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

When you suffer the loss of a baby there is no formula or checklist to grieve and heal.  Grief is such a unique journey that presents itself differently in each individual.  Life After Loss can be a roller coaster of emotions filled with anxiety, anger, sadness, and love frustrated.   Today's guest is using her loss experience to bring light and truth to the struggles faced by black and brown wome...

Endometriosis or Endo, as some of us like to call it, is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, often resulting in chronic pain and other symptoms. It's not very widely understood, so seeing other people who understand it is like finding gold. In today's episode we are discussing advocacy around endometriosis.  Today's guest was diagnosed with...

After being diagnosed with PCOS and having her thyroid removed today's guest knew there would be challenges to becoming a mother.  Without trying Sasha Palin was able to get pregnant.  Unfortunately at 7 weeks she began spotting and miscarried at 9 weeks.  Sasha did not receive favorable care as a result of her miscarriage, no sympathy, being brushed off, and no one there to explain exactly what w...

May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness month today's episode focuses on Postpartum Depression. Postpartum Depression is defined as depression that occurs after childbirth. Those who develop postpartum depression are at greater risk of developing major depression later on in life. Symptoms might include insomnia, loss of appetite, intense irritability, and difficulty bonding with the baby. Untreat...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects a woman's hormone levels. Women with PCOS produce higher-than-normal amounts of male hormones. This hormone imbalance causes their body to skip menstrual periods and makes it harder for them to get pregnant. Since childhood, today's guest knew that she wanted to become a mother. However, in 2007, she was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary S...

Today's episode is a Bonus Episode where we discuss the COVID Vaccine in detail with our sponsor Ava Women.   We discuss with Brianna Goodale, PhD scientist and Managing Director of AVA-COVID.  In this episode we share: Guidelines and recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations for pregnant birthing people and those Trying to Conceive How the COVID-19 Vaccine works Existing data on how each vaccine...

This upcoming Sunday and Second Sunday in May, the world stops to honor and celebrate moms around the world. Families splurge on greeting cards, flowers, gifts, fun traditions, and lavish meals to show the motherly figures in their lives how much they are loved. I can't think of anyone more deserving on Mother's Day than a mother who had to give her child back. Today's episode is a solo episode ce...

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 Ce...

April is Sisters in Loss Infertility Awareness Month!  All month long we will be highlighting infertility stories and journey's.   Have you heard of the term diminished ovarian reserve? Women diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve have the same reduced success of conceiving with in vitro fertilization (IVF) as they do with natural efforts to conceive. In addition, women with DOR often have a gr...

April is Sisters in Loss Infertility Awareness Month!  All month long we will be highlighting infertility stories and journey's.   Today's guest and partner were diagnosed with infertility after trying to conceive for several months with no success and both decided to get check ups.  She received positive results, but her partner had unfavorable results during his sperm analysis.  Marsha Derice fo...

April is Sisters in Loss Infertility Awareness Month!  All month long we will be highlighting infertility stories and journey's.   A couple should go to a fertility doctor after trying on their own for twelve months, six months for women over 35, and undergo an investigation. There are standard tests for both the woman and the man. Approximately 20% of couples struggling to get pregnant are told t...

Have you heard of IUGR Intrauterine Growth Retardation? IUGR is a term that's used to describe a baby who isn't growing as quickly as he should be inside the womb. Officially, it's defined as an estimated weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age (i.e., the stage of the pregnancy). Any baby who is smaller than normal can be diagnosed with the condition. Causes of intrauterine growth res...

Have you heard of Cervical Insufficiency? Cervical insufficiency is painless opening of the cervix that results in delivery of the baby during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Connective tissue disorders that are present at birth and injuries can make tissues of the cervix weak. When the cervix is weak, the baby may be delivered too early. Today's guest experienced a stillbirth at 19 weeks due to c...

