blackpregnancyloss images

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

I cannot imagine the trauma this Black woman experienced miscarrying her baby, alone at home and then being charged with felony abuse of a corpse. This is horrendous 😭 This woman’s experience, and so many pregnant people who are facing pregnancy related criminalization is dehumanizing, discriminatory and traumatic. The over control of peoples bodies causing providers to act out of fear of prosecution takes precedence over the lives and safety of pregnant people when they seek care, and for this Black woman and other marginalized bodies, all within the backdrop of racism, discrimination and violence within the system. Abortion laws are abhorrent. Birthworkers everywhere, SPEAK UP AND OUT - CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS 🔥 Full article in bio Link to GoFundMe to in comments - please share and support Story via @apnews #pregnancycriminalization #pregnancyloss #prematureruptureofmembranes #miscarriage #blackpregnancymatters #blackpregnancyloss #pregnancyjustice

Today I listened to my colleague present on this new offering— H.E.A.L. Village (Holding Expecting Anxiety and Loss) These groups (one for Black pregnancy/child loss and one for Black fertility journeys) are open to Black birthing folks nationwide and offer the racially concordant care and community space that UCSF EMBRACE is known for 🖤 More details at the link in my bio #blackmaternalhealth #blackfertility #fertility #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #childloss #blackmamas #blackmentalhealth #sistersinloss

- From 2019-2020 there we 21,000 still births. - African American women are more than twice as likely to experience a still birth than white women. - 10 to 20 of 100 pregnancies end in miscarriage. Pregnancy is hard, loss can feel impossible! 💔We offer a safe space for women experiencing this to process all the complex feelings that occur. This is also a safe space to grieve. #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #grievingmother #blackpregnancyloss

TW: Pregnancy loss Three years ago, I'd just gone back to work after a miscarriage. I didn't know why it had happened but filed it under the "one of those sad things." I was reassured that it was unlikely to happen again. Until it did. And it did again. And by the time I'd collected enough points for an appointment in the recurrent miscarriage clinic, I was pregnant again. Nobody should ever have to combine the heartbreak of a miscarriage with the feeling of "at least I've had enough to be investigated now." When I started spotting later in that pregnancy, it was luck that I knew of an EPU nearby that accepted self referrals. Good treatment shouldn't be a lottery. Becoming a @tommys ambassador last year made me proud. I knew how dedicated they were to making care more equitable. Last week, the recommendations on their pregnancy loss review (published on the back of the lancet series on miscarriage) were supported by the government. This should mean: • Not needing to wait until you've had 3 miscarriages to he investigated • Supportive care nationwide, not based on a postcode lottery • Better signposting for those who experience loss - where to go and what level of support you can expect It's not perfect. But it's a huge step forwards. I wish nobody needed these services at all. But they do and we have a duty to make them better. There are children missing in this photo. I hope that one day I can tell families that this is less likely to be their story, because of work like this. What do you think makes the biggest difference to those who have experienced pregnancy loss? Being able to find out why for one of my pregnancies actually did change how I viewed it. #pregnancylossreview #tommys #Tommysambassador #pregnancyloss #miscarriage #recurrentmiscarriage #1in4 #secondaryinfertility #blackpregnancyloss #earlypregnancy #firsttrimesterloss #secondtrimesterloss

I would love to receive a card and gift a card 💜 Please message me and let me know. #stillborn #stillbirth #stilllife #stillaware #stillbirthsurvivor #stillhurts #iloveyou #stillbirthbreakthesilence #scars #grief #alwayswithme #stillbornawareness #stillbornstillloved #stillbirthsupport #pregnancyloss #pregnancyafterloss #grateful #griefjourney #griefandgrace #trauma #giftacard #birthtrauma #blackpregnancyloss #babylossawareness #pregnanclossawareness #holidaysarehard

Being in community is not organic. Being in community needs to be cultivated. A whole WORD. And rings so true to what want to create here at OBDS. 🍃 Are you a birthworker, doula or careworker in Ontario? Let’s connect, let’s uplift each other, let’s build commUNITY. 🫶🏾 This meet up will be facilitated by @yourqueerdoula and we will be discussing community care within the doula field. What does community care look like for our community of care workers? how can we show up for one another despite differences? —- The Ontario Black Doula Society is a collective of doulas in Ontario providing collective care and education to birth workers and care workers in Ontario. Help us increase the number of black birth workers in Ontario. Learn More about the benefit ulasontario #blackdoulastoronto #blackdoulaswindsor #blackdoulasottawa #blackdoulalondon #communitycare #mentalhealthday #restisresistance #perinatalloss #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #losssupport #grief #griefwork #birthwork #birthworkontof doulas and how to become a doula at www.blackdoulas.ca #blackbirthworkers #ontariobirth #blackdoula #blackdoario #ontariodoula

Being in community is not organic. Being in community needs to be cultivated. A whole WORD. And rings so true to what want to create here at OBDS. 🍃 Are you a birthworker, doula or careworker in Ontario? Let’s connect, let’s uplift each other, let’s build commUNITY. 🫶🏾 This meet up will be facilitated by @yourqueerdoula and we will be discussing community care within the doula field. What does community care look like for our community of care workers? how can we show up for one another despite differences? —- The Ontario Black Doula Society is a collective of doulas in Ontario providing collective care and education to birth workers and care workers in Ontario. Help us increase the number of black birth workers in Ontario. Learn More about the benefit ulasontario #blackdoulastoronto #blackdoulaswindsor #blackdoulasottawa #blackdoulalondon #communitycare #mentalhealthday #restisresistance #perinatalloss #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #losssupport #grief #griefwork #birthwork #birthworkontof doulas and how to become a doula at www.blackdoulas.ca #blackbirthworkers #ontariobirth #blackdoula #blackdoario #ontariodoula

