Birth Trauma Stories(formerly The Twinky Chronicles)

Join  ⁠@nicufreedom⁠  and I for April's  ⁠#AskAtara⁠ ! This month is  #CesareanAwarenessMonth . If a  #VBAC  is part of your birth plan, you don’t have to walk that road alone. We encourage you to connect with ICAN for support, education, and community. Pray, seek wisdom, and advocate for the birth God has placed on your heart. Ask Atara is recorded live on Instagram. Sound quality may vary. I...

Join Megan Secrest, Liana Albers, Atara Parkinson, and I as we share the heart behind our upcoming virtual retreat. In this episode, we walk through each session, the intention behind them, and the stories that led us into this work. While each of our journeys looks different, one powerful theme kept rising to the surface…tune into hear more! Sign up for the Retreat ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cathy's Printify Shop⁠⁠...

 This week I'm joined by Megan Seacrest. Megan is a wife, a mom to five children, one on Earth and four in heaven. She's also a licensed clinical social worker and EMDR certified therapist. She has been with her husband for 10 years and her personal experiences with ADHD and pregnancy loss deeply inform her work. Megan specializes in walking alongside grieving parents and women navigating anxiety,...

Join  @nicufreedom  and I for March’s  #AskAtara ! This month we discuss the ripple effect of  #PerinatalTrauma . March is also  #AFEAwarenessMonth . I typically do not ask for donations from this beautiful community but if you feel led and want to support the  @afefoundation  donate below! 🩵 Ask Atara is recorded live on Instagram. Sound quality may vary. AFE's Donation Page ⁠Atara's Web...

 Today's episode I'm joined by Brittany Baker, mama of four work from home Mama, dear friend and the doula who supported me during the birth of my second daughter. What makes this conversation especially sacred and heavy is that Brittany was in the room when we experienced our amniotic fluid embolism. That alone carries layers of shared trauma and deep connection. In this episode, we talk...

Today's episode is one I truly believe is God ordained. I'm joined by my dear AFE and stroke sister Liana Albers. Our friendship began with a simple post in the Facebook, AFE support group. I was searching for someone who understood life post-stroke, and God led Liana to respond. In this episode, she shares her testimony of survival, healing, and fighting back from the brink of death, incl...

Today’s guest has spent her career helping women improve their health and fertility outcomes. Kirsten Karchmer is the founder and CEO of Conceivable, a company using AI to personalize women’s health, fertility, and wellness care. We’ll talk about how she’s turning decades of clinical experience into an AI-powered “care team,” why tracking data alone isn’t enough, and how her team is using technolo...

 Today I'm joined by Andrea Hickson from NICU alumni. Andrea is the parent of two fierce NICU graduates. After bringing her little ones home, she recognized the sense of isolation and uncertainty that often accompanies this significant transition. This understanding is what fuels her mission to support families ensuring they no longer feel overwhelmed, but instead feel confident and hopeful as...

Ashley Hernandez’s birth story is one of resilience and survival. After conceiving through IVF, she developed gestational hypertension that progressed to preeclampsia with severe features, putting both her and her baby at risk. She was also high-risk for preterm labor. Ultimately, she required a C-section, during which placenta accreta was discovered, leading to a partial hysterectomy. Her baby sp...

Join Atara and I for this month’s  #AskAtara  where we discuss Full Term NICU Admission Month and the importance of minerals! Ask Atara is recorded live on Instagram. Sound quality may vary. ⁠Ryan Hansen's Episode: More Families Intact⁠ ⁠Atara's Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Atara on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Atara on Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cathy's Printify Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cathy's Webs...

Sharon Dey-Layne is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with over 30 years of experience in labor and delivery, newborn care, midwifery, and nursing education, she has excelled in both clinical and academic roles. Holding advanced degrees including a DNP, she demonstrates a commitment to lifelong learning with additional certifications in obstetric care. Active in ANA and AWHONN, she contributes to resear...

Today I'm joined by Wendy Melrose. . Wendy is a writer in self-publishing facilitator Steward the Business Resilient Press. She helps women write and publish their trauma/tragedy to victory stories. She is also a wife and mother of two spectacular children and a doggy mom to two amazing doggies. Her birth experience with her first motivated her to become a birth advocate and a doula. She serve...

