Maria Nagawa is a joint Ph.D. student in the Public Policy and Political Science department at Duke University. She is also the mother of two angel babies who passed during two subsequent pregnancies after she went into preterm premature ruptures of the membranes due to cervical insufficiency. These two experiences led her to reevaluate how we can better support bereaved parents before, during, and after the loss of their child. Talking about these events, she advocates trauma-informed care from providers who practice evidence-based medicine and promote freedom of choices, independently of their medical preferences.

As a proud Ugandan woman, Maria discusses the cultural expectations when it comes to fertility and womanhood. She generously speaks up about the taboos behind miscarriages, stillbirth, and marriage challenges for women who suffer multiple pregnancy losses.