The Rainbow Connection

"There's a Gap in Partner Support" — Mahaley Patel and Emily Souder on the NICU, and Their Book Your NICU Story

Mahaley Patel and Emily Souder are both perinatal mental health therapists. After Mahaley's daughter Saachi died in the NICU in 2023, she partnered with Emily to write Your NICU Story, a guided journal for families navigating NICU stays and loss, built to include the partner's experience too.

We talk about:

• The gap in support for partners during a NICU stay
• The shame so many parents carry over how their birth or feeding journey went
• What it's like to recover physically from birth while living in the NICU
• Why no one gets to be the hero of someone else's grief, and what to say instead
• How Your NICU Story came to be, and who it's for

This episode is a reminder that grief doesn't end when a family leaves the NICU, and that the people supporting them deserve just as much care as the ones who carried the pregnancy.

Get to Know Mahaley and Emily:

Mahaley Patel, LMFT, PMH-C, is a licensed therapist specializing in perinatal mental health, grief, trauma, and infant and child loss, based in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a mother of four and a bereaved parent to her daughter Saachi.

Emily Souder, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker certified in perinatal mental health, based in Maryland. She is the author of Birth Story Brave, Reimagined and Birth Story Held for Loss.

Mahaley: www.mahaleypatel.com or @mahaleyhpatel
Emily: @the.magical.emily.souder
Book (Your NICU Story): www.mahaleypatel.com | https://www.amazon.com/Your-NICU-Story-Reflecting-Experience/dp/1734630930

Connect with Kristin
Website: thedoulalife.ca
Held Through: thedoulalife.ca/held
The Nest: thedoulalife.ca/nest
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

"The Least Terrible Option" — Jane Armstrong on TFMR and Why Compassion Comes First

Jane Armstrong is a licensed clinical social worker certified in perinatal mental health, a TFMR and miscarriage mom, and the founder of Both/And Therapy, where she supports TFMR parents through therapy and support groups. In January 2021, at her 18-week anatomy scan, Jane learned that her son Frankie had the most severe form of spina bifida. Facing a ticking clock and no good options, Jane and her husband Will made the decision to end the pregnancy, and Frankie died in February 2021 at 21 weeks and 3 days. Since then, Jane has welcomed her living son Nolan, experienced two early miscarriages, and built a career supporting the TFMR parents who so often go unseen.

We talk about:

• The anatomy scan that Jane calls the continental divide of her life
• Making a decision for Frankie under a ticking clock, and what care looked like in Texas
• The guilt, shame, and second-guessing so many TFMR parents carry
• How care differs between TFMR, miscarriage, and from state to state
• Why TFMR parents are so often left outside pregnancy and infant loss spaces
• Pregnancy after loss, deciding to stop trying, and the family the world doesn't see
• What TFMR parents need from the people who love them

This episode is a reminder that TFMR is baby loss, and that the parents who live it deserve compassion, support, and healing, not judgment.

Get to Know Jane:

Jane Armstrong, LCSW-S, QCSW, PMH-C, IPPE-C, is a native Texan now living in Colorado with her husband Will and their son Nolan. She is the founder of Both/And Therapy, PLLC, offering therapy and a virtual support group for TFMR parents, and the creator of @tfmrsocialworker on Instagram, where she works to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and help TFMR parents know they are not alone.

Website: bothandtherapy.com
Resources for TFMR families: bothandtherapy.com/resources
Virtual TFMR Support Group: bothandtherapy.com/virtual-tfmr-support-group
Instagram: @tfmrsocialworker

Connect with Kristin
Website: thedoulalife.ca
Held Through: thedoulalife.ca/held
The Nest: thedoulalife.ca/nest
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

"We're Going to Live It for Her" — Maria Medeiros on the Loss of Her Daughter Addison, and Advocating After Loss

Maria Medeiros lives in Ottawa with her husband Nick and their dog Charlie. After years of infertility and IVF, she and Nick welcomed their daughter Addison in December, following a pregnancy that checked every box. During labor, repeated warning signs, thick meconium and a dropping heart rate, were called normal until an emergency C-section became urgent. Addison was diagnosed with HIE and passed away 30 hours after she was born.

We talk about:

• Years of infertility, IVF, and an early pregnancy loss before Addison
• Repeatedly raising concerns during labor that were called normal
• The emergency C-section and Addison's HIE diagnosis
• Choosing to do an autopsy, and what it ruled out
• The rituals that keep Addison close, including her Little Library
• Hoping to try again with remaining frozen embryos

This episode is a reminder that a mother's intuition is data, and that grief, however it's carried, can also become a way of mothering out loud.

Get to Know Maria:

Maria Medeiros lives in Ottawa with her husband Nick and their dog Charlie. Her daughter Addison passed away in December, 30 hours after she was born. Maria and Nick hope to grow their family again using their remaining frozen embryos.

