On this week's episode, we welcome Sabrina Fletcher - known as the TFMR Doula. Sabrina helps bereaved parents in the aftermath of a heartbreaking decision to terminate a very wanted pregnancy. We have very important conversations about what a TFMR, support, and awareness and the need for abortion policies to be protected.

EDIT: The intro should say TFMR happens in *up to* 80,000-90,000 pregnancies each year in the U.S. not approximately. 

On this episode you will hear:
- discovering the need for TFMR
- challenges of TFMR decision-making
- barriers and challenges in accessing care
- the importance of TFMR-specific support
- the disconnection and jealousy
- navigating societal and political attitudes towards TFMR
- validating grief in all experiences of abortion and termination
- the importance of trauma-informed care for TFMR
- creating space for complex emotions in TFMR

You can find Sabrina on Instagram: @thetfmrdoula

Guest Bio:
Sabrina Fletcher is a TFMR doula helping bereaved parents in the aftermath of a poor prenatal/maternal/perinatal diagnosis and the heartbreaking decision to terminate a wanted pregnancy (TFMR). As a bereavement doula, she supports as one navigates grief after baby loss so one can learn to honor their baby and their grief and move in the world from the love they have for their child.

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

On this week's Listener Series, we welcome Stephanie to the podcast. Stephanie had an emergency induction for sudden hypertension at 40 weeks and 1 day. Her daughter ended up needing a NICU stay and Stephanie put her own health on the back burner until 6 days postpartum her health took a turn for the worst an she experienced multiple organ failure and postpartum HELLP syndrome.

On this episode, you will hear:
- emergency induction and pregnancy complications
- cholestasis 
- subchorionic hematoma
- HELLP and multiple organ failure
- postpartum preeclampsia
- healing and community support
- NICU stay
- roomed with another mom and newborn while baby is in NICU

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

On this week's episode, we welcome Elizabeth Earnshaw, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Liz is a couples therapist, writer, and content creator. This episode is full of so many nuggets like how to encourage therapy for your parter as well as themes that are often present in relationships after both kids and trauma. We hope you find this episode so helpful!

On this episode, you will hear:
-Exploring the world of couples therapy
- The impact of trauma on relationships
- Navigating couples therapy after having a baby
- What to do when a partner is not interested in therapy
- The role of couples therapy in trauma recovery
- Addressing dismissiveness, betrayal, and mental load
- Rebuilding trust in relationships


You can find Liz on Instagram: @lizlistens

Guest Bio:
Over the last decade, Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT has become one of today’s most trusted relationship teachers. Elizabeth is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Fellow of The American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy. She is the Head of Relationship Health at OURS, where she is working to make relational wellness mainstream & accessible, starting with premarital counseling. She also founded A Better Life Therapy, where she sees couples in her tailored weekend intensives. In addition to making couples therapy more accessible, she is the author of “I Want This To Work”. Elizabeth is also the host of Hash it Out on Good Risings where she offers advice to everyday relational conundrums.

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

On this week's episode - we are doing a special re-release in honor of Father's Day coming up.

Join me and my husband, Steve, as we answer your questions on partner trauma and the impact of birth trauma on relationships.

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

On this week's episode, we welcome Allie. She shares about her pregancy, which was picture perfect until she was 12 hours into her induction. Her baby's heart rate dropped and she had to have an emergency c-section under general anesthesia due to an inadequate epidural. Her baby needed CPR at birth and Allie had the most hemorrhages her doctor had ever seen on the OR table. 

On this episode, you will hear:
- emergency c-section under general anesthesia
- CPR for baby after birth
- DIC
- JADA use in hospital
- 2 inch tear in cervix and clotting
- postpartum complications and diagnosis
- physical recovery and support from partner
- impact on watching positive birth stories
- advice to those going through a traumatic birth

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

On this week's episode - we are doing a special re-release in honor of Father's Day coming up. 

Details of a traumatic birth are included in this episode. 

In this episode, my husband, Steve joins me to discuss his perspective on Cal's birth and the impact it had on him, as well as our relationship. 

