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

After experiencing multiple miscarriages today's guest found herself on Dr. Google to find comfort. She found exactly what she was seeking an online doula board which inspired her to become a birth doula. Today's guest is one of the 100+ Black women founders that have raised over 1 million dollars in capital. She has leveraged the power of technology to bring together womxn seeking emotional and mental health support during their pregnancy and postpartum journey together into a trusted and safe digital space.

Simmone Taitt is the Founder & CEO of Poppy Seed Health, is on a mission to bring together womxn from pregnancy through postpartum. After an isolating experience with her doctor, Simmone sought comfort and community. She quickly saw the lack of emotional and mental health support for womxn going through the life changing experience of having children and sought to rectify it. Her company is transforming the way care is delivered by providing 24/7 on-demand text access to doulas, midwives, and nurses — and it's working, especially during the COVID era, when she's seen a 140% increase in business. A sales, innovation, and growth strategy leader, Simmone spent 14 years building high growth startups before starting Poppy Seed Health.

In today's episode we discuss the story behind her company, from the first product iteration to fundraising during a worldwide pandemic, her work as a doula, and how Poppy Seed Health mission goes beyond pregnancy including loss, grief, trying to conceive and fertility.

Listen to this episode here: sistersinloss.com/ep236

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Shadina Blunt is a two-time gestational carrier, most notably for Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Kandi Burrus and her husband Todd Tucker of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Shadina came forward with her story along with the Tuckers, and is now known as the face of surrogacy.

Shadina released her first book in December 2021, a children's book entitled Miracle Motherhood: Mary's Gift of Life. This self-published, beautifully illustrated book follows two families whose chance meeting leads them through gestational surrogacy...and helps answer many of the questions children of intended families and carrier families tend to have about the gestational surrogacy process.

Shadina is passionate about gestational surrogacy as an option for families who cannot safely carry a baby. Shadina is also co-owner Surrogacy Miracles Consulting in Atlanta where she helps families navigate the complexities of gestational surrogacy. Her new non-profit is designed to help financially support families - especially families of color and same sex-couples- who seek gestational surrogacy to grow their families after suffering in silence after pregnancy loss, fertility issues, and societal stigmas and shame. Gestational surrogacy is not just for celebrities!

In today's episode we discuss her journey to motherhood, becoming a gestational carrier, her new book and Surrogacy Miracles agency and upcoming Brunch in Janaury 2022 in Atlanta.

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Today's episode is another throwback episode talking about Uterine Fibroids.

In today's episode we have Fibroids Activist and Health Coach, Gessie Thompson who shares her Uterine Fibroid Journey and Eliminating Fibroids through Diet and Detox. Gessie Thompson is one of the 90% of Black Women affected by fibroids by age 50. She personally battled the epidemic for 14 years and the resulting infertility for 10 of those years to have her miracle baby Nia. Her grueling journey included 10 surgeries, five IVF cycles, a devastating miscarriage and even her heart stopping on the delivery table. In this episode Gessie takes us back on her healing journey spiritually and physically, we both share how our hysterectomy's led to us eating a plant based diet, and how she is helping other women eliminate estrogen dominance and inflammation through her DetoxNow and Fibroid Elimination program.

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For December we are throwing back to some of our favorite podcast episodes. Have you ever wondered how the IVF process works? Is IVF for you?

In today's episode we have Candace Farris who has been on her infertility journey for 10 years due to Uterine Fibroids. After a failed IVF in August 2017, having her mother pass away in the middle of her IVF cycle, she is currently 10 weeks pregnant from a successful 2nd round of IVF.

In this episode Candace discusses her journey to motherhood, having surgery to remove fibroids, her husband having surgery to help with sperm quality, and preparing her body for her upcoming embryo transfer. Candace had a successful embryo transfer and her daughter Victory is now 3 years old. She also discusses her vlog and youtube channel Fruitful Journey as she is documenting her entire story with us. This episode is for you to listen to if you are still in the wait for your miracle baby!

Listen to this episode here: sistersinloss.com/ep233

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All month long we will feature some of our favorite episodes around different topics. Today's topic is all about how to move forward after miscarriage.

Rana Campbell host of Dreams in Drive Podcast who shares her miscarriage story and the cost of miscarriage from her feature in Elle. After her miscarriage in 2016 Rana found the hospital bills quickly adding up to the thousands of dollars even with insurance. In this episode Rana takes us back to how she started Dreams in Drive while grieving the loss of her baby, and how her feature helped her shed light on the financial burden of losing a child. Rana has since given birth to her rainbow baby. Congratulations Rana and thank you for sharing your story.

