Sisters in Loss Podcast: Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, & Infertility Stories

Have you heard of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss? Recurrent pregnancy loss is historically defined as 3 or more consecutive pregnancy losses prior to 20 weeks.

Today's guest has experienced 4 pregnancy losses including losing a son at 15 weeks due to chromosomal abnormalities. Dr. Loree Johnson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, shares her loss story and journey to motherhood. In this episode you will hear Dr. Loree's story of strength and perseverance and how she found joy and peace in the uncertainty of this journey. We all could use more joy and peace as we navigate the current uncertain times. This episode is for you to listen to if you are seeking a story of finding joy and strength after recurrent pregnancy loss.

Dr. Loree Johnson's Bio I'm Dr. Loree Johnson, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with more than 25 years of experience as a clinician, educator, and clinical supervisor.

I help my clients navigate uncertainty in their relationships, overcome the emotional challenges that come with infertility and the loss of a pregnancy, and strengthen their relationships.

By combining my licensed clinical background and personal experience into a holistic and therapeutic approach, I support women and couples on their path to parenthood.

I'm a clinical fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and I've also served on the state and national boards.

I live in Hermosa Beach, CA with my husband and pampered pooch. In my spare time, I enjoy salsa dancing, traveling, reading, and riding my motorcycle.

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

Imagine being diagnosed with infertility before you even finish middle school. For DaMarra King, this isn't a hypothetical—it has been her reality since age 13.

In this episode, we are joined by DaMarra King—a wife, bonus mom, grants manager, and the voice behind the Suddenly Infertile podcast. DaMarra opens up about her lifelong journey to motherhood, which began when her period stopped at 13 and she was diagnosed with Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI). Growing up without seeing Black women talking about infertility, she had to unlearn the shame surrounding her diagnosis and choose to speak openly.

DaMarra keeps it incredibly real about the highs and lows of trying to conceive. She shares the realities of starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) late, navigating impatient medical professionals, and often feeling more like a "science experiment" than a patient due to her unique story. She also discusses the heartache of betrayal in her first marriage, the complexities of dating with an infertility diagnosis, and the nuanced, beautiful, yet challenging experience of being a bonus mom while longing for a biological child with her husband.

But DaMarra's story is also one of immense faith and hope. She shares the exciting news that she was recently awarded a grant for a full IVF cycle and will be beginning her treatment this July!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Processing an infertility (POI) diagnosis at just 13 years old.

• Advocating for your body in the medical system and the challenges of HRT.

• Navigating the dating world, divorce, and finding true love after betrayal.

• The emotional complexities of bonus motherhood while battling primary infertility.

• The process of receiving a fertility grant and preparing for IVF.

• Why DaMarra launched the Suddenly Infertile podcast to be the representation for Black women that she didn't have growing up.

Listen to DaMarra's podcast: Suddenly Infertile (available on all major platforms)

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

We often mistake productivity for healing, but true self-care is knowing exactly when to close the laptop and walk away.

In this intimate solo episode, Erica pulls back the curtain on the final editing stages of her upcoming book, *Never Healing Alone* (coming April 2027). After returning from vacation and facing the heavy emotional labor of reviewing her July edits, Erica hit a wall of secondary "grief fatigue." Instead of pushing through, she decided to practice exactly what she preaches in Chapter 8: she chose the Sacred Pause.

Tune in as Erica shares the raw reality of editing trauma, how to recognize when your body is screaming for rest, and why protecting your peace is a radical act of rebellion against the "Strong Black Woman" schema.

Key Takeaways From This Episode:

* Why writing, speaking, and editing your trauma requires a secondary level of emotional labor.

* How to identify the difference between "pushing through" and self-gaslighting.

* Practical ways to put up your "Boundary Shield" when you are simply "over it".

📓 Journal Prompt of the Week:

*Where in your life do you need to take a sacred pause right now? What are you over-carrying, and what would happen if you simply set it down today?

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

"Just when I thought I had exhausted every medical, financial, and emotional option, a miracle took root."

In this week's jaw-dropping episode of the Sisters in Loss podcast, we are joined by the remarkable Quisha Umemba. Quisha is a Registered Nurse, Community Health Worker, and a Fertility Doula in training who knows the clinical side of reproductive health inside and out. But today, she is sharing her deeply personal, heavily tested journey to motherhood—a story of cultivating "Fertile Ground" even when all hope seemed lost.

Quisha opens up about her grueling five-year battle with secondary infertility. She holds nothing back as she discusses the immense physical, emotional, and financial toll of her journey, which included multiple intense medical procedures and spending close to $100,000. Seeking every available avenue to grow her family, Quisha even navigated the complex processes of utilizing an egg donor and a gestational surrogate.

During this exhausting waiting season, Quisha admits she nearly lost her faith entirely. But then, the unimaginable happened: after years of intense medical intervention, she miraculously became pregnant naturally.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The heavy, often silent emotional and financial weight of secondary infertility.

• Quisha's experience navigating the complex world of egg donation and gestational surrogacy.

• The profound crisis of faith that can accompany a prolonged season of waiting and loss.

• The jaw-dropping story of her natural, miraculous pregnancy.

