The Joyful Mourning - A Podcast for Women Who Have Experienced Pregnancy or Infant Loss

In this episode my friend Rachel Allene shares her story of miscarriage and what life after the loss of a baby looked like for her. She shares very candidly about her miscarriage experience in the hopes that a woman walking through miscarriage now would feel less alone in her journey. We talk about faith after loss. We talk about misconceptions surrounding baby loss and grief. We talk about the se...

In this first interview of the new year I am chatting with Jordan Dooley. Jordan is an author and podcast host, she encourages and educates women entrepreneurs and is an inspiring homemaker -- she wears many hats and like many of us listening has experienced the tragedy of losing a baby. In fact Jordan has experienced two devastating miscarriages. What I really appreciate about this interview is t...

A note to my grieving friends on this last day of 2020. If you feel not quite ready for a new year, or are limping your way into 2021, this episode is for you. I share some truths that I think will offer you a bit of hope and freedom in this moment as well as some practical advice and questions you can spend some time reflecting on. Download a one page printable journal reflection guide to help yo...

Today I am chatting with Mary Margaret Powitz and Meg Walker about what it looks like to navigate the holidays season while grieving. We come into this conversation with different experiences and different perspectives as our journeys have spanned different amounts of time -- this will be my 12th holiday season since my son died, it will be Meg's 6th and Mary Margaret's second. I think the differe...

You are listening to The Joyful Mourning Podcast episode 100. I cannot even believe it. God has used stories and honesty, tears and even laughter to bring joy and hope and healing to women  around the world who have experienced the loss of a baby.    This episode is an incredible milestone. One that I can hardly believe. There were many many weeks when the ontaking of producing yet another episode...

Listen in to this special conversation among 4 friends about navigating friendship amidst baby loss. Katherine's son was diagnosed with a prenatal life-limiting diagnosis at her 20 week anatomy scan and throughout our conversation we discuss how these 3 women, Susie, Sarah, & Tara came alongside her during the days, weeks and months that followed the diagnosis. We talk about what it was like to re...

Throughout October I am highlighting specific topics surrounding pregnancy and infant loss in a series of 4 short mini bonus episodes. My hope is to give grieving moms a voice, to acknowledge your loss and at the same time to help others who have not experienced this kind of loss understand a little better what it is to be a baby loss mom.    In this third episode of the series I am sharing a non-...

Listen in as I chat with Erica McAfee. Erica's story of motherhood is incredibly difficult, she has experienced significant loss and yet she speaks with such hope and joy. Erica shares honestly about what someone who is new to this grief journey can expect, what she wishes she had known about grief and what misconceptions exist about life after loss. She also shares about the work she does for an...

Throughout October I am highlighting specific topics surrounding pregnancy and infant loss in a series of 4 short mini bonus episodes. My hope is to give you, grieving moms, a voice, to acknowledge your loss and at the same time to help others who have not experienced this kind of loss understand a little better what it is to be a baby loss mom.  In this second episode of the series I am talking a...

Listen in to the first bonus episode in a series I have titled Conversations with a Grieving Mom. Throughout October I will be highlighting specific topics surrounding pregnancy and infant loss in a series of 4 short mini bonus episodes. My hope is to give you a voice, to acknowledge your loss and to help others who have not experienced this kind of loss understand a little better what it is to be...

We have been working our way through a series of episodes that honestly discuss the realities of friendship amidst loss and grief. This episode is part 2 of a special 2 part episode where I interview best friends Whitney & Nicole. If you missed part 1 skip back one episode because in this episode we will be picking up right where we left off. Whitney & Nicole's story of friendship is unique and po...

We are currently working our way through a series of episodes that honestly discuss the realities of friendship amidst loss and grief. This episode is Part 1 of a special 2 part episode where I interview best friends Whitney & Nicole.   These two women became friends when Nicole reached out with a text that said something along the lines of "I know you don't really know me but I just found out my...