Crystal Justice found out she was pregnant on Aug 9, 2018. On Sept 7, 2018 she was told that the pregnancy was no longer viable. Despite my HCG levels and Progesterone levels being normal her D&C was scheduled on Sept 11, 2018 which is was her partner's birthday. In this episode Crystal takes us back to that day and how her faith has helped her heal from miscarriage.

Sherita Thompson experienced a miscarriage while on a trip helping friends babysit and was devastated. She returned from her trip and realized she hadn't prayed about it because she was angry and frustrated at herself. In this episode Sherita takes us on her grief journey towards healing, how her faith and prayer helped her conceive her rainbow baby a month after her miscarriage, and encouragement for those moms who are overwhelmed.

Listen to this episode here: sistersinloss.com/ep232

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For the rest of December long we will feature and throwback to some of our favorite Sisters in Loss podcast episodes.

Today's topic is all about how to survive after stillbirth.

We are featuring two of my favorite episodes of the podcast, Episode 5 with Diana Sims who shares her stillbirth story of son King, born at 36 weeks gestation, and her journey to rainbow baby Anthony.

In episode 162 of the podcast Shana Anderson takes us on the journey of birthing her rainbow baby and losing her son on the same day all while grieving her stillborn daughter. Shana is raw as it is weeks after laying her son Bryce to rest. She takes us back to the day of great joy and deep sorrow of birthing a son and losing a son. Shana is taking it one day at a time and literally spoke life over herself, her womb, and baby Brayden as he was growing in her belly while taking care of a medically fragile toddler.

This episode is for you to listen to if you want to know what God's grace and mercy looks like on earth in the form of strength and resilience.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced a placenta abruption, stillbirth, or pregnancy after loss.

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Today's guest motherhood journey did not start out as planned. She conceived two months after getting married with twins. Her and her husband were both enlisted in the Marine Corps and he was stationed in California while she stayed in North Carolina. Theresa Alexis woke up bleeding at 20 weeks pregnant and was rushed on base to the Naval hospital where they took their time to get her back and was told her twins had no heartbeat and hopefully, she wasn't as far along as they'd thought. In this episode, Theresa takes us back to the emotions she felt in that moment, how her husband flew back to her, and the military treatment received post loss with fear, anxiety, and depression. This episode is for you to listen to if you are a veteran and are currently enlisted in the military or have experienced a twin loss. Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here Living Water Doula Services Book Recommendations and Links Below

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Have you heard of the term transabdominal cerclage?

A transabdominal cerclage is a small, extremely strong, woven synthetic band stitched high on the cervix. This band supports the full length of the cervix and resists the pressure the growing fetus places on it. The band prevents the cervix from opening and losing the pregnancy.

Today's guest experienced several miscarriages before giving birth to a stillborn son at 21 weeks due to an incompetent cervix. She went on to experience a few more miscarriages and went to a fertility specialist who recommended a IUI and a transvaginal cerclage when she became pregnant. Amina Lively ended up getting pregnant naturally with twins, but shortly after becoming pregnant she lost Baby B. They went forward with the transvaginal cerclage, but at 18 weeks she went into labor and lost Baby A. In this episode, Amina shares with us the birth trauma she experienced, how she researched a transabdominal cerclage and scheduled the procedure, and how she is hopeful and resilient to bring home a baby.

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Today's guest experienced her first loss of a blighted ovum that required surgery and then discovered she had fertility issues and began fertility treatments. She then experienced another miscarriage and had the baby at home.

Tamara Hunter learned from her fertility specialist/reproductive endocrinologist that she had thrombophilia, a blood abnormality, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and ovarian cyst. She decided to undergo surgery to strengthen her chances of conceiving with additional fertility treatments.

In this episode, Tamara shares how she perceived her body betraying her, the emotional and physical trauma she experienced, and how her infertility journey led her to become a Perinatal Mental Health therapist.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have fertility challenges and feel like your body betrayed you.

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Today's guest had a daughter right after college then was married and struggled with infertility both female and male factor infertility. Vanessa Goodar experienced two failed IVF rounds, a failed insemination, and had an involuntary hysterectomy at age 37. These experiences caused severe psychological and emotional distress and she struggled with insomnia, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Her ex-husband placed her in a psychiatric facility for the homeless and uninsured due to systemic racism. Vanessa was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and treatment. In this episode, Vanessa takes us back to her journey through infertility and how it triggered childhood trauma that resulted in her mental illness, going back to school to study psychology, and the Strong Black Woman syndrome.This episode is for you to listen to if you have struggled with mental illness, have fertility challenges, and are thriving. Become a Sisters in Loss Birth Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Here Living Water Doula Services Book Recommendations and Links Below

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