• How her lived experience is shaping her new path as a Fertility Doula.

• The profound impact the book Supernatural Childbirth had on restoring her spiritual foundation.

If you are currently feeling financially drained, spiritually exhausted, or just need a reminder that miracles still happen when we least expect them, this episode is exactly what you need to hear.

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

"We are cultivating community to support moms Bump & Beyond!"

In this week's episode of the Sisters in Loss podcast, we are sitting down with the phenomenal Alexia Doumbouya (pronounced uh-LEK-see-uh DOOM-boy-yah). Alexia is the Founder and President of CocoLife (cocolife.black), an award-winning international speaker, certified Doula, and Childbirth Educator. With a Master's in Organizational Leadership and over 20 years of experience in Healthcare Administration and Public Health, Alexia is a true powerhouse and a leading voice in maternal health advocacy and doula workforce sustainability.

Her life-changing work has been recognized by the CDC, March of Dimes, and CVS Health, and she has featured on major platforms including CNN, iHeart Media, and the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Alexia's own path to motherhood with her two "Jr. Interns" (ages 14 and 6) was the catalyst for her life's work. Her eldest child was the exact reason she became a doula, and the heavy stories of maternal loss, mental health struggles, and obstetric systemic barriers she witnessed in her community became the driving force behind launching CocoLife.

In this episode, Alexia shares how building a strong, faith-based village and growing in community allowed her to boldly walk into the purpose God called on her life. We discuss how she is actively bridging the gap between clinical healthcare and community-based doula support to save lives.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Alexia's transition from public health administration to hands-on doula advocacy.

• How her 14-year-old inspired her to step into birth work.

• The birth of CocoLife and how it supports mothers from the "Bump & Beyond."

• The critical need for maternal health equity and sustainable doula workforces.

• The resources that keep her anchored, including Dr. Anita Phillips' The Garden Within, Dr. Cindy Trimm's Command Your Morning, and her indispensable village.

If you are a birth worker, an advocate, or a mother looking to build a stronger village, Alexia's words will ignite your spirit and inspire you to walk boldly in your own calling.

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

"What if the 'no' you've been mourning was actually a shield of protection?"

In this week's episode of the Sisters in Loss podcast, we sit down with Angie Booker—an incredibly gifted writer, marketing strategist, and public advocate for infertility whose work masterfully bridges professional storytelling with raw, lived experience.

Angie's path to motherhood began nearly a decade ago and was defined by years of silent unraveling. She navigated the heartbreak of infertility, failed IVF cycles, and the heavy grief of a life she imagined slowly slipping away. But then, her story took an unexpected and life-altering turn.

A delayed medical diagnosis revealed that pregnancy would have been highly unsafe for Angie. Suddenly, the "no" she had spent years grieving took on a completely different shape. She began to see that her closed womb was not a failure, but a form of divine protection.

Angie eventually became a mother through the beautiful, grounding path of adoption. Today, she speaks out to help other women and families not just survive infertility, but make sense of it. She shares how she learned to live inside a story that held both heartbreak and grace, and how she allowed motherhood to expand her heart, rather than letting it be defined by how she got there.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Angie's decade-long journey navigating infertility, failed IVF, and the silent grief of waiting.

• How a delayed medical diagnosis reframed her perspective on infertility as a form of physical protection.

• The transition from mourning a biological story to finding grounding joy in adoption.

• Integrating faith and identity when your life's script goes completely off-course.

• The resources that kept her anchored, including Therapy for Black Girls, Fertility Ain't Fair, and the books that guided her adoption journey.

Angie's story is a powerful, comforting reminder for anyone sitting in a season of waiting or dealing with a closed door. It reminds us that our stories can be beautiful, even when they don't look the way we planned.

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

"How do we hold space for the miracle of survival while grieving the loss of a dream?"

In this week's episode of the Sisters in Loss podcast, we sit down with the incredible Dr. Shayla Élise Walker, PhD, LCSW. Dr. Walker is a licensed clinical social worker, professor, and public speaker with over a decade of experience addressing mental health, racial justice, and restorative healing. But beyond her impressive credentials, she joins us today as a sister in loss, blending her profound scholarship with her own raw, lived experience.

Dr. Walker shares one of the most unique and harrowing pregnancy journeys we have ever heard on this platform. After surviving a life-threatening car accident, she was hospitalized in the trauma ICU, where she discovered she was 3.5 weeks pregnant. In the midst of severe physical trauma, this baby felt like an added, beautiful miracle.

Tragically, just five weeks later at her first OB appointment, she and her partner learned the pregnancy was non-viable. Dr. Walker takes us into the unspeakable heartbreak of surviving a near-fatal accident, only to lose her miracle baby a month later.

As an expert who actively works to redefine what it means to be a "Strong Black Woman," Dr. Walker opens up about her biggest obstacles during this time: navigating the intense societal pressure to "be strong," keep hope, and distract herself by pouring her energy into work. Instead, she advocates for a different path—one that allows us to hold the complex, messy truth of grief, fear of the future, and gratitude for survival, all at the same time.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Dr. Walker's life-threatening car accident and discovering her pregnancy in the trauma ICU.

