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

What does Life After Baby Loss look like? Feel like? Appear to be for everyone like today's guest. Yonela Resi is the mother of two angels. One baby she loss at 16 weeks and the other a stillbirth at 38 weeks. In this episode she takes us on that journey of becoming a mother at 24 in South Africa, the black community there and how baby loss is not talked about, and how she started the Lakhanya Foundation in honor of her angels. Today's episode is for you to listen to if you have wonder what does life after baby loss look like for me? Today's guest shares exactly what it means to her. 📖 Big Announcement: Pre-Order My Debut Book! My upcoming book, Never Healing Alone: How to Navigate Grief and Find Community After Pregnancy and Infant Loss, officially launches on April 6, 2027 (with BenBella Books/Simon & Schuster)! You can support our launch and help us put books directly into the hands of grieving mothers by pre-ordering your copy today! 👉 PRE-ORDER 'NEVER HEALING ALONE' HERE  🗓️ Weekly Support Group Details Group Name Meeting Time How to Register Black Moms in Loss (In partnership with PSI)  Every Thursday at 8:00 PM EST Register for free at postpartum.net  🛠️ Sisters in Loss Programs & Services 🎓 Become a Doula: Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Certification 🤰 Doula Care: Living Water Doula Services 🛍️ Recommended Reads: Shop my curated book list on the Sisters in Loss Amazon Store 🌐 Connect With Our Community Platform Sisters in Loss Channels Erica's Personal Channels Online Groups Sisters in Loss Healing Collective Facebook Private Group Erica's Official Website Instagram @SistersInLoss @EricaMichelleFree Facebook Sisters in Loss Page Erica's Facebook Page YouTube Sisters in Loss TV — X (Twitter) @SistersInLoss @EricaMFreeman  

In this special solo episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of Sisters in Loss to share some exciting updates and dive deep into our life-changing grief support groups. In 2022, Sisters in Loss partnered with Postpartum Support International (PSI) to host a bi-weekly support space. Driven by the overwhelming need in our community, we expanded in 2023 to host weekly sessions. Our group, Black Moms in Loss, is peer-led by certified Sisters in Loss doulas and dedicated grief support workers. Tune in as I discuss: Why peer-led grief support groups are the perfect supplement to therapy and clinical healing modalities. What to expect inside our weekly safe space. How to join us every Thursday night. How you can continue to support our mission. 🎧 Listen to the Episode Here: sistersinloss.com/links 📖 Big Announcement: Pre-Order My Debut Book! My upcoming book, Never Healing Alone: How to Navigate Grief and Find Community After Pregnancy and Infant Loss, officially launches on April 6, 2027 (with BenBella Books/Simon & Schuster)! You can support our launch and help us put books directly into the hands of grieving mothers by pre-ordering your copy today! 👉 PRE-ORDER 'NEVER HEALING ALONE' HERE  🗓️ Weekly Support Group Details Group Name Meeting Time How to Register Black Moms in Loss (In partnership with PSI)  Every Thursday at 8:00 PM EST Register for free at postpartum.net  🛠️ Sisters in Loss Programs & Services 🎓 Become a Doula: Sisters in Loss Birth, Bereavement, and Postpartum Doula Certification 🤰 Doula Care: Living Water Doula Services 🛍️ Recommended Reads: Shop my curated book list on the Sisters in Loss Amazon Store 🌐 Connect With Our Community Platform Sisters in Loss Channels Erica's Personal Channels Online Groups Sisters in Loss Healing Collective Facebook Private Group Erica's Official Website Instagram @SistersInLoss @EricaMichelleFree Facebook Sisters in Loss Page Erica's Facebook Page YouTube Sisters in Loss TV — X (Twitter) @SistersInLoss @EricaMFreeman  

In the fight to eliminate racial disparities in maternal and infant health, true change demands both grassroots community holding and institutional accountability. In this powerful episode of the Sisters in Loss Podcast, host Erica M. Freeman sits down with Stacey D. Stewart, former President and CEO of the March of Dimes—the premier national non-profit leading the fight for the health of all moms and babies. During her historic tenure as the first woman and first African American to lead March of Dimes in its 80+ year history, Stacey spearheaded vital initiatives to shine a national spotlight on the Black maternal mortality crisis, systemic healthcare racism, and the staggering disparities in premature birth. In this candid and insightful conversation, Stacey breaks down why Black women in America are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes and why maternal-infant health outcomes are tied to systemic inequality rather than personal failure. We discuss how institutional healthcare must shift from blaming mothers to overhauling policy, expanding equitable postpartum care, and investing in culturally responsive community programs. Whether you are a mother navigating the aftermath of premature delivery or infant loss, a birth worker fighting on the frontlines, or an advocate pushing for systemic reform, this episode offers an invaluable masterclass in advocacy, resilience, and systemic change. In This Episode, We Discuss: The Historic Leadership at March of Dimes: Stacey's journey leading the organization and transforming its institutional priorities to address the racial disparity gap head-on. The Reality of Preterm Birth & Black Maternal Mortality: What the national data actually reveals about premature birth rates among Black mothers and the systemic roots of reproductive injustice. Beyond Wealth and Education: Why maternal complications affect Black women across all socio-economic backgrounds—and why systemic racism, not genetics or income, is the root cause. Policy Reform & Legislative Action: The critical role of extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year and passing key maternal health policies (such as the Maternal MOMNIBUS Act). Community-Led Solutions: How hospital systems, doulas, grassroots leaders, and national non-profits can build authentic bridges to protect Black mothers and birthing families. Words of Encouragement for Bereaved & NICU Families: A heartfelt message from Stacey to mothers carrying the weight of loss or premature birth. Connect with Sisters in Loss: Pre-Order Erica's Book, Never Healing Alone: EricaMFreeman.com Join the Sisters in Loss Community: SistersinLoss.com Follow on Instagram: @SistersInLoss and @EricaMichelleFree Become a Certified Bereavement Doula: Learn more about our training programs at SistersinLoss.com/doula Join Our Free Support Groups: Weekly, culturally responsive healing circles available through Postpartum Support International and Sisters in Loss. Enjoying the show? Please take 30 seconds to rate, review, and follow Sisters in Loss on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Your reviews help ensure grieving and healing mothers around the world find this community!