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

On this week's episode, we welcome Mandy Irby, @thebirthnurse. Mandy is a board-certified labor nurse with 12 years of experience. Through her own birth experiences and her years at the bedside she has recognized the desperate need for trauma-informed care, not just for the benefit of patients, but also for nurses. Mandy joins us to discuss the importance of trauma-informed for a culture change in perinatal nursing.

On this episode, you will hear:
- Challenges of trauma-informed care in nursing
- Repair and emotional regulation in trauma-informed care
- Empowering patient-centered care through trauma-informed practices
- The role of nurses in patient care and outcomes
- Education and confidence in healthcare workers

You can find Mandy by visiting her website, LinkedIn, and @thebirthnurse

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Guest Bio:
Mandy Irby, is a board-certified labor nurse with 12 years of experience supporting survivors of assault and trauma through pregnancy, birth planning, and at their bedside during childbirth and pregnancy loss. After experiencing her own birth trauma, she quickly learned that the birth care system is NOT centered on human rights, patient choice, and the individual human experience. In 2020, Mandy made education a full-time career. She now teaches and supports parents and nurses how to better center voice, choice, and physiology in birth. It's Mandy’s mission to change birth culture so that it's parent-centered, trauma-informed, and safe – for everyone.

Mandy enjoys teaching L&D units in-person Peanut Ball, Labor Support Skills and Trauma-Informed Care At the Bedside workshops. She also supports local parents with small-group Spinning Babies® Parent Classes when in-person learning is safest. Mandy is also an international educator through her online, on-demand childbirth ed classes and she supports anxious parents-to-be with virtual, one-on-one trauma-informed birth strategy sessions. She’s the co-founder of Fearless Birth, Delivered, founder and owner of The Birth Nurse®, and a proud co-creator of the BRAND NEW Trauma-Informed Birth Nurse Program. As a creative educator, Mandy is also the co-author of an Amazon-best seller VBAC book, Baby Got VBAC, and reaches millions of viewers each month through her very engaged, tongue-in-cheek social media platforms.

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

This week's listener story, we welcome Kate. Kate found out that they were having identical triplets and how her delivery took a quick turn. Kate experienced severe postpartum hemorrhages and her triplets had a NICU journey, which she shares on the isolating experience that all of that entailed.

On this episode you will hear:
- identical triplets
- multiple hemorrhages
- surreal experience of the NICU
- postpartum challenges after the NICU
- support systems and therapy
- the importance of sharing and healing

If you have a birth trauma story you would like to share with us, click this link and fill out the form.

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

On this week's episode, we welcome Jamie Agunsday. Jamie is a registered nurse from New Jersey, experienced in L&D and is so passionate about reducing maternal mortality rates, teaching nurses, and helping reduce health disparities in the maternal healthcare. 

On this episode, you will hear:
- understanding patient safety in obstetrics
- importance of psychological safety
- implementation challenges in patient safety
- measuring patient safety and equity
- preventing and mitigating trauma in severe maternal events
- importance of provider support and debriefing
- the power of sharing patient stories

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

On this week's listener series we welcome Brittany. She found out they were pregnant in 2022 after dealing with several early losses. Nearing the end of her pregnancy, Brittany started to notice some symptoms that weren't normal and she was diagnosed with the flu - however, something felt off even after that. They returned to the hospital after she noticed her face was drooping and she was told that she has Guillain-Barré syndrome. Things escalated very quickly and she delivered her son via emergency c-section because her symptoms from Guillain-Barré syndrome rapidly were progressing. She shares about her experience and her healing journey very vulnerably in her 10+ month journey learning how to eat, drink, and walk again.

On this episode you will hear:
- early losses
- gestational diabetes
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- challenging postpartum
- NICU stay for her son
- 5 month hospital stay in recovery
- learning to eat again, drink again, walk again

You can follow Brittany on Instagram at @cidpwithbritt

If you have a birth trauma story you would like to share with us, click this link and fill out the form. 

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.