Fill up your cup first, then go do what you gotta do. — The Ontario Black Doula Society is a collective of doulas in Ontario providing collective care and education to birth workers and care workers in Ontario. Help us increase the number of black birth workers in Ontario. Learn More about the benefit of doulas and how to become a doula at www.blackdoulas.ca #blackbirthworkers #ontariobirth #blackdoula #blackdoulasontario #blackdoulastoronto #blackdoulaswindsor #blackdoulasottawa #blackdoulalondon #communitycare #mentalhealthday #restisresistance #perinatalloss #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #losssupport #grief #griefwork #birthwork #birthworkontario #ontariodoula

Doula care is essential care work for the perinatal experience. Often when people think of “doula care” and “birth workers” they assume its only about BIRTH. This is so far from the truth! Doula care is reproductive care, which means support for the full spectrum of reproductive experiences, including loss. A doula can support pregnancy + infant loss by offering: Educational support; making sure you are informed about the process and get connected to the resources you need. Emotional support; doula’s aren’t therapists but, we are great listeners! Memorial support; supporting you through the process of memorializing and honouring your loss. Physical support; gentle massages, meal prep, light cleaning and some also offer herbal support for womb health. Advocacy support; sometimes loss happens due to negligence and a doula can support you with navigating the process for how to tackle it based on your needs and concerns. — The Ontario Black Doula Society is a collective of doulas in Ontario providing collective care and education to birth workers and care workers in Ontario. Help us increase the number of black birth workers in Ontario. Learn More about the benefit of doulas and how to become a doula at www.blackdoulas.ca #blackbirthworkers #ontariobirth #blackdoula #blackdoulasontario #blackdoulastoronto #blackdoulaswindsor #blackdoulasottawa #blackdoulalondon #communitycare #mentalhealthday #restisresistance #perinatalloss #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #losssupport #grief #griefwork #birthwork #birthworkontario #ontariodoula

Supporting pregnancy + birth ….means you are inadvertently supporting grief + loss. Sometimes…pregnancies end in loss. Pregnancy loss can look like: -Miscarriage -Stillbirth -Neonatal death -Infant death -Pregnancy termination for medical or other reasons -Infertility -Chemical Pregnancy -SIDS -Adoption -Surrogacy -Birth Alerts all pregnancy losses are valid and should never be navigated alone. as a birth worker, in order to hold space for someone else's grief you must also be able to face your own. You must be comfortable with the reality that on the other end of life there is death and birth is a dance between them both. This is why every birth is a miracle, so many pregnancies don’t make it. 1 in 4 people will lose a baby via pregnancy and infant loss. it can be a shock to the nervous system when this happens. make sure you have people in your community that you can debrief with. you don't let your clients carry it alone, and you shouldn't either. Are you a new or seasoned birth worker in Ontario looking to build up your community ? You belong here, and you deserve care too. —- The Ontario Black Doula Society is a collective of doulas in Ontario providing collective care and education to birth workers and care workers in Ontario. Help us increase the number of black birth workers in Ontario. Learn More about the benefit of doulas at www.blackdoulas.ca #blackbirthworkers #ontariobirth #blackdoula #blackdoulasontario #blackdoulastoronto #blackdoulaswindsor #blackdoulasottawa #blackdoulalondon #communitycare #mentalhealthday #restisresistance #perinatalloss #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #losssupport #grief #griefwork #birthwork #birthworkontario #ontariodoula

repeat after me: “I don’t need to do it all” And for the birth workers reading….you can’t 🤷🏽. take your time on this journey and connect with people along the way to support and uplift you. Cause….you can’t do it all sib 👀 🖼 @vibesofablackgirl —- The Ontario Black Doula Society is a collective of doulas in Ontario providing collective care and education to birth workers and care workers in Ontario. Help us increase the number of black birth workers in Ontario. Learn More about the benefit of doulas and how to become a doula at www.blackdoulas.ca #blackbirthworkers #ontariobirth #blackdoula #blackdoulasontario #blackdoulastoronto #blackdoulaswindsor #blackdoulasottawa #blackdoulalondon #communitycare #mentalhealthday #restisresistance #perinatalloss #pregnancyloss #blackpregnancyloss #losssupport #grief #griefwork #birthwork #birthworkontario #ontariodoula

I lost my Yonatan on a Tuesday, so every week I dedicate at least that day to writing something in his memory. Turning a horrible day into something better. The first few weeks it kept me going when each week anniversary left me wounded and raw. Now, I just want to talk about my son with anyone and everyone. Last week someone asked me how I had anything to share about a baby who died in pregnancy. She was being honest. She didn’t know what there was to talk about except the trauma of his birth. So why talk, why not just forget. And that was really hard to hear. How could I ever forget about my little boy?! The baby I held close to my heart for 32 weeks. Yes, it is hard but I will fight until my last breath to do the best I can. I talk about my grief and trauma but I also talk about my love and my hopes. I talk about how my son inspires me to do things I would never do. Talk to strangers about my pain. Write about my fears and struggles for the world to see. Ask about how I can bring more support to loss mamas and what I can do to educate and support my local community. Figure out ways to honor other babies lost way too soon. My Yonatan helps me to be brave, he helps me to get through each day. He has helped me to learn the true depths of love, the unconditional well of a mother’s love. He has helped me learn about priorities. He has helped me learn how to say no. He has helped me learn how to sit with my pain but also to sit with someone else through theirs. He has helped me open my ears, my eyes, my heart and my mind. My Yonatan. Did I ever think this would be my reality?! No, no one ever does. No one chooses to live their worst nightmare. But I will keep talking about my precious little guy. I will keep loving him, honoring him, sharing him. He is more than pain and sorrow. He is my son. Yonatan. #babyloss #babylosscommunity #babylosssupport #stillborn #stillbirthawareness #stillbirthsupport #lossmom #lossmama #heylossmama #bereavedmother #grief #stillbornstillloved #pregnancyloss #1in160 #blackpregnancyloss #placentalabruptionsurvivor #preeclampsia #jewishwoman #lossmomclub