 In this week's episode, I'm joined by Ashley Haywood. Ashley is a dedicated mother, advocate, and community leader who paused her career in clinical research to become a full-time caregiver to her daughter Sadie. Sadie was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare terminal disease. For nearly a decade, Ashley has passionately raised awareness and funding for Sanfilippo research, both locally and...

 Courtney is an amniotic fluid embolism survivor from Missouri Baptist Medical Center, February of 2020, right after the birth of her second child. Courtney's experience with birth trauma propelled her to become passionate and advocating. For the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation, and she shares her story to raise awareness about the need for blood donations, maternal mental health, and the need...

Join  @atara.parkinson  for January’s  #AskAtara ! January is  #BloodDonorMonth  and  #MaternalHealthAwarenessMonth ! Tune in to hear more and drop a ❤️ to show your support this month. Ask Atara is recorded live on Instagram. Sound quality may vary. Ryan Hansen's Episode: More Families Intact Atara's Website⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Connect with Atara on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Connect with Atara on Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠...

 Today I'm joined by Michelle Rossi. Michelle is married and a mom of three with one on the way and one in heaven. She is currently a pediatric hemoc oncology nurse and in school for her pediatric nurse practitioner degree. She worked in postpartum and pediatric home care prior. She currently lives in Georgia, met her husband in North Carolina and moved to his hometown once he got out of the a...

Maybe this season changed everything. Maybe you’re tired of being strong. The Lord is near. Jehovah-Shammah “Come to me, all who are weary…” Matthew 11:28 Tune in for a special episode of #CoffeewithCathy Cathy's Printify Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cathy's Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Birth Trauma Stories on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Today I'm joined by Stephanie Jacques. Stephanie is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with over a decade of experience in the mental health and substance abuse field. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to helping individuals heal, grow, and thrive no matter where they are in their journey. Her therapeutic approach is an integrative and client-centered drawing from SFBT, Existential...

 In this week's episode, were back with Atara Parkinson again for part three of her story. Atara is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has been practicing in the field of mental health for 14 years. Her current passions include holistic healing, supporting postpartum mamas, brain spotting, and educating on the role of minerals for brain health and nervous system regulation. . She is...

This month’s #AskAtara is now live on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Link is in my LinkTree. Join @atara.parkinson and me for this special episode of #AskAtara. There wasn’t a specific question submitted this month, but December is Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) Awareness Month, so we’re using this time to share important education and insight about TTTS. Tune in to learn more and help spre...

 In this week's episode, I'm were back with Atara Parkinson. Atara is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has been practicing in the field of mental health for 14 years. Her current passions include holistic healing, supporting postpartum mamas, brain spotting, and educating on the role of minerals for brain health and nervous system regulation. . She is a three time NICU mama and...

 In this week's episode, I'm joined by my dear friend, Atara Parkinson. Atara is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has been practicing in the field of mental health for 14 years. Her current passions include holistic healing, supporting postpartum mamas, brain spotting, and educating on the role of minerals for brain health and nervous system regulation. . She is a three time NI...

  Today I'm joined by Ashley Daley. Ashley Ashley. Today I'm joined by Ashley Daily. Ashley is a registered nurse, IBCLC, and an infant sleep expert based in South Florida.  With over five years of NICU experience, she now works in her community and online to support families navigating feeding challenges, sleep struggles, and the emotional weight of new parenthood. Ashley's work is rooted in empa...

 Today, I'm here with Kali Dayton. Kali Dayton, DNP, AGACNP, is a critical care nurse practitioner, Host of the Walking Home From The ICU and Walking You Through The ICU podcasts, and critical care outcomes consultant. She is dedicated to creating Awake and Walking ICUs by ensuring ICU sedation and mobility practices are aligned with current research. She works with ICU teams internationally t...

Being in the midst of suffering, heartbreak, and tragedy can be painstakingly lonely and the most desperate time of your life. You can be left questioning God, confused as to why He isn’t answering your prayers, and even downright angry with Him.  Beth Mull, from our Raleigh, North Carolina community, experienced all of these emotions as she walked through the unraveling of her marriage and the te...