Instagram: @mariacleusa_medeiros

Connect with Kristin:

Website: thedoulalife.ca
Free Community: thedoulalife.ca/community
Mother Like No Other: thedoulalife.ca/mother
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

"Wheel Him Over to Mom" — Lili Kovatchev on the Loss of Her Son Kieran, and Motherhood After Loss

Lili Kovatchev is a mom of three boys living in Toronto with her husband Greg. In February 2023, her son Kieran was born after a precipitous labor and ambulance ride, his umbilical cord wrapped four times around his neck. He was diagnosed with HIE, and the next day, Lili and Greg made the decision to take him off life support. Two years later, her son Cillian was born by planned C-section, delivered by the same OB who delivered Kieran.

We talk about:

• A precipitous labor that ended in an ambulance ride to the hospital
• Kieran's HIE diagnosis and the impossible decision to say goodbye
• Telling her older son Declan that his brother had died, and helping him grieve as a four-year-old
• Choosing the same OB who delivered Kieran to deliver her rainbow baby, Cillian
• What it's like to hold joy and grief in the same breath, even years later
• The friends who showed up, and the ones who didn't

This episode is a reminder that grief and love can live in the same body at once, and that even years later, both continue to grow.

Get to Know Lili:

Lili Kovatchev lives in Toronto with her husband Greg, celebrating ten years married this year. She works in marketing and advertising, and is mom to three boys: Declan, her oldest; Kieran, who was born in February 2023 and passed away the following day; and Cillian, her youngest.

Instagram: @lilikovatchev

Kieran's Hospital Fund for NICU Babies @ Sinai Health: https://give.supportsinai.ca/fundraisers/lilikovatchev 

Connect with Kristin:

Website: thedoulalife.ca
Mother Like No Other: thedoulalife.ca/mother
Haven: thedoulalife.ca/haven
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

"Your Baby's Story Is Not Over" — Kristin Mundy on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

Kristin Mundy marks the start of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month with a solo episode on what October actually holds for loss parents, from its origins under Ronald Reagan in 1988 to the Wave of Light ceremony on October 15th. She walks through concrete, specific ways loved ones can show up this month and beyond, witnessing without trying to fix, asking instead of assuming, and saying a baby's name out loud.

We talk about:

• The history behind Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and the Wave of Light ceremony
• Why Kristin both loves and hates this month, and what she wishes more people understood
• What it means to truly witness grief instead of trying to fix it
• Concrete, practical ways to support a loss parent, from showing up with food to asking about their baby's signs
• Why saying a baby's name matters more than almost anything else
• Setting clear boundaries with loved ones about what kind of support actually helps

This episode is a reminder that a baby's story doesn't end at loss, it continues through every person who remembers them.

Connect with Kristin:
Website: thedoulalife.ca
Free Community: thedoulalife.ca/community
Certification Waitlist: thedoulalife.ca/held-through-providers
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Jess Gaeton lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with her husband Tyler. Her daughter Lucy was born small at 37 weeks after a pregnancy marked by IUGR, and spent a month in the NICU before coming home. At seven months old, Lucy was diagnosed with SMARD type 1, an extremely rare genetic disease. After a trip to Ohio for an experimental gene therapy trial, Lucy passed away on May 1, 2025, weeks before her first birthday. Jess is now 28 weeks pregnant with a son, conceived through IVF.

We talk about:

• Lucy's NICU stay and the slow road to a SMARD type 1 diagnosis
• Traveling to Ohio for an experimental gene therapy trial
• The night the family decided together to say goodbye
• Choosing IVF and genetic testing to grow their family again
• What a medium told her about leaving "a piece" of Lucy in the nursery
• Being 28 weeks pregnant while still carrying the weight of the second year of grief

This episode is a reminder that grief doesn't get smaller with time, it just becomes something you learn to carry alongside everything else.

Get to Know Jess:

Jess Gaeton lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with her husband Tyler, their dog Freddie, and their cat Dwight. Her daughter Lucy passed away in May 2025 from SMARD type 1, a rare genetic disease, just before her first birthday. Jess is currently pregnant with a son.

Connect with Kristin:

Website: thedoulalife.ca
Held Through: thedoulalife.ca/held
Haven: thedoulalife.ca/haven
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Dr. Danielle Davis shares the story of her son Lennon — a full-term, healthy pregnancy that turned into every parent's worst fear during labor. In this episode, she takes us through a home-to-hospital transfer, a birth that left Lennon without enough oxygen, a diagnosis of HIE, and the suspected medical negligence behind it. We also talk about the decision to say goodbye, secondary infertility, a high-risk pregnancy with her son Lincoln, and how Danielle turned her own fertility training into Kairos Fertility, a faith-based program for women trying to conceive after loss.

We talk about:

• A PCOS diagnosis at 16 that she was told would keep her from conceiving naturally
• A calm, complication-free pregnancy that turned into an emergency during labor
• Lennon's HIE diagnosis, and the suspected medical negligence behind it
• The decision to remove life support, and the hours spent saying goodbye
• Requesting medical records months later, and what they revealed
• A secondary infertility diagnosis, and using cycle charting to conceive Lincoln
• Being followed at a high-risk placenta clinic throughout her pregnancy with Lincoln
• Building Kairos Fertility, a faith-based fertility awareness program for women trying to conceive after loss

This episode is a reminder that grief and faith can hold each other, even when neither one has easy answers.