"We don't want to be a burden but the reality is, we are carrying a big burden. And we need people. We have to be vulnerable and to say what we need." Kelly Griffin In this episode we are talking all about friendship amidst loss and grief. In this episode I have the privilege of interviewing best friends Kelly & Caroline. Kelly received a prenatal life-limiting diagnosis of Trisomy 18 for her son...

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing resources specifically about how to love a grieving friend. I even had the opportunity to interview moms who had experienced loss with their friend to ask honest questions about what it was like to navigate friendship after loss and amidst grief. If you have ever asked the question: how do I love my grieving friend, this series of episodes and resources w...

Listen in to this honest conversation with my new friend Jasmine Wilson as she shares the story of her son Mekhi. Jasmine shares what it was like to deliver a baby and then lose a baby during this season of Covid. She gives candid answers about what this grief journey has been like in her daily life and how she chooses to remember, honor and celebrate her son. Jasmine talks about how baby loss and...

I have said it before and I will say it again. Apart from losing my son Aaden, being pregnant again after losing him was one of the hardest things I've ever experienced. And I know I am not alone in feeling that way. In fact the topic I receive the most requests for is pregnancy after loss. Just this week over in The Joyful Mourning Community a community member posted this, she said: " how do you...

Listen in to this honest conversation with Kelsey Hayes. A mom who experienced multiple losses that ended with a full hysterectomy and a chance at having future biological children. We talk about what hope looks like when there is no foreseeable rainbow, we talk about how grief was different for each of her losses, we talk about how joy and peace can exist in the middle of absolute heartache. And...

This is a very special episode as it marks the 2 year birthday of this podcast. 2 years ago I launched this podcast out into the world. I am so grateful for the opportunity to weekly bring you tangible reminders that you are not alone in your grief and that you are loved deeply by a God who has not forgotten you or left you.   In this annual anniversary episode I want to spend a few minutes sharin...

Listen in to an honest conversation about pregnancy after loss with my dear friend Katelyn James Alsop. We talk very candidly about what it's like to be pregnant again after losing a baby. There are moments of tears and of laughter in this episode, but isn't that the reality of this grief journey; a dance of joy and sorrow. We talk about how Katelyn made the decision to try again for another baby...

In our previous episode, episode 87 , I talked with counselor and maternal health expert Libby Marler, from The Counseling Collective , about what someone who has experienced the loss of a baby can expect in regards to grief. In that episode, Libby shares invaluable expertise regarding baby loss and grief, including helpful steps to take to process through your grief.    Libby is back in this week...

If you have experienced the loss of a baby or know and love someone who has experienced the loss of a baby this episode is an absolute must-listen. Libby Marler is my guest this week; she is a trained counselor who specializes in women's issues including maternal mental health , parenting , grief and loss , as well as anxiety issues . Libby became passionate about providing counseling and support...

This episode is sure to inspire you and strengthen your faith -- at least it did in me. Listen in as I chat with my new friend Lola who shares the story of her son Elijah. At Lola's routine anatomy scan, the doctors gave these first time parents the news that their son had a life-threatening heart condition making it very unlikely that he would make it to term or be delivered alive. Against all od...

Listen in as I chat with Stephanie Schoonover. Stephanie was given a life-limiting diagnosis for her daughter Grace at a routine 12-week ultrasound. In this episode Stephanie shares with us what it was like to continue her pregnancy and make the most of the time she did have with her daughter. Stephanie also shares all about how she prepared for Grace's birth and what she wish others understood ab...

Listen in as I chat with Kristin Ironside, a mama who endured the heartbreaking journey of knowing the baby she carried would most likely not live more than a few hours. Kristin's daughter, Annabelle was diagnosed with unilateral renal agenesis and unilateral multi cystic dysplastic kidney -- basically at her 18 week anatomy scan, Kristin learned that her daughter's kidneys were not functioning pr...

As we approach Father's Day in just a few days I thought, what better way to honor dads than by giving them a voice. So since this podcast is primarily for grieving women, I thought it might be helpful to interview a few trusted men I know and ask them to tell me what they would want their wife to know about their grief. I'm going to share their answers with you in this special Father's Day episod...