Have you heard of a Molar Pregnancy? A molar pregnancy occurs when the placenta doesn't develop normally. Instead, a tumor forms in the uterus and causes the placenta to become a mass of fluid-filled sacs, also called cysts. About 1 in every 1,000 pregnancies (0.1 percent) is a molar pregnancy. Today's guest was diagnosed with PCOS and experienced a chemical pregnancy and untimely loss.  After she...

Was it difficult for you to see other pregnancies after your loss? Dealing with Pregnancy envy is a normal emotion especially after your miscarriage, infant or child loss, or infertility journey. You're not a bad person, friend, or relative for feeling pangs of jealousy. Understanding the underlying thoughts that feed into jealous feelings may help you understand yourself better and even reduce th...

Women with fibroids are much more likely to miscarry during early pregnancy than women without them (14% vs. 7.6%). And if you have multiple or very large fibroids, your chances go up even more. Today's guest experienced a miscarriage due to fibroids. With this history and due to her age of 42 she went on to seek a fertility specialist. Shashawn Dublin was recommended to complete IVF and during he...

Can you imagine losing your toddler in front of your other older children? Today's guest experienced the trauma and pain of losing her 3 year old son to a massive heart attack while her other children were in the room.  Mashira Taylor's son Max had heart issues when he was born that eventually had open heart surgery to correct these issues.  Her children were outside playing and her son was indoor...

Have you heard of the term Ambiguous Loss? Ambiguous loss is a loss that occurs without closure or clear understanding. This kind of loss leaves a person searching for answers, and thus complicates and delays the process of grieving, and often results in unresolved grief. Today's guest experienced an elective termination in her twenties after healing and working through childhood trauma she convin...

Have you considered donor eggs for your fertility journey?  This podcast is in partnership with Fairfax Eggbank. Many couples have to turn to using donor eggs after spending years going through fertility treatments and many use Fairfax Eggbank to continue on their journey to parenthood. Fairfax EggBank is a leader in advanced techniques for frozen donor eggs. Their premier donor database showcases...

Have you experienced a miscarriage after your rainbow baby?  Today's guest experienced a miscarriage in 2015, gave birth to her son in 2016 and he passed away 11 days after his birth due to lack of oxygen and severe brain damage.  Siedah Fagan went onto survive pregnancy loss by trying to conceive her rainbow baby and gave birth in 2017 only to be faced with another untimely loss by miscarriage in...

How many of us have heard the words "There is nothing we can do?" How do you navigate this journey post loss? Is this journey linear or does it take twists and turns? Today's guest shares her journey with losing her son due to cervical insufficiency and how she is surviving loss.  Xaviera "Zay" Bell shares in our Surviving Pregnancy Loss series her miscarriages, and loss of son Xander at 21 weeks,...

Do you know what a placental abruption is? A placental abruption is a serious pregnancy complication in which the placenta detaches from the womb (uterus). 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 experienced an unexpected placental abruption in her first pregnanc...

Why me God?  Why did I suffer a miscarriage? Have you asked yourself those questions after an untimely loss or setback on your fertility journey?   Today's guest had a year long journey to conception and when she received a positive pregnancy test she was so ecstatic.  That joy ended at 8 weeks pregnant with a miscarriage of the baby she wanted.  Tyneise Seaborough shares in this episode how she h...

We are kicking off the new year discussing Fibroids.  Do you know what Fibroids are?  Do you know anyone who has fibroids or do you have them yourself?  Do you know that you can get pregnant and sustain a pregnancy with Fibroids? Fibroids are Noncancerous growths in the uterus that can develop during a woman's childbearing years. The cause of fibroids isn't well understood. Risk factors include a...

We made it yall! We have made it to the end of the year, and I'm happy to say we made it whole. Many of us started this year with the expectation of greatness. Ambition to take on the world. Start that new business, write that new book, launch that new product, travel to a new country, and just live a life after loss that was unimaginable. Then our world was paused in March as COVID-19 shut down t...