Get to Know Dr. Danielle:

Dr. Danielle Davis is a Fertility Awareness Practitioner, writer, and PhD-trained educator. She lives with her husband and their son Lincoln, and carries her son Lennon, born in 2023, with her always. Danielle is the founder of Kairos Fertility, a faith-based cycle charting program for women trying to conceive after loss or infertility.

Instagram: @dr.danielledavis
Kairos Fertility: @kairosfertility

Connect with Kristin:
Website: thedoulalife.ca
Free Community: thedoulalife.ca/community
The Nest: thedoulalife.ca/nest
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Cara Groves is a family doctor in the West Lincoln region of Ontario. In April 2025, at 38 weeks pregnant, Cara and her husband Sean's son Callum was born still, suspected to be caused by a rare hypocoiled umbilical cord her own OB had never seen before. Three months later, Cara was pregnant again. Her son Dale was born in March 2026, less than a year after his brother, and delivered by the same OB.

We talk about:

• The hypocoiled cord found at 30 weeks, suspected as the cause, that no one could fully explain
• Laboring for four days at the hospital, and the moment her OB told her Callum was gone
• Choosing to spend the night with Callum after he was born, and the family members who met him
• The decision to try again just three months later, and getting pregnant faster than expected
• Being induced at 37 weeks with Dale, one week ahead of when she lost Callum
• The same OB and nurse from Callum's birth being there for Dale's delivery
• The half marathon her friend organized in Callum's name
• The gap Cara sees in bereavement training for medical providers, and her push to help close it

This episode is a reminder that grief and love can exist in the same body at the same time, and that birth, even after loss, can still hold moments of peace.

Get to know Cara:

Cara Groves is a family doctor in the West Lincoln region of Ontario. She lives in Hamilton with her husband Sean, their dog Berkeley, and their son Dale. In April 2025, Cara and Sean's first son, Callum, was born still at 38 weeks. Outside of work, Cara is a longtime distance runner who ran cross country and track at Dalhousie University.

Instagram: @cdonnell_

Connect with Kristin
Website: thedoulalife.ca
Held Through: thedoulalife.ca/held
The Nest: thedoulalife.ca/nest
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Maycie Buniotto lives in Colorado with her husband. In February 2025, at just shy of 32 weeks, her daughter Romy was born still, following weeks of worsening growth restriction and a suspected placental and umbilical cord issue that doctors could never fully tie together. Maycie also shares about the two miscarriages before Romy and the one after, the fertility clinic that finally looked at her story as a whole, and where she's at now, nineteen weeks into an IVF pregnancy.

We talk about:

• A severe growth restriction diagnosis that kept getting more serious by the week
• The last ultrasound where Romy was moving, and the one where she wasn't
• Choosing to labor and deliver Romy naturally instead of by C-section
• The night spent with Romy, and turning their nursery into a grieving sanctuary
• Two more pregnancy losses before turning to a fertility clinic for answers
• Rebuilding trust in her own intuition through an anxious, closely monitored pregnancy after loss
• How The Haven has held her through both losing Romy and carrying her second baby

This episode is a reminder that grief and love can exist in the same body at the same time, and that even in the hardest seasons, there's still room for hope.

Get to Know Maycie:

Maycie Buniotto lives in Colorado with her husband. In February 2025, her daughter Romy Olivia was born still at 31 weeks, 5 days. Maycie has spent the last 11 years working in cancer care, and is now exploring a career change into interior design.

Instagram: @maycie.victoria
Substack: @maycievictoria

Connect with Kristin
Website: thedoulalife.ca
Mother Like No Other: thedoulalife.ca/mother
Haven: thedoulalife.ca/haven
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

"Welcome Back to The Rainbow Connection - with Kristin Mundy"

Kristin Mundy welcomes listeners back for Season 2 of The Rainbow Connection. Looking back on 55 episodes of Season 1, she reflects on how far she's come since her nervous first recording with her friend Parisa, and shares what's changing this season, including more solo episodes and a wider range of stories from loss moms at every stage. She also opens up about recording this episode just days before her daughter Vienna's fifth heavenly birthday, and what five years of grief has actually taught her.

We talk about:

• What Season 1 taught Kristin, and how she's grown as a host since episode one
• What's different this season, including more frequent solo episodes and a wider range of guest stories
• Why September is one of the hardest months of Kristin's year, with Vienna's birthday on the 22nd and her earthside daughter Senna's birthday on the 21st
• What five years of grief has taught her about thresholds, grace, and making her own rules
• An update on the Held Through Certification for practitioners, launching in early 2027
• Where to find deeper support, including the free community, Mother Like No Other, The Nest, and The Haven

This episode is a reminder that grief doesn't get smaller with time, it just gives you more room to breathe.

Connect with Kristin:
Website: thedoulalife.ca
Free Community: thedoulalife.ca/community
Certification Waitlist: thedoulalife.ca/held-through-providers
Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!