Several years ago, Lisa Robertson created a Facebook support group to discuss the ups and downs of parenthood. It’s a sanctuary where people from all over the world make pregnancy announcements, trade ...

Stephanie Ortiz is a Reborn artist and collector in California. Here she is (at left) with a doll she made for her collection, Jayson. Jayson (at right) has a "twin," Jenna. Courtesy of Stephanie ...

Kiersten is a mother not to human children but to dolls—specifically “reborn” dolls, a specialized class of hyperrealistic faux babies that inspire spooked curiosity in casual observers and fanatical ...

A 26-year-old woman who “just never stopped playing with dolls” now has a reborn hyper-realistic doll collection, often “dressing them up” and thinks her “fun and therapeutic hobby” is something more ...

It’s a sanctuary where people from all over the world make pregnancy announcements, trade advice on infant feeding and share ultrasound photos. Some meet for in-person playdates and mail each other ...