024, https://doi.org/10.26099/cthn-st75.

[2] OECD (n.d.) Net childcare costs. OECD Data Explorer. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicators/net-childcare-costs.html (Accessed: 20 July 2026)

[3] Forrest, C.B., Riley, A.W., et al. (2025) The State of US Children’s Health: An International Comparison. JAMA. Chicago, IL: American Medical Association. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.10317.

[4] Odom, E.C., Li, R., Scanlon, K.S., Perrine, C.G. and Grummer-Strawn, L. (2013) ‘Reasons for earlier than desired cessation of breastfeeding’, Pediatrics, 131(3), pp. e726–e732. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-1295.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does MomsRising help empower advocacy work Nathalie does with her family?

MomsRising, which is created by moms and for moms, leads in organizing events where the reality of motherhood is integrated in every aspect, from making sure babies and young kids are seen in the halls of Capitol Hill to prepping for changing for dirty diapers and snack needs.

Why is it important for families and young children to be represented in-person on Capitol Hill?

Many elected leaders are not used to seeing babies and families in the halls of Capitol Hill, and it is important to bring the experiences of what families face directly to their offices.

How should we begin to address the problems real moms and families face day-to-day?

Moms work so hard in many ways, from family to work to personal life, and it is critical to step away from individual problems and connect the issues families face to system issues of the high cost and barriers in place in raising a family.