Sisters in Loss Podcast: Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, & Infertility Stories

Imagine healing from miscarriages only to be faced with your IVF treatment being postponed due to COVID-19. Today's guest shares her painful journey of experiencing two miscarriages and deciding to undergo fertility treatment. Joanna Pendergrass shares in this episode how she grieved her unborn children. Her failed IVF treatment, her second round of treatment and not being able to undergo embryo t...

Imagine experiencing loss of twins at 7 months and then 5 other miscarriages to have your rainbow baby? Today's guest is the connector of a new book collaboration with Angel Moms called "Don't Struggle in Silence - I am a Victor" out now. In this episode Ashley Pittman shares her story and journey of twin loss and miscarriage and how it empowered her to be an advocate for angel moms, families, and...

From miscarriage to maternal health advocate and becoming a doula. Today's guest shares how she suffered from depression and anxiety after having a miscarriage at 14 weeks. Kia Livingston had to lean on God and her support system to get out of a very dark place after suffering a miscarriage at 14 weeks. She turned her pain into purpose and became a doula and maternal health advocate. In this episo...

What does life after infant loss and birth trauma look like? Today's guest shares in this episode what life after miscarriage and trading beauty for ashes means and more. 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 t...

Six Miscarriages later today's guest was determined to find out what was the cause. Royale Walters tenacity and resilience led her to discover that she had celiac's auto immune disease a condition which gives you a gluten intolerance and it led to her miscarriages. In today's episode, she shares how the gluten was attacking her body while she was pregnant, how she changed her diet and saw immediat...

So you want to be a doula?  What does a doula do?  How can I become one?  How much does it cost?  If you want answers to these questions and more this episode is for you.  I'm excited to launch our 2 nd  Cohort of the Sisters in Loss Birth and Bereavement Doula training and certification program.  This doula certification program will run for 6 weeks beginning on Sunday, June 7, 2020 at 8pm EST. ...

Did you know that Preeclampsia is a leading cause of Maternal Mortality and prematurity?  Did you know that black birthing persons are 3x more likely to die from Preeclampsia? Today's episode is a special one because its our 150 th  episode!  Can you believe it?  We made it to 150!  In honor of our 150 th  episode I had the pleasure of interviewing the CEO of the Preeclampsia Foundation Eleni Tsig...

Imagine losing your sister to cancer and grieving her death you find out your are pregnant with twins. Today's guest experienced just that in October 2019 when she found out she was carrying twin girls. During Trae Francois 20 week ultrasound she found out her cervix had shorten and doctors did not recommend a cerclage due to her high risk twin pregnancy. She began taking progesterone to strengthe...

This past Sunday we celebrated International Bereaved Mother's Day and shown our love for our babies gone to heaven far too soon. This upcoming Sunday in the US we celebrate Mother's Day. Mother's Day can be very challenging, difficult emotionally, and with social distancing and quarantine can and will be very lonely for many Sisters in Loss. Today's podcast episode is my love letter to you lettin...

Imagine being 23 and infertile. That is what today's guest was faced with when she realized she was having a ectopic pregnancy. Brytani Bradley woke up on her 8th week of pregnancy excited to see her baby only to find out the baby was not in her uterus and she had to be rushed into surgery due to her internal bleeding. She woke up shocked and confused because her baby was gone and so was her fallo...

Have you heard of the term placenta abruption? Placental abruption occurs when the placenta detaches from the inner wall of the womb before delivery. The condition can deprive the baby of oxygen and nutrients. Today's guest has experienced a early miscarriage, a incompetent cervix baby boy loss at 16 weeks and a baby boy loss due placenta abruption at 26 weeks. Leone Madzinga hails from the contin...

Imagine being told you are unable to have children. Imagine finding out your tubes were blocked. Today's guest, Monique Farook, podcast host of Infertility and Me @infertilityandme, shares her infertility journey through IUI, IVF, being diagnosed with hypothyroidism and uterine polyps. Monique shares in this episode how she endured failed IUI and IVF cycles, and her journey to her premature delive...

