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

Have you heard of Sickle Cell Anemia?

Sickle cell anemia is one of a group of disorders known as sickle cell disease. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. Normally, the flexible, round red blood cells move easily through blood vessels.

During pregnancy the disease can become more severe, and pain episodes can occur more often. A pregnant woman with SCD is at a higher risk of preterm labor, having a low birth weight baby or other complications.

Today's guest was diagnosed with Sickle Cell when she was a child and found out she was pregnant when she was sick and thought she had pneumonia. Regina Jackson felt tired during the Thanksgiving Holiday and had light spotting which she thought was implantation bleeding accompanied with bad cramps. She ended up in the ER where she was continuing to hemorrhage and bleed through the Holidays. Regina woke up on December 30 in labor and immediately went to the ER where they had her wait for almost 2 hours to be seen. She ended up having her baby in the bathroom by herself, and then was seen by the nurses.

In this episode Regina recounts the day she miscarried, how sickle cell anemia plays a role in pregnancy, and how she is surviving pregnancy loss.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have sickle cell or know anyone with the disease. This episode is for you to listen to if you have experienced a pregnancy loss and had to learn to love yourself, live your purpose, and advocate for yourself.

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How do you Navigate Life After Pregnancy and Infant Loss?

Today's guest experienced a miscarriage at 7 weeks and her world shook upside down. She initially didn't think she could conceive, but was happy to find out she was expecting. Mikell Smith was excited when she found out she was pregnant and all of her pregnancy symptoms hit her at once. When she didn't feel those symptoms any longer she knew something was wrong. In this episode Mikell takes us on her journey to motherhood and how she navigates life after pregnancy loss. She shares how she pulls herself together afterwards, the communities she joined for support, and how it inspired her to write a book Still a Mom: Navigating Life After Pregnancy Loss.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have ever wondered how someone navigates life after pregnancy loss. This episode is for you if you have experienced a miscarriage.

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Have you heard of a Transabdominal Cerclage?

In a transabdominal cerclage procedure, a gynecologic surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdomen near the bikini line. Through this transabdominal incision, the surgeon places a small, woven synthetic band high on the cervix. The band supports the cervix, preventing it from opening and losing the pregnancy.

Today's guest was diagnosed with PCOS and knew she would need assistance to have a family. After trying naturally for sometime she was directed to a Fertility specialist who recommended IVF. Michelle Byrd's first round of IVF was a success as she was pregnant with boy girl twins, but lost them due to cervical insufficiency at 18 weeks. She had embryos from her first IVF cycle and was able to get pregnant again after having a cerclage for cervical stitch placed at 16 weeks. Michelle went on to lose that pregnancy at 17 weeks. She then began searching for options to prolong her pregnancies and researched a transabdominal cerclage, a cervical stitch placed before she is trying to conceive and increases her chances of pregnancy. In this episode Michelle takes us back to the painful moment of losing her babies due to cervical insufficiency, her decision for getting a transabdominal cerclage, and her successful frozen embryo transfer and rainbow baby pregnancy.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have had cervical insufficiency or an incompetent cervix and are considering a transabdominal cerclage. This episode is for you to listen to if you have PCOS, experienced a 2nd trimester loss, and have gone through fertility treatments.

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Have you been searching for an app for your pregnancy after loss? Well there is an online app that is for you called Wolomi.

Wolomi is the only digital community that offers support to women of color to improve maternal health outcomes. Membership to Wolomi gives you access to maternal health experts, events, and a community of amazing women.

Today's guest is Wolomi's founder Layo George, who is a registered nurse and maternal health expert that is focused on guiding and supporting aspiring moms and moms-to-be to enjoy their pregnancy journey.

In this episode Layo shares her inspiration for starting Wolomi, her personal journey through perinatal depression, and why Wolomi addresses maternal mental health at all stages through pregnancy and postpartum.

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This is the last week of Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month. All month long we will honor our babies gone to heaven far too soon. This month is special because you get to hear from our Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement and Postpartum Doulas! Yes, you get to hear the ladies share their testimonies and stories to motherhood and why they became Sisters in Loss doulas and how they liked the course.

Imagine experiencing two losses in less than two years?

Today's guest experienced two miscarriages within 18 months. Kayanna Mooreland-Law experienced a miscarriage at 11 weeks and birthed at home in the restroom. She went onto experience another threatened miscarriage at 6 weeks and labored also with the pregnancy and miscarried at home.

In this episode Kayanna shares how she is surviving pregnancy loss and being in a high risk pregnancy, and how she made the decision to become a Sisters in Loss Birth and Bereavement Doula.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have ever experienced multiple miscarriages and delivered at home, and want to know how to turn your pain into purpose by enrolling in the Sisters in Loss Birth and Bereavement Doula course. www.sistersinloss.com/doulatraining

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October is Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month. All month long we will honor our babies gone to heaven far too soon. This month is special because you get to hear from our Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement and Postpartum Doulas! Yes, you get to hear the ladies share their testimonies and stories to motherhood and why they became Sisters in Loss doulas and how they liked the course.

Have you heard of the term Goiter?

A goiter (GOI-tur) is an abnormal enlargement of your thyroid gland. Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck just below your Adam's apple. Although goiters are usually painless, a large goiter can cause a cough and make it difficult for you to swallow or breathe.

Today's guest thought she was showing signs of early menopause and doctors found a goiter on her thyroid and questioned her fertility. Shanicka Vail House stepped out on faith and created onesies as a confession of her faith that God will bless her womb. She had one girl then two years later was blessed with another girl. Then as the world began to shut down she experienced a miscarriage at home with extreme blood loss resulting in a blood transfusion.