It’s only been 3 months. The longest and shortest 3 months in my life. I miss Yonatan so much. Right before I went to his grave yesterday, I was listening to a podcast that asked what would you do with 5 more minutes with your baby. And my heart just seemed to stop as the feelings of longing just overtook me with an intensity that shook me. It was as if someone just punched me in the gut and then ran away to hide, waiting to see my reaction. The tears started flowing and all I could do was mourn. 5 more minutes. I wish I had gotten 5 minutes with a living baby, with my Yonatan alive. If only I could have looked into his eyes and kissed his warm cheeks and listened to his cry. I dream of him curling his fingers around mine. Instead I was jarred after waking up from general anesthesia after my emergency c-section when they reminded me that my son had died at 32 weeks and asked if I wanted to hold him. Let me tell you, no one wants to hold a dead baby. Unfortunately, my son was not the first as medical school gave me that hard lesson. But I would do anything to hold on to my son a little longer. To acknowledge and show the world that he was a real baby, that he was really here. Even if the holding was in the worst of circumstances. A mother’s love. So, as I sat at Yonatan’s grave and yearned with everything in me to have the opportunity to just hold him, to look at him one more time, I just sat and let the breeze take my tears away. Honey, your mommy misses you more than words can express. Mommy loves you. 3 months. #babyloss #babylosscommunity #babylosssupport #stillborn #stillbirthawareness #stillbirthsupport #lossmom #lossmama #heylossmama #bereavedmother #grief #stillbornstillloved #pregnancyloss #1in160 #placentalabruption #preeclampsia #jewishwoman #blackpregnancyloss #blackmama

I took lots of photos when I was pregnant last year. They weren't for social media, (I was convinced that if I shared my news that I'd lose him) they were for me. I wanted proof that he was in there. I wanted hard evidence that he had existed because I didn't get that with any of the others. And I wasn't convinced he would make it. So I needed photos. Close friends who have experienced loss got it. They were the only ones I could tell. My body didn't feel like a safe space for a baby. I was grateful but also suspicious the whole way through. I think I look quite nice in this photo. But it isn't a happy one. I do love my self made dungarees though. They genuinely made me happy. #pregnancyafterloss #nothisisnotareel #secondaryinfertility #recurrentmiscarriage #ttccommunity #ttcafterloss #blackmotherhood #blackpregnancyloss

Pregnancy and Infant loss can be devastating. There is help and support available. Check out this FREE 6-week support group. Please share if you know someone that might need this type of healing. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pregnancy-infant-loss-virtual-grief-support-group-registration-323566454977 #texastherapist #texastherapistofcolor #healing #pregnancylosssupport #blackpregnancyloss #grief

With the news of Ronaldo’s baby loss released this morning, it really puts into perspective that no matter the amount of money, no matter the privilege, there are certain parts of life that are unpredictable and out of our control. Baby loss transcends classes, races, ages, countries… and time. My husband is a huge soccer/football fan and it comes as a shock to realize – these are not common people problems. We are holding space, sending love and warmth to Cristiano and Georgina.   It was about 2 weeks ago when I decided that I am not living my life by timelines or expectations. Being Type A, I am always a planner. I’ve planned out my timeline since I was about 10 years old. I knew when I wanted to have a boyfriend, when I wanted to be married, which University I wanted to go to and when I wanted to have kids. My grade 5 diary had baby names written in it. As hellish as the past month has been, releasing these expectations has been freeing. We are considering relocating and doing things we’ve always wanted to do, that we otherwise may have had to wait until our 50s or retirement for. When our baby comes to us, they’ll be along for the ride. F*ck the 4 walls, a picket fence, and the financial stability we can’t plan our lives around when, where, who and how… we just need to live in the moment, breathe in the moment and do our best. . . . #pregnancy #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #miscarriage #babylossawareness #babylossawarenessweek #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #stillbirth #ectopicpregnancy #chemicalpregnancy #infertility #infertilitysucks #ontariocanada #ontariopolitics #canadianhealthcare #canadianmoms #lossmom #lossmomshelpinglossmoms #blackmoms #ttcwhileblack #miscarraigewhileblack #blackpregnancyloss

I haven’t posted in a while as the past couple of weeks have taken my breath away. April 4th would have been Millie’s due date, followed by my 3rd OB check up on April 6th. I STILL have retained tissue even after an initial period, and still have an HCG reading. I opted for natural management again and am praying to be able to close this chapter. I will have to have a hysterosonogram to confirm the piece is gone or have a hysteroscopy to have it removed before I get clearance. How can I close this chapter when the pieces that my body has built to support and grow Levi, refuse to leave my body? The ugly feelings are strong. It’s STILL not over, yet people who I started this journey with (on insta or IRL) are now going on to what I should be, a mom of a 3-week-old, or at the very least 21 weeks pregnant. Easter was an absolute shit show, I overextended myself even doing a simple dinner with family, I couldn’t even handle being in a room with 6 people thinking about how I should have been at home with a 3-week-old, or 21 weeks pregnant. My nursery furniture is collecting dust, and a family of spiders have moved into make themselves comfortable in the boxes and bags in the basement. I don’t think people understand that this trauma has changed me fundamentally and I will never be the same. I’m not craving service level relationships, I am craving depth and pain. And I need people to sit in that with me. I ordered all my scan photos just so I can see my baby one last time…this is just shit. . . . #pregnancy #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #miscarriage #babylossawareness #babylossawarenessweek #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #stillbirth #ectopicpregnancy #chemicalpregnancy #infertility #infertilitysucks #ontariocanada #ontariopolitics #canadianhealthcare #canadianmoms #lossmom #lossmomshelpinglossmoms #blackmoms #ttcwhileblack #miscarraigewhileblack #blackpregnancyloss

