Today's episode is all about Surrogacy. Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman (the surrogate) agrees to carry and give birth to a child on behalf of another person or couple (the intended parent/s). The process of surrogacy is complex.

Today's guest Ijeamaka Ogbonna shares her journey to motherhood through painful losses and why surrogacy was the best method for her to grow her family.

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Motherhood is what today’s guest calls a “Rites of Passage” to the best hoods on Mother Earth.  Ariane Oyere is a wife and mother of 7.  She experience the lost of her 3rd born at 9 years old and then two miscarriages after his Sunset.  Her babies she refers to as the Summer Solstice. 

In this episode, Oyere takes us back to her greatest obstacles in losing her Sunsets.  She reframes child loss and miscarriage into sunset experiences.  We also discuss lactation through bereavement and other spiritual modalities for healing. This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced a miscarriage or loss and want to learn how to reframe your thinking into naming them sunset experiences.

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Have you heard of the term Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR)?

Termination for Medical Reasons, or TFMR, is when a pregnancy is terminated due to a chromosomal, genetic or structural fetal abnormality, or where continuing the pregnancy would risk the health or life of the mother.

Today’s guest was able to conceive her first child naturally and had a healthy pregnancy and delivery. The journey to baby number two has been full of loss and heartbreak. Hadeer El Hindawi had 4 consecutive losses including a miscarriage, TFMR, another miscarriage, and a stillborn full term baby. The last pregnancy was a frozen embryo transfer via IVF after being diagnosed with low ovarian reserve and her partner has high DNA fragmentation.

In this episode, we discuss how she has coped and grieved with secondary infertility and these consecutive losses, how she has hope, and how she is moving forward in spite of her current circumstances.

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After having suffered multiple miscarriages for two years due to Fibroids, today’s guess used her faith and determination to heal from her losses and continue her journey to becoming a mother. Simbi Animashaun was determined to become a mother after her miscarriages and went onto have three children who are her rainbow babies.  In today’s episode Simbi shares her struggles with pregnancy loss, being a miscarriage survivor, and how she leaned on God for understanding.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced fibroids, infertility, and painful periods and how to achieve health and wellness on your journey to motherhood.

Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here

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What Does Having Low AMH Levels Mean?

Having low AMH levels can indicate that your ovaries are producing less of the preantral follicles. This is important as the fewer the number of follicles there are means there are less that can be stimulated for assisted contraception.

Today’s guest suffered from endometriosis for 21 years before being properly diagnosed. Sandra Elidor also found out she had low AMH at age 30.  With Endo she had two surgeries, 1 fallopian tube, 1 successful IVF cycle, and 1 miscarriage. Sandra gave birth to her son at 29 weeks after weeks of bed rest due to placenta previa.  During her 2nd IVF treatment, she found out she was no longer a candidate for IVF due to her low AMH levels.  After which she suffered a miscarriage.  

In today’s episode Sandra takes us on her journey to parenting, how she started her non-profit Filling Empty Wombs on Clubhouse, and supporting other families on this infertility and loss journey.

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Have you heard of the term Oligohydramnios?

Low amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios) is a condition in which the amniotic fluid measures lower than expected for a baby’s gestational age.

Today’s guest was preparing to conceive and had a myomectomy to remove her fibroids.  Christina Danyo learned she was expecting after her fibroid surgery.  During her 20 week anatomy scan she learned that her baby girl’s kidneys did not develop and was covered in cysts.  Her daughter was diagnosed with Oligohdramnios or low/no amniotic fluid and her lungs also did not develop.  Christina was faced with the decision with the diagnosis not compatible with life. 

In this episode, we discuss the decision she and her husband made to carry to full term, she delivered her baby girl via C-section at 37 weeks, preparation for delivering a baby given a fatal diagnosis, and her time spent honoring her angel during her less than 2 hour life and beyond.

Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here

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Today’s guest knows what it feels to be down and depressed after trauma.  This lead her to making cotton candy and learned to detach herself from other people’s pain, but also carry their spirits with me to rediscover joy by bringing it to others.  Jackie Morin is the founder of Wonderpuff a small cotton candy business based in Durham, North Carolina.  She and her husband began to expand their family and lost her daughter at 19 weeks.  In this episode, we discuss how being black and Muslim played a role in her birthing experience, how she coped with the trauma of losing her daughter, and hope she has in her small business and growing her family.

Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here

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Today’s guest is a lifestyle blogger behind byDeze.com.  Deze began her journey to motherhood after getting married and lost that pregnancy to miscarriage.  The next pregnancy she had an ectopic pregnancy and in total experienced another 6 losses totaling of 8 pregnancy losses with no live births.  She was diagnosed with endometriosis, endured the removal of her right fallopian tube, as well as the mental and emotional toll that fertility brings.  In today’s episode Deze takes use on her journey through fertility, endometriosis, and pregnancy loss, and how she has found community in Facebook groups and enjoying her non-fertility related content like blogging.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have been diagnosed with endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, or have had recurrent pregnancy loss.

Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here

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Can you imagine going through an entire pregnancy and losing your baby so close to birth?

Today’s guest experienced that and more.  LaQuasha Jarvis had her first baby at 20 and 5 months later was pregnant with her second child.  At 37 weeks the unthinkable happened when she lost her baby so close to delivery. In this episode LaQuasha shares how she fights daily through her loss, how she went on to have 3 more rainbow babies, and how she is turning her pain into purpose by becoming a Doula.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced loss in the third trimester and are holding onto hope for your rainbow baby.

 

Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here

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Book Recommendations and Links Below

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Today’s guest has been on a journey of grief.  She experienced the loss of her first pregnancy with a miscarriage, the death of her eldest daughter, and in her final pregnancy another miscarriage. 

D. Anaya shares in this episode how she has been on this journey of grief and tells her adventures exploring her grief as an artist, grief guide, and loss doula through adventures of grief girl.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experience a miscarriage and child loss.

 

Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here

Living Water Doula Services

Book Recommendations and Links Below

You can shop my Amazon Store for the Book Recommendations

You can follow Sisters in Loss on Social

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

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