Miscarriage Hope Desk Podcast

In Episode 115, Miscarriage Hope Desk founder, Allison Schaaf, shares her perspective on lab work and testing after miscarriage. The goal is to help you come up with a list of questions to ask your doctor to understand which tests would be most helpful for you. She also goes over how to advocate for yourself at the doctor's office. Make sure to download our free checklist before you listen: https:...

In episode #114, Amy shares her personal story of loss. Her daughter was stillborn a day shy of 22 weeks in September 2016, related to various health issues that were discovered in utero. As a certified registered nurse anesthetist, Amy recognized that there were no loss resources specifically to support healthcare providers. Through her organization, Pause to Remember, Amy helps healthcare provid...

In episode #113, Amy Figueroa shares her personal story of loss. She has experienced 9 miscarriages, 1 ectopic pregnancy, and her newborn daughter passed away due to Trisomy 13. Despite these extremely painful challenges, Amy has gone on to have four biological children. She has also adopted two sons! Amy launched her virtual assistant business as part of the grieving process after her daughter's...

In episode #112, Chenelle Ellie shares her expertise as a licensed therapist. While many people may want to try counseling or therapy while healing from a miscarriage, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to find the right fit. Chenelle shares her tips for finding someone you click with, and we discuss advantages and common misconceptions surrounding therapy. Topics Discussed: counseling after...

In episode #111, Leslie shares her personal story of loss. After infertility plagued her first marriage, she felt broken. At age 42, she and her current partner had their son. Two years later Leslie had a miscarriage, and the treatment (or lack thereof) left long-lasting scars. We discuss Leslie's experience with pregnancy loss, what she learned from her miscarriage, and how it all plays into pers...

In episode #110, Meenadchi shares her expertise as a family constellation facilitator who works with folks on clearing grief and shame from their nervous systems following loss. We talk about the unconscious contracts of grief we can carry with us, related to our own pregnancy losses or those of our family members. Meenadchi shares the importance of validating the roles of parent and child within...

In episode #109, Lee shares his personal story of loss. He and his wife experienced the miscarriage of their third child in 2019, and they found they had different coping mechanisms for their grief. Lee wanted to shut down and process internally, while his wife wanted to talk about their experience. These differences can lead to both partners feeling unsupported. We discuss a partner's perspective...

In episode #108, Miscarriage Hope Desk Founder, Allison Schaaf, talks about Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month (October). October 15 in particular is a day where many light a candle in honor of their loss or losses. This is an important time to honor and recognize loss but it can also be overwhelming and triggering for some to see so much miscarriage-related content everywhere on social med...

In episode #107, Whitney shares her expertise as a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner and thyroid coach. We talk about the possible connections between thyroid issues, gluten sensitivity, other autoimmune diseases, and miscarriage or infertility. Whitney shares her own journey with autoimmune issues and advises those struggling with miscarriage or infertility to look into the possibiliti...

In episode #106 Troy shares his expertise as the founder of a pharmaceutical company and his personal story experiencing infertility with his wife. Troy has always been interested in health research, and he discovered the MTHFR mutation issue in 2010. He began a deep dive into this issue as it relates to fertility and pregnancy, and he was amazed by how many people are affected. With the right tes...

In episode #105, Heather shares her personal story of loss. She is the mother of five children, one of whom died unexpectedly in the last few minutes of labor. Heather experienced a miscarriage due to a blighted ovum between her two oldest children, and she also experienced an early miscarriage following her stillbirth. She shares how she kept hope during these difficult times and we discuss her e...

In episode #104, Meg Kant is back to share her expertise as a certified fertility, birth, and postpartum doula (you can listen to her personal story of loss in episode #101). Meg specializes in working with parents who have experienced a previous loss, and in today's episode we discuss 5 things NOT to say to someone who has had a miscarriage. We also go through things to do or say that might make...

In episode #103, Madeline shares her personal story of loss. She has two living children and she has also experienced four miscarriages - three of which occurred after her youngest was born. Madeline is still in the thick of trying to get their third living child here safely, and she wants to share solidarity in the midst of this struggle. Madeline shares her feelings surrounding being a carrier o...