• The devastating transition from surviving physical trauma to navigating perinatal loss.

• Redefining the "Strong Black Woman" trope and resisting the pressure to heal on anyone else's timeline.

• The complexity of holding grief, fear of future miscarriages, and gratitude simultaneously.

• The healing power of connecting with other "heavenly baby" mothers and finding community with Sisters in Loss.

This is a masterclass in healing, vulnerability, and maternal mental health. Please tune in, grab your tissue, and let Dr. Walker's wisdom wrap around you.

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness."

In this week's deeply moving episode of the Sisters in Loss podcast, we are welcoming back a familiar voice to our community. The incredible Nekia Mba returns to share her ongoing journey as one of our "Faces of H.O.P.E."

Nekia is a military spouse, a devoted mother to two living children and three angel babies, the founder of a maternal health advocacy and education nonprofit, and the owner of a strategic advisory firm for women in leadership. She is the true definition of turning pain into purpose.

Since her last interview with us in June 2023, Nekia's path to growing her family has been a rollercoaster of heartbreak and miracles. She bravely opens up about experiencing an interstitial pregnancy, followed by a subsequent pregnancy that resulted in PPROM (preterm premature rupture of the membranes) at 29 weeks. Nekia walks us through the terrifying reality of an unexpected early delivery, the 50 grueling days she spent by her son's side in the NICU, and the absolute joy of watching him thrive today at 15 months old.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Nekia's emotional updates and health journey since June 2023.

• Navigating the trauma of an interstitial pregnancy.

• Surviving PPROM, an early delivery, and a 50-day NICU stay.

• Balancing life as a military spouse, CEO, and mother to both living and deceased children.

• The resources that kept her grounded: Stillbirthday education, Mamma's Voice, the Sisters in Loss community, and the healing power of sharing your story with other mothers.

If you are currently navigating pregnancy after loss, facing a NICU stay, or just need a powerful reminder that joy can follow grief, this episode is for you.

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

Have you ever felt like you had to stand as strong as an oak tree in the midst of your grief?

In this week's episode of the Sisters in Loss podcast, we are taking our community global! We are joined by the incredible Bertha Mowelle, joining us all the way from Berlin. Known to many as "The Oak of Justice," Bertha is a fierce advocate and a pillar of strength who is deeply rooted in building and uplifting a powerful community of women.

In our conversation, Bertha opens up about her complex and deeply personal journey to motherhood. She holds nothing back as we discuss the many challenges and heavy obstacles she had to overcome to find her footing again after loss.

One of the most beautiful and relatable moments in this episode is when Bertha shares the specific resource that helped her heal. It wasn't a clinical textbook or a step-by-step guide. Instead, it was the raw, vulnerable testimony of another woman grieving the loss of her husband. Hearing another sister speak her truth gave Bertha the courage to finally "step out," break her own silence, and walk into her purpose.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Bertha's journey to motherhood and overcoming profound challenges.

• What it means to be an "Oak of Justice" in your community.

• The life-changing power of hearing another woman's testimony.

• How shared grief can give us the courage to step out of the shadows.

🎧 Listen to the full episode now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Click the link in our bio to tune in.

Question for the community: Has hearing someone else's story of grief ever given you the courage to share your own? Let me know in the comments below! 👇🏾

#SistersInLoss #PregnancyLoss #InfantLoss #GriefJourney #TheOakOfJustice #BlackMaternalHealth #MiscarriageSupport #StillbirthAwareness #MotherhoodJourney #GriefSupport #HealingCommunity

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook

In today's episode, Author, Shana-Lee Scott, vulnerably shares her ongoing journey through infertility after being diagnosed with 33 uterine fibroids following her 2017 marriage. After three doctors recommended a hysterectomy, Shannon's faith and persistence led her to a surgeon in Florida who successfully removed all 33 fibroids — saving her womb.

Years of trying to conceive, a 2023 fertility clinic visit recommending surrogacy, and seasons of wrestling with God have shaped Shannon into a voice of hope for women in the waiting. She discusses her 40-day devotional Mommy In Waiting, her work with a fertility doula, and the importance of building the right care team and faith community while surrendering the timeline to God.

Shana-Lee Scott Bio

Shana-Lee Scott is ready to add author to her list of titles. She is the CEO and founder of Breathe & Exhale 360, a certified life coach, and now, a published author. With over twenty years of personal self-care practice, she is passionate about encouraging her family, friends, and audience to take meaningful moments for themselves. Mommy in Waiting: A 40-Day Devotional is a deeply personal exploration of the emotional journey experienced during seasons of waiting. Through heartfelt devotionals, she shares her own experience of longing for a child and the faith it requires. She offers comfort and reassurance to others walking a similar path, reminding them that if it's taking longer than expected to have a child, there is nothing wrong with them.

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

You can shop my Amazon Store or ​Bookshop.org for the Book Recommendations

Join our Black Moms in Loss Online Weekly Grief Support Group

Join the Sisters in Loss Online Community

Sisters in Loss TV Youtube Channel

Sisters in Loss Instagram

Sisters in Loss Facebook