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

Did you not feel supported during loss due to inadequate maternal health care? Today's guest experienced a premature delivery and loss at 19 weeks due to PPROM or premature rupture of the membranes and possible cervical insufficiency.  Kimi Farrington was not able to get the necessary medical treatment and mental health services following her loss, and losing her daughter's father months after she...

Can you imagine losing your son in front of your other children? Today's guest was diagnosed with PCOS and did 3 rounds of Clomid before conceiving her first child, suffered from 2 miscarriages then unexpectedly conceived her second son.  After her son's first birthday he passed away from what was eventually called "natural causes."  Danielle Anderson struggled to believe that she was a mom of 2 b...

Have you considered Fostering to Adopt after Loss? For many parents in efforts to grow their family and having experienced untimely loss the option to foster a child and for many foster to adopt. Today's guest decided to foster to adopt after her wife struggled with fibroids, myomectomy, and 3 failed IUIs.  Tiffany Flakes-Williams and her wife then turned to her to begin their journey to parenthoo...

Have you heard of a Myomectomy procedure? Myomectomy is a surgical procedure to remove uterine fibroids. These common noncancerous growths appear in the uterus. Uterine fibroids usually develop during childbearing years, but they can occur at any age. Women of Color have the highest occurrence of fibroids in up to 90% of black women before age of 50.   Today's guest experienced an untimely loss at...

Have you heard of Sickle Cell Anemia? Sickle cell anemia is one of a group of disorders known as sickle cell disease. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. Normally, the flexible, round red blood cells move easily through blood vessels. During pregnancy the disease can become more severe...

How do you Navigate Life After Pregnancy and Infant Loss? Today's guest experienced a miscarriage at 7 weeks and her world shook upside down.  She initially didn't think she could conceive, but was happy to find out she was expecting.  Mikell Smith was excited when she found out she was pregnant and all of her pregnancy symptoms hit her at once.  When she didn't feel those symptoms any longer she...

Have you heard of a Transabdominal Cerclage? In a transabdominal cerclage procedure, a gynecologic surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdomen near the bikini line. Through this transabdominal incision, the surgeon places a small, woven synthetic band high on the cervix. The band supports the cervix, preventing it from opening and losing the pregnancy. Today's guest was diagnosed with PCOS and...

Have you been searching for an app for your pregnancy after loss?  Well there is an online app that is for you called Wolomi. Wolomi is the only digital community that offers support to women of color to improve maternal health outcomes. Membership to Wolomi gives you access to maternal health experts, events, and a community of amazing women. Today's guest is Wolomi's founder Layo George, who is...

This is the last week of Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month.  All month long we will honor our babies gone to heaven far too soon.  This month is special because you get to hear from our Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement and Postpartum Doulas!  Yes, you get to hear the ladies share their testimonies and stories to motherhood and why they became Sisters in Loss doulas and how they li...

October is Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month.  All month long we will honor our babies gone to heaven far too soon.  This month is special because you get to hear from our Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement and Postpartum Doulas!  Yes, you get to hear the ladies share their testimonies and stories to motherhood and why they became Sisters in Loss doulas and how they liked the course...

October is Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month. All month long we will honor our babies gone to heaven far too soon. This month is special because you get to hear from our Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement and Postpartum Doulas! Yes, you get to hear the ladies share their testimonies and stories to motherhood and why they became Sisters in Loss doulas and how they liked the course. H...

October is Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month.  All month long we will honor our babies gone to heaven far too soon.  This month is special because you get to hear from our Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement and Postpartum Doulas!  Yes, you get to hear the ladies share their testimonies and stories to motherhood and why they became Sisters in Loss doulas and how they liked the course...

Have you heard of twin to twin transfusion syndrome? Twin to twin transfusion syndrome ( TTTS ) is a condition that occurs only in monochorionic pregnancies — ones in which two or more genetically identical babies (usually twins ) share the same placenta. Although all identical twins share a placenta, TTTS develops in about 10 to 15 percent of those pregnancies. Today's guest experienced a stillbi...