In episode #102, Abi Clarke shares her story of personal loss. After her miscarriage in 2015, she felt there was no support or advice available. She wanted to create a space for women and men to receive support, information, and advice so they would understand they are not alone during such a traumatic experience. It was her goal to provide early pregnancy loss services across Scotland. We discuss...

In episode #101, Meg Kant shares her personal story of loss. She lost her first son, Zennon, at 4.5 months pregnant. Meg is the COO of bebo mia, an online global maternal support training organization. She has an honors degree in psychology, and she is a certified fertility, birth, and postpartum doula. Meg specializes in working with pregnant people who have a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder...

In episode #100, Miscarriage Hope Desk Founder, Allison Schaaf, pauses to both celebrate and reflect on the Miscarriage Hope Desk podcast and encourages you to look back through our previous episodes (all 99 of them!). All previous podcast episodes with descriptions are included at this link https://miscarriagehopedesk.com/podcast/ Do you have content suggestions? If so, reach out- support@miscarr...

In episode #099, Dr. Doni Wilson shares her expertise as a naturopathic doctor, natural health expert, certified professional midwife, and certified nutrition specialist. She is the author of The Stress Remedy and Master Your Stress, Reset Your Health. We discuss the definition of stress, how it affects us, and what we can do to build resilience and potentially prevent future pregnancy loss. Dr. D...

In episode #098, Carmen shares her personal story of loss. Having experienced nine pregnancies and six losses, Carmen and her husband built their family in the midst of recurrent pregnancy loss. During our conversation, Carmen shares how she honors her babies and what helped her to hold on to hope throughout her journey. Her book, A Diary to My Babies: Journeying Through Pregnancy Loss, will be re...

In episode #097, Dr. Jenna Hua shares her expertise as an environmental health scientist and dietitian. Jenna is passionate about the environment, public health and everything food. She holds a BS in Nutrition and an MPH and PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from UC Berkeley, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford Medicine. Frustrated by the lack of data for how harmful chemicals...

In episode #096, Kate shares her expertise as a registered dietitian. She is a menstrual health dietitian, specializing in nutrition for various life stages including post-loss. We discuss the importance of de-stigmatizing women's health, how to nourish your body after a miscarriage, and the process of seed cycling to support your hormones throughout your menstrual cycle. Topics Discussed: nutriti...

In episode #095, Miscarriage Hope Desk Founder, Allison Schaaf, does a reflection on where we have been for the past 2 years of the Miscarriage Hope Desk podcast, and also takes a look at what is coming up. Do you have content suggestions? If so, reach out- support@miscarriagehopedesk.com Resources to Explore- (also check out Episode #80 which goes in depth on the resources offered at Miscarriage...

In episode #094, Elaine shares her expertise as an IVF coach as well as her personal story of loss while going through the in vitro fertilization process. For the past seven years, Elaine served alongside Dr. David Diaz at West Coast Fertility Centers heading the wellness program. As a former IVF patient with a background in public education, dance, yoga, tai chi, and qigong, a wonderful collabora...

In episode #092, Dawn shares her personal story of loss. She is a certified childbirth educator and birth doula, and she has started to work with women and those who support them as they navigate and cope with pregnancy and infant loss. Dawn and her husband tried for their third child for years. They got pregnant in 2013, but suffered a miscarriage at 8 weeks. Four years later, they were pregnant...

In episode #091, April shares her personal story of loss and her expertise as a psychotherapist and coach. Unfortunately, April had to put her own training to the test when her daughter passed away at one day old. April helps women and couples across the globe to heal and grow after loss and heartbreak. She is the creator of the Baby Loss Survival Guide and the founder of the Love & Loss Project,...

In episode #090, Miscarriage Hope Desk Founder, Allison Schaaf, is sharing ideas on how to commemorate your pregnancy loss. These ideas were crowdsourced from our Facebook group of women going through recurrent miscarriage & recurring pregnancy loss (RPL). Resources Discussed on this Episode- - MHD Library Articles- https://miscarriagehopedesk.com/library/ - MHD Weekly Newsletter- https://miscarri...