Have you heard of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss? Recurrent pregnancy loss is historically defined as 3 or more consecutive pregnancy losses prior to 20 weeks. Today's guest has experienced 4 pregnancy losses including losing a son at 15 weeks due to chromosomal abnormalities. Dr. Loree Johnson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, shares her loss story and journey to motherhood. In this episode yo...

There is always a rainbow after the storm of losses. Today's guest knows what it feels to be granted her rainbow baby girl on the day of love Valentine's Day 2019. Before that Lakisha Watson was told she would never conceive due to ovarian cysts and her fallopian tubes being partially closed. One month after getting married, she was able to defeat the odds and become pregnant with a baby boy. Laki...

With COVID-19 Cornavirus taking up our news feed, we are all searching for a hope, faith, and joy. Today's episode gives us just that faith beyond the cycle. Chanelle McElroy's faith is shown after being diagnosed with endometriosis and PCOs in early 2017. She experienced 3 miscarriages, and was told that it would be difficult to conceive. Chanelle remained faithful and begin sharing her experienc...

After hitting obstacle after obstacle today's guest faced many challenges getting and staying pregnant. From switching fertility medications to pushing through the grief from recurrent miscarriages today's guest is an example of never giving up hope. Tanya Taylor has experienced 4 miscarriages since 2018 most shortly after finding out she was pregnant. In this episode she takes us back on her grie...

Sometimes this journey to motherhood is two steps forward and three steps back. One thing I love about this Sisters in Loss Community is how RESILIENT you are on your journey. Today's guest is no different as she embodies resilience. Dr. Shantell Chambliss battled with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and was unable to get pregnant. In 2016, she conceived via Invitro Fertilization (IVF), and was...

Have you ever felt like your body failed you? Imagine being told that it was normal to have an abnormal cycle in your teenage years. You get married, and those symptoms continue. Imagine trying to get pregnant and you keep having negative pregnancy tests month after month. Today's guest Shakeena Brantley shares her journey with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome also known as PCOS and how she felt like...

Imagine giving birth to twin boys, overcoming postpartum depression, and finding out you are pregnant again. Today's guest experienced that plus more. Chavalia Dunlap-Mwaba found out when her twin boys were 3 years old that she was expecting. Her 3rd son had a congenital heart defect that would require surgery immediately upon birth. After meeting with specialists and doctors out of town assuring...

Have you heard of 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. You also have a higher chance of having your baby born early. Today's guest experienced preterm premature rupture...

I was honored with the opportunity to attend the State of the Union as a guest of my Congressman Donald McEachin. Yes, you read right last Tuesday, February 4, 2020 I traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the most controversial SOTU we have seen. Imagine being in the room where you can cut the tension with a knife of a sitting president who has been impeached and is attempting to convince the Ame...

Can you imagine getting engaged, finding out you are pregnant, and losing your baby all within a years time? Today's guest knows exactly how that feels so much she has decided to share her journey to motherhood. Quenesha West was managing graduate school getting her Masters in Social Work when she was surprised with an engagement and six days later she found out she was pregnant. With marriage and...

Have you heard of the term Incompetent Cervix? or Trans Abdominal Cerclage? An  incompetent cervix , also called a  cervical  insufficiency, occurs when weak  cervical  tissue causes or contributes to premature birth or the loss of an otherwise healthy pregnancy.  In a  transabdominal cerclage  procedure, a gynecologic surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdomen near the bikini line. Through th...

What does life look like post abortion? Today's guest knows exactly what post abortive life and redemption looks like. Amber Davis is a Massage Therapist who emphasis on post-abortive care awareness and maternal wellness. In this episode she takes us back to her story of overcoming reproductive trauma and how it has led her to her work. This episode is for you to listen to if you want to know what...

A stillbirth is still a birth! "And once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in." Today's guest LaQuinda Johnson felt exactly that way as she shares her journey to motherhood includi...