April 4th 2022, was my first EDD. I miscarried my first baby at 6 weeks and 6 days. Prior to TTC, I always wanted boys – I wanted to be a boy mom. When I fell pregnant the first time, I got this overwhelming sense that this little bean was a girl. That is what my instincts told me from day one. We quickly were able to decide on a girls name we both liked, Milana. We joked that we would have a house of fire signs, 2 Aries and a Leo, and that she would be the direct female counterpart to her dad as an Aries girl in the house. We talked about how my husband would have to learn how to style curly hair, and how it was important he taught her all the things he would teach a son about cars and sports and stuff. We were cautiously optimistic. I felt like miscarrying was almost “to be expected” the first go around. When people fell pregnant around me, and then we lost Levi, all the unresolved trauma from losing our first baby flooded back. I felt horrible that we brought Levi home, but that our first baby was flushed. I felt horrible we took the time to name Levi, but we never took the time to name them. Milana is still a name we would consider for a living child, so we agreed that this little bean would be called “Millie”. Today feels heavy. No one knows, or remembers. I am alone. Thinking about what COULD have been, she could have been here by now, or maybe she would have me wait a little longer. Either way I would be folding up her little onesies and getting ready to being her home. But I’m not, and I won’t for any baby in 2022. . . . #pregnancy #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #miscarriage #babylossawareness #babylossawarenessweek #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #stillbirth #ectopicpregnancy #chemicalpregnancy #infertility #infertilitysucks #ontariocanada #ontariopolitics #canadianhealthcare #canadianmoms #lossmom #lossmomshelpinglossmoms #blackmoms #ttcwhileblack #miscarraigewhileblack #blackpregnancyloss

Let me clear the air on this. I hear a lot of people who experience loss say that they feel sad that their body failed them, they can’t do the one thing they were designed to put on this earth to do. I felt like this for about 0.2 nanoseconds, until I realized I was up there with the greats – Chrissy Teigen, Meghan Markle, Beyonce, damn we’ve all experienced baby loss and I’m sure you can throw in some real Queens and Kings in there too (fun fact, I know King Louis had some male factor infertility…)   I’m furious that the education and medical world only focus on “textbook” pregnancies, they don’t teach you that even textbook pregnancies can end in loss, and nothing is a guarantee until that baby is in your arms – there is no “textbook”. The system fails future parents into believing they can plan conception around which zodiac sign they want their baby to have, or that they need to be in a position of financial stability because one slip and you’re on the hook for 18 years. Roughly, 23 million miscarriages occur every year worldwide, translating to 44 pregnancy losses each minute – and so why the f*ck does no one talk about it openly and honestly? 15-year old’s are old enough to handle the risks of parenthood, and what that means on both ends of the spectrum, especially since a quarter of the room will experience some type of fertility challenge. Half of the nurses I’ve spoken to had also experiences loss yet continue to speak and refer to my baby using medical jargon garbage. We need to humanize and speak honestly and openly about fertility challenges and experiences that have existed since the dawn of time. It’s about time that the system recognizes and acknowledge infertility and baby loss and make it a topic of conversation. . . . #pregnancy #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #miscarriage #babylossawareness #babylossawarenessweek #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #stillbirth #ectopicpregnancy #chemicalpregnancy #infertility #infertilitysucks #ontariocanada #ontariopolitics #canadianhealthcare #canadianmoms #lossmom #lossmomshelpinglossmoms #blackmoms #ttcwhileblack #miscarraigewhileblack #blackpregnancyloss

Having 2 miscarriages, I would say there is a different types of trauma that come with spontaneously miscarriages and medically managed miscarriage. The first time around was a whirlwind of confusion, not understanding what was truly happening – it felt like “a heavy period”. The second miscarriage with the baby double the gestational age of the first, felt like birth – and that’s what it was. Medically forcing my cervix to open and the uterine lining to shed and detach the placenta and my baby away with it. After my first miscarriage I was scared to use the bathroom, even while I wasn’t pregnant – and that feeling hasn’t gone away since that horrific day in August. I started spotting last week – which brought back feelings of dread from the first and second loss. But this was a proper post-partum period… it brought back all the trauma and the feelings of the day we lost Levi and some friendly clots as reminders as well. Birth trauma and PTSD are not exclusive to a living baby. I told my husband that I saw a clot that looked to be the shape of a baby, and he couldn’t wrap his head around it. But I would know – because I saw both of mine. I know my hormones are still a mess and trying to return to baseline, but April 4th was my first EDD – next Monday. And it’s all I can think about – how I was supposed to be buying baby diapers, yet I just went back for a pack for me. I just want to feel like me again. . . . #pregnancy #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #miscarriage #babylossawareness #babylossawarenessweek #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #stillbirth #ectopicpregnancy #chemicalpregnancy #infertility #infertilitysucks #ontariocanada #ontariopolitics #canadianhealthcare #canadianmoms #lossmom #lossmomshelpinglossmoms #blackmoms #ttcwhileblack #miscarraigewhileblack #blackpregnancyloss

Many cultures, follow the rule of “post-partum confinement” 40 days following giving birth. Loosely that means giving the time for mothers and babies to bond, the mother to recover, and exempt her form all household duties so she can focus on healing. Many cultures follow this 40-day rule for grieving families, to allow families time to process, heal and honour the dead. So why the f*ck are we not doing this for mother’s who have lost a baby? Double-Whammy it should be 80 days! Not only are our bodies physically healing from painful and traumatic experiences, but the grief process also literally inhibits us from being able to function doing day to day tasks, like working, cooking, cleaning, exercising etc.! Yes, new moms are kept up at night by needing to tend to the needs of their babies, but how about the mom’s that are kept up at night haunted by the loss of their babies? New parents are so tired, that they need someone to help cook and clean for them, the community huddles around to support them, well wake-up call… so are loss parents. Grief is f*cking tiring! It’s been 1 month and 3 days, and I still have to cancel meetings that I can’t cope with, and have lived off coffee, McDonald’s, chips, some fruit and twizzlers for the past 3 days because I can’t bring myself to prepare breakfast or lunch, (bless my husband who has been cooking dinner every night and doing the laundry for the past month). POST PARTUM IS NOT EXCLUSIVE TO MOMS WITH LIVING BABIES – SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!! . . . #pregnancy #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #miscarriage #babylossawareness #babylossawarenessweek #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #stillbirth #ectopicpregnancy #chemicalpregnancy #infertility #infertilitysucks #ontariocanada #ontariopolitics #canadianhealthcare #canadianmoms #lossmom #lossmomshelpinglossmoms #blackmoms #ttcwhileblack #miscarraigewhileblack #blackpregnancyloss