What does it mean to pursue motherhood while navigating repeated loss—and make space for the parts of yourself beyond fertility? In this episode of Sisters in Loss, Deze, the lifestyle blogger behind byDeze.com, shares her experience of eight pregnancy losses with no live births at the time of our conversation. After getting married, she experienced a miscarriage, followed by an ectopic pregnancy and six additional losses. Her journey also included an endometriosis diagnosis and the removal of her right fallopian tube. Deze opens up about the mental and emotional toll of fertility challenges, the support she found in Facebook communities, and how blogging about life beyond fertility gave her space to connect with other parts of herself. Whether you have experienced recurrent pregnancy loss, an ectopic pregnancy, or an endometriosis diagnosis—or want to better support someone who has—this conversation offers connection and a reminder that you don't have to navigate it alone. Key Takeaways: Pregnancy loss carries an emotional toll. Deze's experience of eight losses highlights the grief that can accompany the journey toward motherhood. Fertility challenges can involve complex medical experiences. She shares her experience with endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, and the removal of her right fallopian tube. Community can help ease isolation. Deze found support in Facebook groups where she could connect with others navigating similar experiences. Your identity extends beyond fertility. Blogging and creating content unrelated to fertility gave her space to enjoy other parts of her life. You don't have to navigate loss alone. Her story underscores the value of finding people and spaces where your experience is understood.   🔗 Important Links: Pre-Order  Never Healing Alone: How to Navigate Grief and Find Community After Pregnancy and Infant Loss Coming April 6, 2027  [Preorder Now at Your Favorite Bookseller] (Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Target, and Hudson Bookseller) For media inquiries: Riverchild Media | For bulk orders: BenBella Books Learn more about Sisters in Loss and our Doula Training: sistersinloss.com/course Take the Healing Archetypes Quiz:  HealingArchetypeQuiz.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @sistersinloss Join the private Sisters in Loss Facebook community: Join Us

It's Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and I'm finally revealing the cover of my debut book, Never Healing Alone. I share the meaning behind every color and image, why your pre-order matters more than you think, and three simple ways you can help this book reach the families who need it. Sis, it's here. 💛 This October, during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, I'm sitting with you solo to reveal the cover of my debut book, Never Healing Alone: How to Navigate Grief and Find Community After Pregnancy and Infant Loss. It's now open for pre-order and releases April 6, 2027. Every detail on this cover was chosen with intention. I walk you through the symbolism: colors that move from deep darkness toward the warmth of sunrise, the sisterhood held in the silhouettes, and the roots and branches of the village that surrounds us when we're grieving. Together they say what this book, and this community, has always said: you were never meant to carry this alone. I also get honest about why pre-orders matter. They shape how many copies a publisher prints, whether major retailers stock a book, and whether a story like ours gets seen at all. Black women face disproportionate rates of miscarriage, stillbirth, and maternal mortality, yet culturally responsive resources for our grief are still painfully hard to find. Your pre-order is a vote that says our losses, and our healing, deserve shelf space. In this episode 00:00 Welcome to Sisters in Loss 02:46 The book reveal and pre-order announcement 04:13 What the cover means: colors, imagery, and symbolism 07:06 Why pre-orders matter for visibility and representation 08:52 Three ways you can support the book 11:29 Release date and a moment of gratitude 12:14 Final rally and goodbye Key takeaways The cover reflects the journey from darkness to sunrise, sisterhood, and the village that holds us through loss. Pre-orders directly influence print runs, retailer placement, and a book's visibility at launch. Black women are disproportionately impacted by pregnancy loss and maternal mortality, and still underserved by grief resources that reflect their lives. Grief is not meant to be carried alone; community is part of the healing. 🔗 Important Links: Pre-Order  Never Healing Alone: How to Navigate Grief and Find Community After Pregnancy and Infant Loss Coming April 6, 2027  [Preorder Now at Your Favorite Bookseller] (Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Target, and Hudson Bookseller) For media inquiries: Riverchild Media | For bulk orders: BenBella Books Learn more about Sisters in Loss and our Doula Training: sistersinloss.com/course Take the Healing Archetypes Quiz:  HealingArchetypeQuiz.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @sistersinloss Join the private Sisters in Loss Facebook community: Join Us