Can you imagine getting a diagnosis that you baby is not expected to live due to their rare birth defect?   Today's guest experienced a miscarriage at 8 weeks and then went on to conceive her rainbow baby.  At her 20 week ultrasound she received the news no parent doesn't want to hear that her son Jaleel had a rare birth defect called Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction. LUTO is life-threatening as it...

Have you heard of congenital heart defects?   A Congenital Heart defect is an abnormality in the heart that develops before birth. Congenital heart defect is one of the most common types of birth defects. Symptoms include abnormal heart rhythms, blue-tinted skin, shortness of breath, failure to feed or develop normally, and swollen body tissue or organs. Treatments include medications to lower blo...

​ Do you know what a placenta abruption is? 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. Symptoms include vaginal bleeding, belly pain, and back pain in the last 12 weeks of pregnancy. Depending on the degree of placental separation and how close the baby is to full-term, treatment...

Have you heard of the term blighted ovum or chemical pregnancy? A blighted ovum occurs when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus but doesn't develop into an embryo. It is also referred to as an an embryonic (no embryo) pregnancy and is a leading cause of early pregnancy failure or miscarriage. Often it occurs so early that you don't even know you are pregnant. Today's guest experienced a chemic...

Have you heard of HELLP Syndrome? HELLP Syndrome is a life-threatening pregnancy complication usually considered to be a variant of preeclampsia. Both conditions usually occur during the later stages of pregnancy, or sometimes after childbirth.  Today's guest was diagnosed HELLP syndrome at just 23 weeks pregnant.  Trashaun Powell was immediately taken to the intensive care unit and was shocked to...

Have you heard of male factor infertility? Male factor infertility is due to low sperm production, abnormal sperm function or blockages that prevent the delivery of sperm. Illnesses, injuries, chronic health problems, lifestyle choices and other factors can play a role in causing male infertility. Of all infertility cases, approximately 40–50% is due to "male factor" infertility and as many as 2%...

Imagine birthing your rainbow baby and losing your first born on the same day!? Today's episode is one that hits close to home as her story is very similar to my own. I would be lying to you if I didn't say I cried throughout this entire interview and hours afterward. This episode is a trigger, so please grab some tissue, and brace yourself as you embark on this woman's journey to motherhood. Shan...

It's my Anniversary! Yes, August 2020 makes 3 Years of the @SistersinLoss podcast! 3 Years, 161 Episodes, Over 150 Guests, and 5000+ hours of black sisters and brothers in loss sharing stories of loss, infertility challenges, rainbow babies, IVF successes, Surrogacy, Abortion, Adoption, Grief, Healing, and so much more! Today's episode is a solo episode where I get candid about some changes in my...

Today's guest was diagnosed in her early 20s with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome where her doctor told her she had zero eggs and almost no lining in her uterus making it not viable to carry a baby to term. Whitney Vaughn then made the proper diet changes and in September 2018 found out she was pregnant. At 28 weeks along she did not detect a heartbeat on her home doppler and went to the hospital to b...

Imagine having your next round of IVF cancelled due to COVID-19. Today's guest was diagnosed with unexplained infertility after many years trying.  She experienced 3 unsuccessful IUIs and 1 cancelled IUI, and 1 IVF cycle that resulted in a miscarriage.  Crystal Simpson, a military wife went off birth control about 6 months after getting married.  She knew something was wrong and went to her OB/GYN...

After not having difficulty conceiving her first two children, today's guest began experiencing heavy bleeding, severe pelvic pain and physical therapy and was diagnosed with endometriosis. When Maria Pyanov was ready to try again she miscarried. She miscarried another 5 times and experienced the loss of a foster son. In today's episode Maria takes us back on her journey through being diagnosed wi...

A Delay is not a Denial! Today's guest believes that her faith is what helped her through her ectopic pregnancies, fallopian tube loss, miscarriage, and rainbow baby pregnancy. Abi Ade is our @SistersinLoss from across the pond residing in London.  In this episode she shares her journey to motherhood which began in 2015 after her wedding she found out she was pregnant.  That pregnancy resulted in...