Meet Jess Walker, the founder of greeting card brand Five Dot Post.

Jess is an entrepreneur based in Long Beach, CA. She started designing cards in 2018 after her husband Tommy's cancer diagnosis and grew Five Dot Post throughout his four-year fight as a way to support her family while serving the cancer community. Her love of greeting cards and small business led to a heart-centered company whose goal is to make connections of all kinds more accessible.

"Don't know what to say? Let us help." became the motto that Five Dot Post is built upon. Tommy passed away on Thanksgiving 2021, and Jess is continuing her business as a way to honor his positivity, humor, and fight.

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Follow As Long As I'm Living on Instagram at @aslongasimlivingpodcast, send us an email at [email protected], or visit us at anchor.fm/aslongasimliving! We would love to hear from you!

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As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.

No matter how you felt about pregnancy announcements before, we're guessing your feelings have changed since your baby died. Ours certainly have.

It is not fair -- at all -- that our babies are dead and other people's babies are alive and kicking. It is a completely insane thing that our babies died, so of course we have thoughts and feelings that are absolutely insane. We need to forgive ourselves for having normal human emotions in response to a tragic situation.

Pregnant friends, we love you, but please don't listen to this episode. And yes, we do kind of hope you get stretch marks. Sue us!

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We're wishing our followers a gentle Mother's Day this weekend. We didn't touch it in the episode, but we know you're all feeling it. Sending lots and lots of love.

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Things we talk about in this episode:

- Pregnancy announcement post on @IWasSupposedToHaveABaby

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Follow As Long As I'm Living on Instagram at @aslongasimlivingpodcast, send us an email at [email protected], or visit us at anchor.fm/aslongasimliving! We would love to hear from you!

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As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.

TFMR: Termination for Medical Reasons. It's a particularly devastating type of baby loss, where parents are forced to make a "choice" that isn't really a choice at all.

Meet Alyssa, Adelyn's mom. She had to have a TFMR procedure to interrupt Adelyn's pregnancy in summer of 2022, right in the midst of Roe v. Wade being overturned here in the U.S. The fear and confusion surrounding her daughter's death added additional trauma to an already horrific loss.

Studies show that there are about 14 TFMRs every single day in the United States, making it twice as common as stillbirth... yet it is rarely talked about. Anecdotally, we have spoken to many loss parents who underwent a TFMR -- Alyssa included -- but didn't even know that there was a word for it, that there is a community of people who have had to make the same devastating choice, and that even though they made a decision to terminate a wanted pregnancy, they still deserve to grieve their baby's loss.

TFMR is baby loss. For more on this topic, listen to last year's TFMR Awareness Day episode, our interview with Alina's friend Jill.

TFMR is Baby Loss, an Interview with Hadley's Mom Jill

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Resources for TFMR Parents:

- ⁠TFMR Awareness Day⁠

- ⁠Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep⁠

- ⁠Empty Arms⁠

- ⁠TFMR Mamas⁠

- ⁠Time to Talk TFMR podcast⁠

- ⁠TFMR Papas⁠

- ⁠TGN Therapy instagram⁠

- ⁠Petals Charity⁠ (UK)

- Ending a Wanted Pregnancy

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Follow As Long As I'm Living on Instagram at ⁠@aslongasimlivingpodcast⁠, send us an email at ⁠[email protected]⁠, or visit us at ⁠anchor.fm/aslongasimliving⁠! We would love to hear from you!

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As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.

We are back from our podcast break!

In this episode, we talk about how weird it is to answer the question "How are you?" because we're objectively AWFUL, but also sometimes okay? And frequently both at the same time.

We'll be back Thursday with a BONUS episode for TFMR Awareness Day, and next week on Monday with our regularly scheduled episodes.

Speaking of TFMR Awareness Day, vote for As Long As I'm Living in the @TFMRAwarenessDay awards! We're up for Best Non-TFMR Specific Podcast and Best TFMR Podcast Episode for our episode with Hadley's Mom Jill (listen here!). You can vote at this link.

P.S. Sorry about Alina's noisy cat.

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Follow As Long As I'm Living on Instagram at @aslongasimlivingpodcast, send us an email at [email protected], or visit us at anchor.fm/aslongasimliving! We would love to hear from you!

:::

As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.

We're on our break, but here's some episodes to listen to this week instead!

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As Long As I'm Living: Advocacy

TFMR is Baby Loss, an interview with Hadley's Mom Jill

Abortion is Healthcare

Calamity, an interview about race and infant loss with Emy Collins, Bash's Mom

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Listen to someone else!

Sad Comfy Couch

Your favorite bereft aunties get real about surviving infant loss, navigating grief, and staying funny in the fuckery.

