April is Sisters in Loss Infertility Awareness Month!  All month long we will be highlighting infertility stories and journey’s.   Black Maternal Health week was April 11-17 and Infertility Awareness Week is April 18-24.  This week we are talking about reproductive health. Did you know that some midwives specialize in high risk births and pregnancy after loss or infertility?  Today’s guest is a Certified Nurse Midwife and founder of Sakina Health who partners with birthing families to...

Black birth stories have joy and they also do have trauma.  In today's episode we dive into the creator of the Black Birth Story blog Shayla Brown's own birth story and journey to becoming a mom.  Shayla has been pregnant over 10 times with a few miscarriages and one heterotopic pregnancy that resulted in her losing a fraternal twin ectopically and being currently pregnant with the other twin.  She shares her journey through grieving while mothering and removing negative emotions, recognizing...

Parenting after loss is a journey. It's important to make space for conflicting emotions. Don't put pressure on yourself to feel that having another baby will resolve or put an end to the pain of a previous loss. It's okay to feel happiness and sadness at the same time. Life may be moving on, but this doesn't mean you have to let go of a previous loss. In today's episode Helena Morais shares her stillbirth story and pregnancy after loss journey and inspiration for Malia's present.  She lost...

Parenting after loss is a journey. It's important to make space for conflicting emotions. Don't put pressure on yourself to feel that having another baby will resolve or put an end to the pain of a previous loss. It's okay to feel happiness and sadness at the same time. Life may be moving on, but this doesn't mean you have to let go of a previous loss. In today's episode we have Nkemka Egbudo back to share her journey of parenting after loss being a mom to a 1 year old.  We talk about what...

Below are some coping tips that worked for me on how to Handle the Anxiety, Fear and Stress that comes with Pregnancy After Loss. Focus on one day at a time. Easier said than done, right?  But I always keep my favorite verse with me that  "All things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 If God has called you to be a mother especially for you to have another child it will happen, it is his purpose for your life.  I learned to take my...

Congratulations!  You are now pregnant and are ready to embark on another journey of bringing forth life.  It can be a very difficult journey of pregnancy if you are not ready to face fear, anxiety, and any other preconceived feelings of pregnancy after loss. Most women who become pregnant after experiencing miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death find themselves hit by a flood of different emotions when they first discover that they’re pregnant again.  Below are some different emotions...

Are you ready to try to conceive?  Today's episode is a solo episode by Founder Erica Michelle on Trying Again and Making the Decision to try to conceive. Making the decision to try again is not an easy one.  This decision may trigger many different emotions and bring on anxiety, fear, guilt, inadequacy, hopelessness, and a sense of failure.  In this series I plan to equip you with the questions to ask yourself and your partner to prepare your mind, body, and inner self for another...

2024 is here and we are kicking off the year with a solo episode.  Our founder, Erica Michelle, shares about easing into 2024, goals for Sisters in Loss in 2024, and surviving and thriving in 2024. Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here Living Water Doula Services Book Recommendations and Links Below You can shop my Amazon Store for the Book Recommendations You can follow Sisters in Loss on Social Join our Healing Collective Online Support Group Join the...

Pregnancy loss and infertility can be so hard on a marriage. It can either tear the couple apart or bring them closer together. In fact it is said that almost 80% of couples who experience a miscarriage or infertility end up in divorce. In this month of love we will be featuring 4 couples showing by prayer, faith in God, and a strong commitment to stay together their marriages endured the hard times of pregnancy loss and infertility. This is the last couple in our series The Martin’s. They...

Pregnancy loss and infertility can be so hard on a marriage. It can either tear the couple apart or bring them closer together. In fact it is said that almost 80% of couples who experience a miscarriage or infertility end up in divorce. In this month of love we will be featuring 4 couples showing by prayer, faith in God, and a strong commitment to stay together their marriages endured the hard times of pregnancy loss and infertility. In this episode we have the Pruitt’s who share their...

What is PPROM? Preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM) is a pregnancy complication. In this condition, the sac (amniotic membrane) surrounding your baby breaks (ruptures) before week 37 of pregnancy. Once the sac breaks, you have an increased risk for infection. Today’s guest experienced 4 losses, 9 IUIs, and 5 IVF transfers.  Her most recent loss was due to PPROM and incompetent cervix of her son Gabriel at 19 weeks gestation. Her first loss was due to a left ovarian ectopic...

Can marriage survive the loss of a child?  Losing a child is the hardest thing a couple can go through. In fact 80 percent of marriages end in divorce after the loss of a child.  For the month of December we are sharing the stories of 4 couples and how their marriages not only survived the loss of a child, but continued to thrive.     In today’s episode we have the Garrets.  Sheldon and Xenia met in undergrad at Louisiana State University and began dating a little over 10 years ago.  They...

