Type of loss: Infant loss

More about this story: In this episode, we talk with Olivia Hodge about the story of her daughter, Camila.

Olivia's journey into motherhood began with a traumatic pregnancy after experiencing PPROM at 23.5 weeks. Following weeks of hospitalization and strict bed rest, she and her husband, Armondo, welcomed Camila at 34 weeks. After spending 22 days in the NICU, Camila came home and thrived.

Olivia shares what it was like to care for Camila while Armondo was deployed, the joy of watching her daughter grow, and the memories they built together as a family.

In September 2025, everything changed. After a sudden medical emergency at daycare, Camila was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support. Olivia and Armondo were faced with the devastating reality that Camila had no signs of brain activity and said goodbye to their daughter while holding her in their arms.

More about Emma's Footprints:

• www.EmmasFootprints.com

Type of loss: Life-limiting diagnosis, infant loss, twin loss

More about this story: In this episode, we are honored to share the story of Emily Riggi and her beloved daughter, Abigail.

Emily delivered her identical twin girls at 32 weeks and quickly realized that something was different. While one daughter continued to grow stronger, Abigail faced challenge after challenge. After countless tests and a brain MRI, Emily and her family received the devastating news that Abigail’s condition was not sustainable. Surrounded by love and held tightly in the arms of her family, Abigail passed away just six days after birth.

In this heartfelt conversation, Emily reflects on navigating the joy and complexity of welcoming twins while simultaneously facing unimaginable grief. She shares what it was like to parent both daughters, to say goodbye to Abigail, and to continue honoring her life while raising her sister.

Type of loss: Stillbirth

More about this story: In this episode, we talk with Kira Tietje as she shares the story of her daughter, Olivia.

During what should have been a routine 26-week appointment, Kira’s world changed forever when no heartbeat could be found. Although Olivia had a healthy anatomy scan and a heartbeat at 22 weeks, it was discovered that she had stopped growing around 19 weeks and 5 days. As a first-time mom with an anterior placenta, Kira struggled with questions and uncertainties that many grieving parents know all too well.

Type of loss: Early-term losses, Ectopic Pregnancy, Chemical Pregnancy, Blighted Ovum

More about this story: In this episode of Confessions of a Grieving Mother, Julie talks with Heather to share a story that spans infertility, pregnancy loss, medical trauma, and the complicated, enduring hope that lives alongside grief.

Heather and her husband Brian were first diagnosed with unexplained infertility at age 30, beginning a journey where grief arrived long before any loss—grief over the inability to conceive freely, over the uncertainty of waiting, and over watching others experience pregnancies that felt out of reach. After multiple rounds of treatment, they finally conceived, only to experience an ectopic pregnancy and the devastating loss of their baby, Thistle, in a medical emergency that turned joy into trauma in an instant.

What followed was a long and complicated path through IVF, embryo transfers, and repeated heartbreak. Heather shares the story of their embryos, their “double rainbow” boys born after loss, and the fragile hope that came with each attempt to grow their family. Along the way, she experienced multiple miscarriages—including the losses of Rowan, Hazel, Willow, and Sage—each one carrying its own weight of grief, questions, and longing.

Through it all, Heather speaks honestly about the emotional toll of repeated loss, the strain on her body and spirit, and the moments where she questioned whether she would ever be able to bring a baby safely into her arms again.

In this Father’s Day episode, Tracy and Julie hold space for a side of grief that is often quiet, private, and deeply felt—fatherhood after loss.

Through a series of heartfelt letters written by loss dads, they read words addressed to their babies and to their grief itself. These letters are tender, honest, and unfiltered—offering glimpses into love that has no physical place to land, and the ongoing relationship fathers continue to have with their children who are no longer here.

In this episode, Julie and Falon explore one of the most tender and complicated parts of grief: identity after loss.

Through honest reflection and shared lived experience, they talk about what changes when loss becomes part of your story and how it reshapes everything from how you see yourself to how you move through the world. They reflect on the moment it becomes clear you are no longer the person you were before, and what it means to carry both who you were and who you are becoming.

This conversation holds space for anyone who has ever wondered, “Who am I now?” after loss and reminds us that identity is not erased by grief, but deeply transformed by it.

Type of Loss: Early-term loss

More about this episode: In this episode, we talk with Laura Moore as she shares her journey through pregnancy loss, infertility, and unexpected hope.

After welcoming her son Carson, Laura experienced two early pregnancy losses just months apart. What followed was a long and painful road marked by infertility, unanswered questions, countless tests, and the heartbreaking realization that there seemed to be no explanation for why she and her husband could not grow their family. After years of trying, multiple fertility treatments, and being told they would likely never become pregnant again, Laura and her husband began praying about adoption and what the future might hold.

Then, in the most unexpected way, they received the news they had been hoping for—a positive pregnancy test. As excitement slowly began to replace fear, Laura and her family allowed themselves to dream again. But just weeks later, those dreams were shattered when they learned their baby's heart had stopped beating.

In this special birthday episode of Confessions of a Grieving Mother, Tracy and Julie are joined by a very special guest — Tracy’s mom, Jodi — as they come together to remember and celebrate Emma.

Through stories, memories, laughter, and honest conversation, they reflect on Emma, the lasting impact she continues to have on their family, and what it means to carry love and grief side by side through the years. This heartfelt episode offers a deeply personal glimpse into the way remembrance lives on across generations and how birthdays can hold both joy and sorrow after loss.

Whether you are honoring your own baby's birthday in heaven or simply looking for connection and understanding, we hope this conversation reminds you that your child will always be remembered.

In this special Mother’s Day episode of Confessions of a Grieving Mother, Tracy and Julie once again hold space for the voices of bereaved mothers by reading deeply personal letters written to their babies. Through words filled with love, longing, heartbreak, and remembrance, these mothers share the realities of carrying their children in their hearts while navigating life without them in their arms.

Each letter is a powerful reminder that motherhood does not end with loss. This episode honors the enduring bond between mother and baby, the milestones imagined, the memories treasured, and the love that continues, especially on Mother’s Day.

Type of loss: TFMR, Life-limiting diagnosis

More about this episode: In this episode of Confessions of a Grieving Mother, we talk with Lucy Livesey, a mother whose love for her daughter continues to ripple across the world.

In 2017, Lucy and her family faced the unthinkable—making the heartbreaking decision to terminate their much-wanted daughter, Ellie, after a devastating heart abnormality was discovered. What followed was a birth filled with intention, tenderness, and love. Through hypnobirthing, Lucy created a peaceful and sacred space to welcome Ellie into the world, honoring her life in the most beautiful way she could.

Out of that loss, Lucy found purpose.

Drawing on her background in mental health nursing and her lived experience, she created Ellie’s Gift—the world’s first hypnobirthing app designed specifically to support families preparing to birth a baby who has died. What began as a way to honor Ellie’s life has grown into a global resource, now used across the UK within NHS trusts and in over 37 countries—offering comfort, guidance, and compassion to grieving families, completely free of charge.

Lucy also shares about Ellie’s Rainbow, a platform offering support for families navigating pregnancy after loss, and her mindfulness-based grief book that is helping individuals around the world process loss with gentleness and intention.

This conversation is a powerful testament to the ways grief and love can coexist—and how one mother’s devotion to her daughter is changing the way loss is held and supported for others.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.ellies.gift

• Ellie's Gift: A Mindful Approach to Grief and Baby Loss: 8 Week Self-Help Guide