While in my “what’s next on the agenda/let’s come up with an action plan” stage of grief – I had a follow up appointment with my naturopathic doctor. One of the first things she said to me, was that “pregnancy and conception isn’t what it was 10-15 years ago, our world has changed fundamentally, and so has the complexity of making a baby”. Now that may not be the case down to the cellular science, but nonetheless TTC is becoming more difficult, and Baby Loss stats are on the rise. So why is it that women do not receive specialized care from their Day 1? Why is it that you get transferred to the care of a midwife or OB only after 12 weeks, or often much later once everything “checks out”? (Which we all know nothing really checks out until that baby is in your arms) My GP was blindsided by my miscarriage after I told him that I had a drastic drop in symptoms at my 9-week mark, he chalked that up to “everyone is different”, “symptoms start to taper off later on”. So I carried Levi, dead for another 3 weeks believing they were ok. How many babies could have been saved if women were educated by specialists on when to flag for concern instead of relying on less knowledgable GP’s, Dr. Google or other moms on the internet? Loss of symptoms, the kick counts, various bleeds, and the types of cramps pains? How many babies could have been saved under earlier specialized care? Why is it that in the first few months we’re expected to take this “wait and see” approach versus equipping families with knowledge and empowering them during the earliest and most vulnerable stages of the process? Why has this aspect of pregnancy care not evolved? . . . #pregnancy #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #miscarriage #babylossawareness #babylossawarenessweek #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #stillbirth #ectopicpregnancy #chemicalpregnancy #infertility #infertilitysucks #ontariocanada #ontariopolitics #canadianhealthcare #canadianmoms #lossmom #lossmomshelpinglossmoms #blackmoms #ttcwhileblack #miscarraigewhileblack #blackpregnancyloss

I am Black. I am a therapist who works with vulnerable populations. I am young. I have a Master’s degree. None of that changes the way the healthcare saw me, they just saw me as another Black woman coming in for a “common” and “routine” procedure to rid her of her baby. An experience that is also taboo within the Black community itself (but that’s another post for another day). Because, I am a therapist, and because I’m Black, words matter. Part of the whole trauma of this MMC has been me holding on to the words that people have said to me during the process of losing my very wanted baby. Many of us know that Black moms are subjected to 40% more negative (and often preventable) outcomes during pregnancy and childbirth, including death. When I went into the ER due to loss of blood and hemorrhaging following my medical management - I was met with a nurse rolling her eyes and telling me “...you’re supposed to bleed a lot” … I had to justify my pain with “this is my second miscarriage, and my legs are starting to go numb I feel like I’m going to die”. During my follow up appointment the OB on call asked me “was this a wanted pregnancy?” followed with the nurse saying to me “you must be so relieved it’s over”. It’s been so hard to parcel out if these were routine remarks, or microaggressions because I was losing a baby while Black, as somehow my experience was that much more invalid and so was my baby before it ever reached earth-side. This is why ongoing compassionate language and bias training needs to continue to be mandated, we need to see more BIPOC nurses in Early Pregnancy Unit and these conversations need to continue take place across all communities. . . . #pregnancy #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #miscarriage #babylossawareness #babylossawarenessweek #babylosssupport #stillbornstillloved #stillbirth #ectopicpregnancy #chemicalpregnancy #infertility #infertilitysucks #ontariocanada #ontariopolitics #canadianhealthcare #canadianmoms #lossmom #lossmomshelpinglossmoms #blackmoms #ttcwhileblack #miscarraigewhileblack #blackpregnancyloss

Today's been a bit emotional yet bittersweet. My first born named Angel would have been 20 today 🌻🎂💚🕊🤍! I can't believe it! I think about her daily and always what she would have be like right now and what she would be doing!! Every year gets better for me. I don't cry as much... I just celebrate her existence even if it wasn't a very long one. Angel's existence in the womb taught me so much and I'm grateful for the short time we shared. To feel her move and kick for the short amount of time gave me hope that I would be a great mom. Mommy loves you so much Angel 🕊💚🤍🦋 HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂 🌻💚🕊🤍🦋 #LifeasanEDSerwomanofcolor #ehlersdanlossyndrome #lifeonwheels👩🏾‍🦽 #happyheavenlybirthday #firstborn #pregnancyloss #angelsquad👼 #angelinheaven #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssurvivor #pregnancylosssupport #anaunicornzebra #disabledandblack #disabledlivesmatter #blackmentalhealthmatters #blackwomenmentalhealthmatters #blackanddisabled #blackpregnancyloss #blackpregnancymatters #blackpregnancy #keepfighting💪🏾 #keepsmiling😊

*Tw: Post discusses pregnancy loss and anxiety in pregnancy* • I was too scared to share photos when I was pregnant. I assumed I'd jinx it and then it would be my fault when another baby died. • I almost too scared to have photos taken for the same reason. But I decided I needed proof that I'd been visibly pregnant. All I have of the others are scan photos. • I was scared to go back to work after one of my miscarriages and had to do graded exposure to go back into the building. • I wasn't scared to advocate for myself when the initial hospital provided disappointing care of my hyperemesis. I moved to a different hospital and had a much better experience. When being a colleague and a patient collide, it is really difficult to call out poor care. • I wasn't scared to advocate for the birth I wanted. I'd spent so long being probed and sticking drugs in me or up me to get pregnant that I wanted things to be different for my birth. I was fortunate to have an army of people who helped me achieve that. • What did you discover on your pregnancy journeys? I'd love to know! Please share and save to help remove the stigma of talking about anxiety and pregnancy loss. • Huge thank you to @beforeandagain_ for taking these photos. I could only have done it with someone I knew because I felt so nervous celebrating my pregnant state. Also thank you to Jodi of @clarkescloset who made me a headdress and corsage. We'd bonded previously over our HG experiences and she wouldn't let me pay her. Please love and support both of their accounts! • P. S. Bad gal RiRi might be a billionaire, but I'm the original RiRi and I did it first. Lacking the pink puffa though 😔 • #pregnancyanxiety #pregnancyafterloss #secondaryinfertility #recurrentmiscarriage #iam1in4 #blackpregnancyloss #blackmotherhood #pregnancyannouncement #bumpshot #thirdtrimester #babybump #iamalsoriri #lessmoneymoreproblemsthough #iwantapinkpuffa #andsomeofthebling

