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

This week's guest on the podcast is Lynnelle Peters. Listen in as we talk about so many things surrounding pregnancy and infant loss. Lynnelle shares her story of motherhood that includes the joy of healthy, living babies and the heartache of 2 miscarriages, 14 months of infertility and the late term loss of her son River. We talk about many things but maybe the most important thing we discuss is...

As our country begins to open up and people begin to head back to the workplace I thought it would be helpful to continue this conversation about heading back to work after the loss of a baby. In this episode I am talking with Rebecca Hennessy about her experience returning to full time work just 1 week after experiencing premature labor and losing her daughter at 18 weeks. Rebecca is incredibly h...

Today is my 15th wedding anniversary and I get the privilege of interviewing my husband for this episode. Our marriage has been marked by loss, beginning all the way back to our first wedding anniversary when I began miscarrying our first baby and then just a few years later when our nearly 6 week old baby died in his sleep. As we embark on year 15 together we thought it would be helpful to talk a...

Back in March we had started the conversation about what it looked like to return to work after experiencing the loss of a baby. As our country begins to open up and people begin to head back to the workplace I thought it would be helpful to bring this conversation back. We know that amidst deep grief and such significant loss you are no longer the same but the work is the same and the expectation...

Happy Mother's Day Your mothering may look different than those around you or what you ever imagined it would be. But this day is for you too.  Today I acknowledge you who are hurting this year. "I see you. I have not forgotten. God has not forgotten. YOU are not forgotten."  To the woman looking at yet another negative pregnancy test; I see you. To the woman holding only a memory of a heartbeat,...

If you know and love a mama who has experienced pregnancy or infant loss. This episode is for you. Whether you are a friend or a family member, if you know a mama who is grieving this episode is really important. Because while she may not tell you, the reality is she is hurting right now.  This weekend we celebrate mothers. And if you have never experienced the loss of a baby, it is impossible to...

Delivering a baby during this season of Covid-19 feels scary, in all the uncertainties and all the sacrifices. But for a mom delivering a baby with a life-limiting diagnosis or a baby that will be born sleeping -- this is extra hard. It's loss upon loss. And for the mom who is delivering a baby after having experienced loss this feels extra hard. The anxiety is already heightened and the extra fee...

If your baby has been given a life-limiting diagnosis and you will deliver during this time of Covid-19 or you somehow miraculously found this episode as a mom who just got news that there is no heartbeat and will deliver a baby already born into heaven -- this episode is for you. If you are a nurse who works with labor and delivery this episode is for you too. Today I interview my friend Laura Fo...

Just like last week's episode, the conversation in this week's episode is really, really helpful and full of hopeful reminders that are vital for anyone who has experienced grief and is currently navigating life in the midst of the pandemic at hand. In this episode I spend some time talking with Meg Walker about what it's been like for her personally to navigate this season. She speaks candidly ab...

I am so grateful for this episode and I really, really think it will be helpful for you, right now. I had the privilege of interviewing Libby and Julie from The Counseling Collective and we are talking very intentionally and very practically about what it looks like to navigate the current circumstances of a pandemic that has changed everything about our lives in just a matter of weeks, while also...

If you listened to the previous episode, Episode #72, you know that I had planned for this month to be all about what it's like to return to work after experiencing loss. I scheduled all the guests. I recorded all the interviews. I created all the resources. Months ago. And then just as this series was beginning, our world was slammed with a pandemic of unthinkable scope and repercussions -- we ar...

Returning to normalcy and routine and responsibilities can be incredibly difficult after the loss of a baby, especially the responsibility of work. Having to face co-workers and bosses and having to complete tasks and perform even the smallest of jobs can be so hard for a grieving mom. Knowing how difficult the return to work can be, I have brought 4 women on the podcast to share their personal ex...

There are so many aspects of life after loss that feel incredibly difficult and challenging, impossible even. Even doing mundane, normal or routine things can feel daunting. And we all know from experience that the first firsts after losing our baby can bring unexpected tears or feelings of anxiety or fear or deep sadness. So it makes sense that going back to work after experiencing the loss of a...

Over the past few weeks we have been talking about marriage and what it looks like to very practically navigate the relationships to those closest to us after the loss of a baby. In this week's episode I am talking with Mary Margaret and Tim Powitz about what it looked like for them walk through grief together after the loss of their daughter Helen. This honest interview is helpful and hopeful as...

Navigating relationships after the loss of a baby can be incredibly difficult, especially the marriage relationship. Throughout the month of February I have the privilege of talking with couples about marriage after the loss of a baby. The good, the hard, the awkward and even the funny things I am sure you will be able to relate to. Last week in Episode 68, Meg & John-Mark Walker shared their stor...

One of the most difficult aspects of life after baby loss is navigating relationships, especially the relationship with our spouse. Throughout the next 4 episodes I have the privilege of talking with married couples who have experienced the loss of a baby and have fought hard for their marriage amidst such grief. In our first episode in this special series all about marriage I get to spend some ti...

You're listening to The Joyful Mourning Podcast Episode #67. This is our fourth and final installment of our special series all about the enneagram and grief. If you have never heard of the enneagram, it's simply a personality typing tool that helps us to better understand ourselves and others. And this series has been incredibly helpful at exposing how we are all different and therefore grieve di...

This is our third installment of our special series all about the enneagram. If you have never heard of the enneagram, it's simply a personality typing tool that helps us to better understand ourselves and others. And this series has been incredibly helpful at exposing how we are all different and therefor grieve differently. There are 9 enneagram types and for each type we are answering a specifi...

This is our second installment of our special series all about the enneagram and grief. Maybe you have never heard of the enneagram or maybe you have read all the books, either way this series is going to be incredibly helpful in growing our understanding of how we all grieve differently as we take a look at this personality typing tool. The enneagram gives us compassion for ourselves and others a...

You're listening to The Joyful Mourning Podcast Episode #64. This week we start a special series all about the enneagram. Maybe you have never heard of the enneagram or maybe you have read all the books, either way this series is going to be incredibly helpful in growing our understanding of how we all grieve differently; giving us compassion for ourselves and others as we grow to understand ourse...

You're listening to The Joyful Mourning Podcast, A Christmas Series, Week 04 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 To know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to trust Him. No matter what. In this 4 week Christmas series we will g...

You're listening to The Joyful Mourning Podcast, A Christmas Series, Week 03 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 To know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to trust Him. No matter what. In this 4 week Christmas series we will g...

You're listening to The Joyful Mourning Podcast, A Christmas Series, Week 02 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 To know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to trust Him. No matter what. In this 4 week Christmas series we will g...

You're listening to The Joyful Mourning Podcast, A Christmas Series, Week 01 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 To know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to trust Him. No matter what. In this 4 week Christmas series we will g...

You're listening to The Joyful Mourning Podcast Episode #59. Throughout November I have had the privilege of talking with mamas specifically about what it looked like to navigate the holiday season while grieving. The past three episodes have been incredibly helpful and relatable and if you haven't gotten a chance to listen to those yet I would highly recommend it. In this week's episode I am inte...