Can marriage survive the loss of a child?  Losing a child is the hardest thing a couple can go through. In fact 80 percent of marriages end in divorce after the loss of a child.  For the month of December we are sharing the stories of 4 couples and how their marriages not only survived the loss of a child, but continued to thrive.     In today’s episode we have the Warren’s.   Ivori and Kevin Warren have been married for 16 years and are a the mommy and daddy to an Angel  born in heaven on...

  Can marriage survive the loss of a child?  Losing a child is the hardest thing a couple can go through. In fact 80 percent of marriages end in divorce after the loss of a child.  For the month of December we are sharing the stories of 4 couples and how their marriages not only survived the loss of a child, but continued to thrive.     In today’s episode we have the Thompsons.  Valencya and Jerrell Thompson are the founders of the #fertilityhope ministry.  Valencya Thompson holds Master...

Can marriage survive the loss of a child?  Losing a child is the hardest thing a couple can go through. In fact 80 percent of marriages end in divorce after the loss of a child.  For the month of December we are sharing the stories of 4 couples and how their marriages not only survived the loss of a child, but continued to thrive.     In today’s episode we have the McCall’s.  John and Talysa McCall have been married for 6 years and reside Camp Lejeune, NC.  John is serving our country in...

Today's episode is all about how to remember your child during the Holidays, but also all year long. Alisha Reginal shares her stillbirth journey losing her first son at 36 weeks gestation.  She left the hospital empty handed full of memorabilia but her heart was shattered.  Alisha still doesn't know the medical reason for his death.  She clung to her faith and tried again and shares her journey to conceiving her rainbow baby and delivery. Alisha chose to remember her son Travis Jr. through...

Today’s guest is a mother of 8! Yes, you read that correct she was called to this hood called motherhood. Tacole Robinson endured much heartache and disappointment while seeking to fulfill God’s promises for her to become a mother. She has 2 adopted children, 2 foster child, 2 stepchildren, and 2 biological children through IVF. Her ministry centers her children both foster and adopted medically fragile and healing and deliverance for those in need. She shares her story in detail in episode...

Today's episode is a solo episode where I discuss what has been going on with Sisters in Loss behind the scenes and all about our grief support groups.  In 2022, Sisters in Loss partnered with Postpartum Support International to host a bi-weekly grief support group for Black mothers who have experienced pregnancy loss, infant loss, stillbirth, miscarriage, child loss, and infertiilty. Our group named Black Moms in Loss falls under the support groups that PSI offers at postpartum.net.  This...

You are listening to a special episode of the Sisters in Loss Podcast.  As many of my US listeners know next Tuesday, November 7, 2023 is Election Day and Midterm elections, and we have the power to change and shift the paradigm of maternal and infant mortality in America with our vote.  In today’s episode I sit down with March of Dimes President Stacey D. Stewart to discuss their Blanket Change Campaign launched on October 10, 2017, and why our vote matters in this election, why the maternal...

Today's episode is about deciding not to terminate for medical reasons.  Many parents are faced with this decision once finding out their babies have abnormalities that will not give them the best quality of life.  Today's guest Maria Okehie decided to keep her baby boy after being told he had a stroke in utero and had severe brain damage that he wouldn't make it through labor and delivery.  Maria's son was born via c-section and he passed away less than two weeks after he was born. In this...

Today's guest has been through several losses.  Miscarriage, chemical pregnancy, second trimester loss, and stillbirth.  However, Henrietta 'Retta' Brown didn't really begin her healing or coping with her losses until the pandemic happened.  Retta didn't really have any family or friends to help her through her journey and wished she did.  She did have her rainbow baby girl who is now 7 and is now dealing with all of her feelings from her losses.  Retta heard God say its time to help the...

Today's guest experienced four high risk pregnancies and has two living children. Jamilah Robinson had endured recurrent miscarriages in between birthing her 9 year old son and her rainbow baby who is 3 years old.  After the miscarriages she was told she was infertile.  Jamilah underwent exploratory surgery and went through testing to quality for fertiliy treatments and a IVF research study.  In the midst of the testing and research, she was able to conceive her rainbow baby naturally. In...

We are kicking off Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month with all new episodes.  Todays episode is an update from our episode 153 guest Dadriaunna Hayes. Dadriaunna Hayes lost her son at 24 weeks gestation due to cervical incompetence and experienced birth trauma. She went into pre-term labor and the hospital she was at did not have a NICU or Labor and Delivery center so she had to be transferred. Once transferred she endured a cerclage, 2 epidurals in 48 hours, allergic reaction to the...

Today's guest lost her son Anthony at 23 weeks gestation.  She grieved and wished she had adequate resources to cope with this profound loss.  Nekia Mba then welcomed her rainbow baby girl Victoria during the pandemic in March 2021. She had a redeemed experience throughout her pregnancy and an amazing delivery.  Her and her husband were ready to try again and the unimaginable happend she lost another baby her daughter Genevieve at 18 weeks.   In today's episode, Nekia shares how she is...