It seems you were a dream An ephmeral,fleeting thing Just a twitching in brain But my life is forever changed I would be happy, if I could It seems I'm mourning longer, than I should They do not know it never goes away It is every second of every day #bereavedmother #bereavedparents #griefpoetry #lifeafterloss #griefafterbabyloss #pail #blackpregnancyloss #blacklossmom #pregnancyandinfantloss #pregnancyandinfantlossawareness #grief #SemajSarianHoward #poetryofinstagram #poetry #iwantmybabyback

I cry alone at night It's a constant fight Between what I knew and what I know Time ticks along All in my world is wrong But there's nothing left to show Day after day comes Still air in my lungs I breathe And I eat I slide away into sleep #griefpoetry #bereavedmother #bereavedparents #blackmaternalhealthmatters #blackmiscarriage #blacklossmom #blackpregnancyloss #blackbereavedmother #SemajSarianHoward #storiesforsemaj #poetryofinstagram #poetry #pail #lifeduringgrief #lifeafterloss

It doesn't end No, it will last forever None will come together You stand alone You ask Would I have done better with his ashes? Or my baby's bones His name chisled into stone Even though I couldn't bring him home Where are the tears? Those dry eyes you've cried for They love themselves more You've become a chore Uncompleted Left standing All the reaching Is empty handed Offered nothing I have no peace They don't know What it is to eat All alone He's gone He shouldn't be He should still be with me They cut him free But I'm heavier for it Too many others before me Bore it But doctors still can't get it sorted There are some answers But not for all Have to take solace In my child's name on a wall That I will never go to see Because he should be with me #freewrite #poetry #griefpoetry #miscarriageawareness #pregnancyandinfantloss #pail #bereavedparents #babyloss #childloss #gonebutnotforgotten #SemajSarianHoward #blackpregnancyloss #blackmiscarriage #blackmaternalhealthmatters #grief #pregnancyandinfantlossawareness

New Blog Post https://storiesforsemaj.blogspot.com https://storiesforsemaj.wordpress.com #marylandblogger #blogger #miscarriageawareness #miscarriageblogger #miscarriageblog #pail #bereavedparents #bereavedmother #blacklossmom #blackmiscarriage #blackpregnancyloss #pregnancylossawareness #blackmaternalhealthmatters #grief #babylossgrief #babylossawareness #SemajSarianHoward

It’s almost the end of the month and I have been less active this year regarding being supportive around loss as I deal with my own. 🤰🏾 We were due July 10th and then December 6th 2021. 🎁 We never had the chance to share nor celebrate, I wasn’t sure about it now, acknowledging them. 🕊 Yet here I am opening space. I know there are others, much like me, and us. 😞 This year has been a year for all of us in so many ways. Not bad not good just is. 🖤 Many of us are dealing with innumerable situations. Loss in so many ways 😩 Here’s my love, here’s my hugs 😥 If you like drop your due date. I’m here to celebrate with you, they were here even if it was for a little while. They were loved and wanted. 🖤

🚨🚨Mommie Moment Chat🚨🚨 Join Melanated Mommies this 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐎𝐜𝐭. 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝟕:𝟑𝟎 𝐩𝐦 as we do our part to raise awareness around pregnancy and infant loss and support our fellow mommies who have experienced a loss. ⁣ ⁣ We will be joined by @zoomingmoms, @tinyheartsrememberedinc and @mamayaaba who share their personal stories along with licensed clinical social worker @momologymwclub who will give insight on grief and resources to help mommies and their loved ones cope!⁣ ⁣ 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯! 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔗 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐢𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐁 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐒𝐕𝐏 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭! . . . #pregnancygrief #pregnancyandinfantlossawarenessmonth #pregnancyandinfantloss #pregnancyandinfantlossawareness #blackpregnancy #blackpregnancyloss #blackangelmoms #themelanatedmommies #blackmotherhood

February is a time to reflect on #blackhistorymonth, #chdawarenessmonth and LOVE. If your heart is feeling tired or hurting right now, I want to you to try this exercise I teach my clients. Visualize your tender heart in your hands. Hold it like you would a precious tiny baby. Cradle it. Speak kindness to it. Protect it. Use this any time you find yourself judging your sweet little heart. Your emotions are valid. You are doing a great job. You have the power to heal your own heart. Be gentle with it. What's one thing you would tell a grieving heart? #chdawareness #chdmom #heartwarrior #chdangel #blackbabyloss #blackpregnancyloss #blackangelmom #lifeafterloss #miscarriage #ihadamiscarriage #babyloss #pregnancyloss #pregnancyafterloss #infantloss #sids #suids #chemicalpregnancy #missedmiscarriage #stillbirth #deadbabymom #angelbaby #rainbowbaby #saytheirnames #babylosscoach #miscarriagecoach #stillbirthcoach #miscarriagepodcast #pal

‘I went to the doctor who did that to me and I asked him, ‘Why? Why had he done that to me?’ He didn’t have to say nothing—and he didn’t. If he was going to give me that sort of operation then he should have told me. I would have loved to have children.’ But a lawsuit was out of the question, Hamer recalled. ‘At that time? Me? Getting a white lawyer against a white doctor? I would have been taking my hands + screwing tacks into my casket.’ ” . Unfortunately this is not only another case of doctors f’n us over, but Fannie Lou Hammer was another Black woman who also experienced infant loss. . One day in 1961, she went in to have ‘a knot on my stomach’—probably a benign uterine fibroid tumor—removed. Little did she know the surgeon removed her uterus, rendering Hamer sterile. Prior to this bs + unethical surgery, her numerous attempts to conceive all ended in stillbirths. Hamer eventually adopted two girls. . I know this is a touchy + quiet subject especially in our community, but with October being #infantlossawareness month, over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing our business on this topic + our stories. #pregnancylossawareness #everyblackmom #tbt

My #rainbowbaby 🌈 🥰 She is pure sunshine. Grateful for her each and every day. As I approach the anniversary of #onelittleardmissing and my sweet girl’s upcoming 5th birthday, I have a special place in my heart for mamas who are waiting patiently. You are loved and prayed for. #nationalrainbowbabyday #iam1in4 #earlypregnancyloss #pregnancyloss #miscarriage #infertilityawareness #blackmiscarriage #blackpregnancyloss #griefandloss #littlelena #lenasgranddoll #thephdmamma

“𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩.” 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙭 💕 ⠀ trigger warning: pregnancy loss ⚠️ ⠀ today, i was supposed to be giving birth to my daughter, 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧. when i miscarried at 5 weeks, i was ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ. then i learned that 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟓% 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 and i was 𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅! how come i never knew that number was so high?! 😤 ⠀ on the day i miscarried, i was doing laundry. 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 “𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻,” 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆. i thought i was “taking my mind off things,” but i was really coping because my grief was so complex and layered. 🙏🏿 ⠀ it pains me that 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. ⠀ 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚗, 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛.‬ 🤲🏾 ⠀ 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗. 👼🏾 ⠀ today, i am sending love and comfort to Black mamas who got pregnant, but not long enough to get the cute announcement or baby bump, much less a fire maternity shoot...i see you! 💔 ⠀ and shout out to Black doulas, ob/gyns, and nurses. thank you for caring for us when this colonized world does not. ✊🏿 ⠀ there is a Sista right now who feels alone and unworthy because your body “betrayed” you. 𝐒𝐢𝐬, 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠! there’s NOTHING you could’ve done to prevent it. a miscarriage is your body’s way of saying, “hmm...something’s not quite right here.” you are STILL a mom! 💓 ⠀ if you need support, follow @_bornintosilence, @ericammcafee, @black_angel_mom, @akoma_counseling, and @sistersinloss. 🖤 ⠀ may our unborn ancestors guide us from the Great Beyond! #SensualFaith

A Manual on how to care for someone who just lost their baby by Camari Carter Hawkins⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. Sit there. Don’t say a word. Hug Me. I don't want a prayer. I don't want a song. Just hold me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2. If you must speak, only ask this one thing.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What can I do for you? And wait. I will not know in this moment, but I will be glad that you wanted to support and nothing else. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 3. Cry. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This is not a time to be strong with me. This is a time to get weak with me. Hold my hand. Weep with me. Scream with me. Get in the trenches with me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 4. Bring the tastiest food in the world.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Everything in my body left to attend to my grief. Tastebuds have gone, too. If you must bring anything, bring the best food in the world. Maybe then, I’ll be able to coax my tastebuds to come back and enjoy something that I can’t. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 5. Call me weeks, months, years later.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Grief hits after the trauma. This is when I’ll need you. This is when I’ll need you to not be over it because I will never be. This loss is engraved in my skin because the baby was my skin. How can I move on when my flesh is gone? Call me 8 months later. Don’t give up on me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 6. Help me clean.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Because I just can’t right now. I just...can’t. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - - - -⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Remember #KitchenKrew, submissions are still open for our anthology on pregnancy loss in the Black Community. We need your voices. Learn more at www.mamaskitchenpress.com

There are many topics that are difficult to talk about in our community? Why is that? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Do we choose to focus on being grateful? Is it easier to make someone laugh to keep from crying? Are we dealing with enough trauma in the world to now switch focus on yet another? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Are we trained to lay down our burdens at the altar, in church, to God and leave them there? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Listen, there isn't one true answer here. There are many layers. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Because of that, this is why we are choosing to burn down the walls of silence and support our #SororityofBereavedMothers by putting together this anthology. We are seeking voices from the Black Community to tell their stories of pregnancy loss and infertility. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Learn more at mamaskitchenpress.com

We are excited to support Jessica Jackson in her creative expression and endeavor of honoring her lost child. She has created a series that dives into the experience of miscarriage. ⁣ ⁣ Please share and reach out if you have questions. ⁣ Portions of the sales of “Elijah Broke the Gate goes towards a scholarship for women to attend our retreat. Coming soon. ⁣ ⁣ #repost⁣ "ABC" from the book, “Elijah Broke the Gate” by J.C. Jackson⁣ Book Trailer #2 out of 4⁣ ⁣ You may experience a myriad of emotions once you've watched this entire performance piece.⁣ ⁣ This is my real experience. If you want to talk about how this made you feel or your own experience with child loss, I am open. Please DM me.⁣ ⁣ PLEASE watch the video, respond with a like, heart, etc. then SHARE this post with someone who needs it or to an audience that needs to be aware.⁣ Blessings,⁣ J.C. Jackson⁣ For more information follow @elijah.broke.the.gate/⁣ #4elijah  #2020YearOfTheBrave⁣

Sha-Asia Washington, 26, a Black Queen, powerhouse and mother to an amazing little angel, Khloe. On July 2, Sha-Asia recently admitted herself to the hospital after not feeling well and was revealed to have elevated High blood pressure. Was Later admitted into the hospital for observation, was also given meds to induce her labor she found herself given an epidural shot (which was was something she hesitated to not want to receive).... moments later she went into cardiac arrest rushed into receiving a c-section and succumbed to giving birth... literally Sha-Asia passed away from pregnancy. . . Another beautiful baby girl will now grow up without her mother. Without her best friend and will have to navigate the life without the person who carried her and gave her life. . . This can no longer be labeled as an accident, this can no longer be labeled as unfortunate this is out right murder... too many beautiful women who are super heroes are dying at the hands of doctors who are not hearing us! Who are not taking our pregnancy serious!!! . . We need to now do our research our birth plans, pick doctors that look like us, research the mortality rate at the hospital and ask questions to the doctors that will oversee your pregnancy journey!!! We need to make sure they know what you decide... . . Let’s continue to pray for @gf_jojo and for @live_lovemegan and their loved ones who are dealing with such tragedy!!! . . Let’s continue to be vocal and hold those accountable! This has got to stop!!!! . . #blackmotherslivesmatter #blackmothersmatter #momnoir #blackpregnancymatters #blackmortality #4kira4moms #blackmothers #blackmotherhood #blackpregnancyloss

We are excited to support our sister Jessica Owens Jackson in the release of her book trailer "Elijah Broke the Gate", a book of performance pieces surrounding true experiences of child loss. The pieces are broken into three sections: Reflection, Refiner's Fire, and Redemption. The majority of the writings are written by J.C. Jackson. However, there are 4 phenomenal writers that also have featured pieces in "Elijah Broke the Gate". Between July and October, there will be online panel discussions that give people the opportunity to discuss child loss. Congratulations Jessica Owens Jackson @jco02b on your book trailer release and Happy Birthday to Elijah. @elijah.broke.the.gate

Love this beautiful poem and dedication video by @camaricreative on her miscarriage. 👼🏾 As a reminder, submissions are still open on the topic of Pregnancy Loss in the Black Community. Link in bio for details. #repost @camaricreative I planted an oregano today for my angel baby👼🏾 , Blessing, to commemorate the day of loss. Oregano means “joy of the mountain.” I was going to share the video of the moment I told William we were expecting. We chose to keep that moment private. It was too painful. Too much of a reminder. It hurts to see us that happy and hopeful in comparison to now and what we’ve been though. Instead, I wanted to share the moment of planting along with this poem I wrote months ago. Today, I choose to love on this garden. I’m thinking of naming it “Garden of the Blessing”. Maybe. I like it though. 🌱

This page is normally about supporting women and men through fertility struggles. I also didn’t think a word from a white woman was helpful. But I can’t stay silent on this and to ignore it seems wrong. George Floyd was killed because of the colour of his skin, you’d have be living under a rock to not have heard about this. I was also horrified that this was filmed. But if you get no justice for the countless amount of black men and women who are killed with violence by police (the people who are meant to protect you) - maybe your only weapon is the truth and to record the event. . It’s not isolated in the USA since the lockdown in 🇬🇧 there has been an increase in stop and search of black men and women by forty times the “average”. Police brutality was 12% more likely on the 3% black population of the U.K during this time also. . Grenfell tower London burnt down, a block that was part social housing and multiple occupancy. The cladding in building and renovation was cheap and highly flammable - 72 people died the majority of the occupants were people of colour; 3 years on there has been no justice. In pregnancy according to one report, there is a higher risk to black women than white dying in pregnancy. The chance of death is 1 in 2,500 for black women according to the UK Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths. High profile black women such as Serena Williams and Beyoncé have highlighted issues experienced by black women during pregnancy and childbirth. Miscarriages are also higher. . In past jobs I worked for social enterprises & charities who championed and supported black and minority ethnic groups. I trained people on getting EU grants to support communities that had been overlooked, underfunded & poverty and exclusion preceded ‘redress the imbalance’ was the Strapline. Right now, I feel I need to do something to get back to this. . The absence of people of colour in the wellness space makes me feel uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable to talk about race and privilege but it’s a conversation needed. Privilege is learning about racism and not experiencing it.

We remember and honor bereaved moms. #grief #loss #childloss #internationalbereavedmothersday #stillamom #babyloss #pregnancyloss #pregnancylossawareness #miscarriage #stillbirth #stillbirthawareness #infantloss #bereavedmothersday #miscarriagesurvivor #blackpregnancyloss #infertility

Pregnancy Loss Anthology submissions are still open. You may submit anonymously. Visit the link in our bio. #repost @fertilitysmarts ・・・ "almost on a cellular level." ⠀ The words of @michelleobama via @jenniemonologues

PTSD. Being the strong woman that I am, I’ve never given myself the chance to grieve over anything, but I’ve crashed, family. I’ve crashed. I spent 12 days in a hospital to hold her in, gave birth and lost her only to have to lose her again to two emotionless security guards; one holding me with the nurses and one to guard the mortician while he put my daughter in a black box at 6:35AM. Trauma. Now, it’s time to prepare my baby’s body for departure. My optimism didn’t allow for me to think about Ella leaving this earth before me. I haven’t worked since November—A burial? A service? Cremation? Caskets? Urns? This wasn’t on any Google ‘baby preparation’ list. Stress. If you’ve lost—full term, pre-term, miscarried, a positive pregnancy test, aborted, watched your child grow, stillborn; whether it was your mom, sister, significant other, wife or a girl you just met—I understand. If your help comes in the form of a pill, a needle, a bottle, a gun, etc. —I understand. I want peace and quiet because noise makes me jumpy. I want the curtains drawn. I want to hold the blood stained gown that I gave birth to her in. I smell her dress and hat she wore and I cry. I watch the videos and I cry. I look at the photos and I cry. I talk to her daddy and I cry. I take my pills and I cry. The pills paralyze my body and I cry. If I fall asleep, I wake up crying. I share because there may be someone out there that may not have the strength to. I share because speaking openly about my feelings help me process. There is no right way to do this part, but grieve. Take your time. #pregnancyloss #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #pregnancylossjourney #pregnancylosssurvivor #grieve #griefandloss #blackpregnancy #blackpregnancyloss #ptsd #postpartumdepression #ppd #ppdawareness #postpartumbody #posttraumaticstressdisorder

Mama’s Kitchen Press is excited to announce our inaugural anthology launch with the first submissions call to writers, poets, and visual artists to express themselves around a topic that is near and dear to our heart. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The topic of pregnancy loss is taboo in the black community. Many women and men suffer in silence, in rooms, on altars, in cars, and rarely in the arms of another. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We want to collect your stories to honor the transitioning of precious lives, mitigate the suffering in isolation, and bring together our voices in an effort to heal. We want you to know that you are not alone –– there is community. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Your stories will be handled with love, tenderness, and intention. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Please help us spread the word. We ask that you share this privately with a friend who has a story to tell. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ To submit: visit bit.ly/mkpsubmissions or click the link in our bio.

Getting the candles ready for my angel 👼🏾 #birthday #angelversary celebration #pregnancyloss #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #craftykay #alwaysremember #alwaysrememberingourbabies #alwaysrememberingblessing #stillbirth #1in4 #angelmom #blackpregnancyloss #1in4isme #1in4pregnanciesendinloss #1in4stillbornstilloved