In this episode, Shanicka takes us back on her personal thyroid journey, miscarrying at home that resulted in a blood transfusion, and how she is surviving pregnancy loss with her faith in God and becoming a Sisters in Loss Birth & Bereavement Doula.

This episode is for you to listen to if you have ever experienced a miscarriage and delivered at home, and want to know how to turn your pain into purpose by enrolling in the Sisters in Loss Birth and Bereavement Doula course. www.sistersinloss.com/doulatraining

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October is Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month. All month long we will honor our babies gone to heaven far too soon. This month is special because you get to hear from our Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement and Postpartum Doulas! Yes, you get to hear the ladies share their testimonies and stories to motherhood and why they became Sisters in Loss doulas and how they liked the course.

Have you heard of the term Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)?

Intrauterine Growth Restriction is a condition in which a baby doesn't grow to normal weight during pregnancy.

Causes of intrauterine growth restriction vary but include placenta abnormalities, high blood pressure in the mother, infections, and smoking or alcohol abuse.

With this condition, a baby is born weighing less than 90 percent of other babies at the same gestational age.

Today's guest experienced two early miscarriages, and determined to become a mother lost over 130 pounds in hopes of reducing any barriers to having a healthy baby. Laura Gooch Brown was able to conceive a baby boy Jaden and during the last trimester they were diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Jaden would not survive. In this episode she recalls her specialists visits for different opinions and received the same prognosis. During a scheduled amniocentesis she learned that Jaden's heart had stopped and she had to deliver him the following day. Laura shares in this episode what it was like during her two year wait to conceive her rainbow baby boy Jordan, her pregnancy and delivery with him, and how she is giving back to her community by becoming a Sisters in Loss Birth and Bereavement Doula.

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October is Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Awareness Month. All month long we will honor our babies gone to heaven far too soon. This month is special because you get to hear from our Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement and Postpartum Doulas! Yes, you get to hear the ladies share their testimonies and stories to motherhood and why they became Sisters in Loss doulas and how they liked the course.

Have you heard of recurrent pregnancy loss?

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is defined by two or more failed pregnancies and is considered distinct from infertility. When the cause is unknown, each pregnancy loss merits careful review to determine whether specific evaluation may be appropriate, and after two or more losses, a thorough evaluation is warranted.

Today's guest experienced 5 miscarriages after having her baby girl, one being an ectopic pregnancy where she lost her fallopian tube, and then was diagnosed with secondary infertility. Anesha Stanley's first pregnancy ended with a miscarriage in 2014. Three months later she found out she was pregnant with her rainbow baby girl, Sinai. She waited two years before trying to conceive again. In 2017 we began experiencing recurrent pregnancy losses. Miscarriage #2 on January 14, 2017. An ectopic pregnancy #3, November 1, 2017 was treated with methotrexate. Anesha went onto experience two more losses and was diagnosed with secondary infertility and tubal failure.

In this episode, Anesha takes us back to what it was like experiencing the highs of finding out she was pregnant and the lows and pain of miscarriage. She shares how she felt after being diagnosed with secondary infertility and tubal failure, and how and why she started her non profit Keys of Hope Foundation and became a Sisters in Loss Birth & Bereavement Doula.

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Have you heard of twin to twin transfusion syndrome?

Twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a condition that occurs only in monochorionic pregnancies — ones in which two or more genetically identical babies (usually twins) share the same placenta. Although all identical twins share a placenta, TTTS develops in about 10 to 15 percent of those pregnancies.

Today's guest experienced a stillbirth at 32 weeks, an early miscarriage, and a 22 week pregnancy ending in twin to twin transfusion. Ebony Ford has a story to tell after moving forward with her adoption journey she found out she was pregnant with her rainbow baby girl. That pregnancy was uneventful until 26 weeks where she came back from vacation and discovered she was in complete kidney and liver failure due to preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Her micropreemie Reign Victoria was born at 26 weeks weighing 1lb 15oz and spent time in the NICU while Ebony was fighting for her life through dialysis, intubation, ventilation and more.

In this episode Ebony shares her journey through stillbirth, miscarriage, and losing twins due to twin to twin transfusion. She also shares the day she almost lost her life and her 3 month NICU journey with Reign Victoria. Now Ebony has turned her pain into purpose by advocating for prematurity, traumatic birth, medically fragile children and maternal health.

This episode is for you to listen to if you want to know how it is to raise a micro preemie and medically fragile child. You should listen to this episode if you experienced a stillbirth, miscarriage, twin loss, or preeclampisa and HELLP syndrome.

Listen to this episode here: sistersinloss.com/ep169

Can you imagine getting a diagnosis that you baby is not expected to live due to their rare birth defect?

Today's guest experienced a miscarriage at 8 weeks and then went on to conceive her rainbow baby. At her 20 week ultrasound she received the news no parent doesn't want to hear that her son Jaleel had a rare birth defect called Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction. LUTO is life-threatening as it damages the unborn baby's kidneys, bladder, and causes underdeveloped lungs due to low or no amniotic fluid because of blockage in the urinary tract. Tanisha Burke Wormley persevered with her pregnancy after being told her son Jaleel could be stillborn due to his underdeveloped lungs and kidney damage. But God! God saw fit for Jaleel to not only survive delivery, but also a 157 day NICU stay, 2 ER re-admissions, and 11 surgeries.

In this episode Tanisha and I share experiences of having rainbow babies with complex medical needs, how she is managing life pregnant with her rainbow baby girl and a toddler with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease.

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This episode is for you to listen to if you are a mother with a child with complex medical needs and wanting to grow your family. This episode is for you to listen to if you have had a miscarriage and/or a NICU experience.