Hope Mommies Podcast - Gospel Hope for Grieving Moms

Dr. Alyssa Kirsch understands pregnancy and infant loss from both sides of the hospital room. As an OB-GYN, she has cared for families on some of their happiest and hardest days. And as a Hope Mom, she knows the devastation of leaving the hospital without the baby you expected to bring home. In this episode, Dr. Kirsch shares the story of her son, Beckett, and how his life and death have shaped her as a mother, a physician, and a woman of faith. She and Jennie talk about the guilt and unanswered questions many mothers carry after loss, the fear that can accompany a subsequent pregnancy, and the compassionate care grieving families need from their medical providers. Dr. Kirsch also shares what she has learned about the power of presence, the importance of caring for the whole mother, and the hope she continues to find through prayer and trust in the Lord. Links: Comprehensive OB/GYN Hope Mommies Website Subscribe to our Newsletter Join our online Facebook Group Connect with us on Facebook Connect with us on Instagram Podcast Guest Submission Make a Donation Sponsor an episode of the HM Podcast in honor of a Hope Baby   The Hope Mommies Podcast is a ministry of Hope Mommies, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that exists to bring bereaved families comfort, encouragement, and relational support as they continue to walk this side of eternity without their beloved son or daughter. The music used is Sparrow Song, courtesy of Katie Cobbs and Flourish Creative.   

After years of longing for marriage and motherhood, Susan Lavender married her husband, James, at 41 and soon discovered she was pregnant. It felt like a beautiful answer to years of prayer and waiting. But over the next few years, Susan and James would experience the loss of four babies, Asher Grace, Christopher James, Anna, and Eden Leigh, along with the death of Susan's father. In this episode, Susan joins Jennie to talk honestly about repeated miscarriage, compounded grief, and what it means to be a mother when your motherhood isn't always visible to the people around you. She shares about wrestling with God through questions, anger, comparison, and longing, and about the people and places the Lord used to meet her in some of her hardest days, including the Psalms and the Hope Mommies community. Together, Jennie and Susan talk about the difference between understanding what God is doing and trusting Him in the midst of what we don't understand, the ache of watching other families grow, and the hope of knowing that our identity is ultimately held in Christ. Susan's story is still being written, and she doesn't offer easy answers for the places that still hurt. Instead, she points us back to the One who sees every unseen mother, holds every child, and remains faithful even when the life we are living looks nothing like the one we once imagined. Links: Hope Mommies Website Subscribe to our Newsletter Join our online Facebook Group Connect with us on Facebook Connect with us on Instagram Podcast Guest Submission Make a Donation Sponsor an episode of the HM Podcast in honor of a Hope Baby   The Hope Mommies Podcast is a ministry of Hope Mommies, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that exists to bring bereaved families comfort, encouragement, and relational support as they continue to walk this side of eternity without their beloved son or daughter. The music used is Sparrow Song, courtesy of Katie Cobbs and Flourish Creative  

When a family learns their baby has a life-limiting diagnosis or experiences the loss of a child, compassionate care can make all the difference.   In this episode, Jennie sits down with Ryley Chestnut, a wife, homeschooling mom, StillBirthday-certified birth and bereavement doula, and fellow Hope Mom. After her daughter, Jaycee Grace, was diagnosed with anencephaly and died in 2016, Ryley felt God calling her to walk alongside other families facing pregnancy and infant loss. Today, she serves as the operations director for Labor of Hope while continuing to care for families through birth and bereavement support.   Together, Jennie and Ryley talk about Jaycee's story, the practical and compassionate care grieving families need, what it looks like to serve as a bereavement doula, and the many ways the body of Christ can faithfully love families in the midst of heartbreak.   Whether you are grieving yourself or want to better care for someone who is, we pray this conversation offers practical encouragement, compassionate insight, and a deeper confidence in the hope we have in Christ.   Links: Labor of Hopestillbirthday Hope Mommies Website Subscribe to our Newsletter Join our online Facebook Group Connect with us on Facebook Connect with us on Instagram Podcast Guest Submission Make a Donation Sponsor an episode of the HM Podcast in honor of a Hope Baby   The Hope Mommies Podcast is a ministry of Hope Mommies, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that exists to bring bereaved families comfort, encouragement, and relational support as they continue to walk this side of eternity without their beloved son or daughter. The music used is Sparrow Song, courtesy of Katie Cobbs and Flourish Creative.  

One of the hardest parts of carrying on after miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss is that grief doesn't just take our babies. It often takes the future we imagined, the assumptions we held about life, and sometimes even the certainty we thought we had about how God works. In this episode, Kelly Ransdell and I have an honest conversation about the difference between expectations and promises, and why that distinction matters so much when we're grieving. Because after our babies die, it can be so easy to wonder: Did God fail me, or did He fail to do something He never actually promised to do? Together, we talk about what God never promised us, what He has promised us, and how loss often forces us to wrestle with the difference. We discuss suffering, God's presence in the valley, the way grief reshapes our faith, and how loss changes the way we read Scripture, worship, and pray. If you've ever struggled to trust God after the death of your baby, questioned His goodness, or wondered what remains true when your world falls apart, this conversation is for you. Links: Hope Mommies Website Subscribe to our Newsletter Join our online Facebook Group Connect with us on Facebook Connect with us on Instagram Podcast Guest Submission Make a Donation Sponsor an episode of the HM Podcast in honor of a Hope Baby   The Hope Mommies Podcast is a ministry of Hope Mommies, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that exists to bring bereaved families comfort, encouragement, and relational support as they continue to walk this side of eternity without their beloved son or daughter. The music used is Sparrow Song, courtesy of Katie Cobbs and Flourish Creative.   

In this episode of the Hope Mommies Podcast, Jennie sits down with Hope Mom Lindsey Calof to hear about her son, Gabriel, who was born unexpectedly at 26 weeks and lived for 15 deeply loved days. Lindsey shares about Gabe's time in the NICU, the devastating turn that led to his death, and what it has looked like to learn to live without him over this first year. She talks honestly about needing to know God's character more deeply in the midst of grief, finding community with other believing moms, and the ways the Lord has continued to meet her through people, His Word, and even running. A longtime runner and running coach, Lindsey also shares how returning to running after Gabe's death became a place to carry her grief, honor her son, and experience God's faithfulness in a new way. Now, she's using something that has long been part of her own life to come alongside other Hope Moms as they prepare for Miles for Hope. This conversation is about loving and remembering Gabe, learning to trust God when He didn't answer prayers the way Lindsey desperately wanted Him to, and discovering that even in deep grief, He continues to provide what we need for the next step. Links: Lindsey Calof Fitness Services Hope Mommies Website Subscribe to our Newsletter Join our online Facebook Group Connect with us on Facebook Connect with us on Instagram Podcast Guest Submission Make a Donation Sponsor an episode of the HM Podcast in honor of a Hope Baby   The Hope Mommies Podcast is a ministry of Hope Mommies, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that exists to bring bereaved families comfort, encouragement, and relational support as they continue to walk this side of eternity without their beloved son or daughter. The music used is Sparrow Song, courtesy of Katie Cobbs and Flourish Creative.