Start here: They haven't released their first episode! Make sure you follow them on Instagram.

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Follow As Long As I'm Living on Instagram at @aslongasimlivingpodcast, send us an email at [email protected], or visit us at anchor.fm/aslongasimliving! We would love to hear from you!

:::

As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.

We're on our break, but here's some episodes to listen to this week instead!

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As Long As I'm Living: Episodes from the Floor

Alina's Bad Day

November 30th and December 1st

Into the Planets

Big Feelings

Green Eyed Monster

Consolation Prize

Bruised Not Broken (skip to the end)

He's Still Dead

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Listen to someone else!

⁠Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel⁠

Listen to the incomparable therapist Esther Perel counsel real couples as they reveal the most intimate, personal, and complicated details of the conflicts that have brought them to her door.

This season Esther speaks to a constellation of new relationships:

And Esther checks back in with couples from seasons past to see where they are now as she creates a space for us to hear our own lives and struggles articulated in the stories of others. So....where should we begin?

Start here: ⁠You Want Me to Watch the Kids While You Go Out with Another Guy?⁠

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Follow As Long As I'm Living on Instagram at @aslongasimlivingpodcast, send us an email at [email protected], or visit us at anchor.fm/aslongasimliving! We would love to hear from you!

:::

As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.

We're on our break, but here's some episodes to listen to this week instead!

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As Long As I'm Living: Hear From the Pros!

Empty Arms, an Interview with Carol McMurrich

SIDS, an Interview with Dr. Goldstein of the Roberts Program

Parental Grief, an Interview with Dr. Goldstein of the Roberts Program

All About EMDR, an Interview with Trauma Therapist Rebecca Munini

Grief Needs a Witness, an Interview with Dr. Denise Mandel

There Are No Silver Linings, an Interview with Dr. Denise Mandel

Meet the Rainbow Baby* Doctor, an Interview with Pediatrician and Loss Mom Dr. Laura Arling

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The Silent Why⁠

Can hope be found in every type of loss? Join Claire Sandys (and sometimes Chris), a childless couple (not by choice), on a mission to find 101 different types of loss to see if it's possible to find hope, or even joy, in every type of grief.

Start here: ⁠Loss of a Family, with Alina

We're on our break, but here's some episodes to listen to this week instead!

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As Long As I'm Living: Return to Work

Start Healing Together, an Interview with Jackie Mancinelli

There Is No Moving On, an Interview with Jen Su

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Listen to someone else!

High Strange

From the creators of Up and Vanished and Radio Rental, host Payne Lindsey attempts to break the stigma surrounding the topic of UFOs. In this new investigative series, Lindsey shines light on real-life coverups, and infamous cases, all while leaving the tinfoil hat at the door.

In the last few years, dozens of Navy pilots have come forward with compelling video evidence of objects in the sky that defy our current understanding of physics. The Pentagon has since confirmed the validity of these accounts and stated, “We don’t know what they are.” Can we finally have a healthy conversation about the possibility of intelligent life beyond our planet?

With a refreshing approach to the topic, Lindsey aims to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the strange happenings way up high. Do you want to believe?

Start here: Pale Blue Dot

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Follow As Long As I'm Living on Instagram at @aslongasimlivingpodcast, send us an email at [email protected], or visit us at anchor.fm/aslongasimliving! We would love to hear from you!

:::

As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.

We're on our break, but here's some episodes to listen to this week instead!

As Long As I'm Living: Grief 101

Little Triggers Everywhere

The Grief Button

Signs

Perfectly Normal

Why Me?

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Listen to someone else!

⁠Terrible, Thanks for Asking⁠

It’s a question we ask (and get asked) all the time: “How are you?” And normally we just respond with “Fine!” even if we’re totally dying inside, so everyone can go about their day. But it’s not always all that fine, is it? “Terrible, Thanks For Asking” is a show by author Nora McInerny that lets real people get real honest about how they’re really doing. It’s sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and almost always both.

Start here: ⁠Sad Nora and the Secret Baby

Follow As Long As I'm Living on Instagram at @aslongasimlivingpodcast, send us an email at [email protected], or visit us at anchor.fm/aslongasimliving! We would love to hear from you!

:::

As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.

It's not goodbye, it's "we're overwhelmed and need a break, we will see you soon."

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As Long As I'm Living is a podcast about life, love, and laughter after infant loss. Judith and Alina are rebuilding Happier Ever After one day at a time despite excruciating grief and trauma and offering support to grievers of all flavors, but especially those who have lost a baby to SIDS, infant death, birth accidents, stillbirth, TFMR, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage.