Shannon Pike shares honestly and articulately about her relationship to pain, joy, fear, and anxiety after the stillbirth of her first daughter Marie and the miscarriage of her twins, and how she was able to stay present while pregnant with her rainbow baby.

Shannon talks about:

—her personal definition of a rainbow baby

—hope and anxiety when things in life get really hard

—the importance of kick counting for every pregnant woman

—whether or not to use an at-home doppler during pregnancy after loss

—how to visualize laboring a rainbow baby after a traumatic stillbirth

—returning to the same doctor and hospital after loss

—creating a birth plan and including your lost baby

—her postpartum experience 

Through her journey, Shannon ultimately realizes that she can’t put all her hope in another baby and instead needs to cultivate hope unattached to outcome. Shannon’s experience of spiritual growth through darkness has been such a light to me and I know it will be for you, too.

Mentioned in the episode…

—Information about kick counting during pregnancy including a free downloadable app at countthekicks.org

—Healing Through the Dark Emotions: The Wisdom of Grief, Fear, and Despair by Miriam Greenspan

Connect with Shannon on Instagram @shannonmpike

To connect with me visit taylorashleybates.com and find me on Instagram @taylorashleybates

And please share this podcast with anyone you know who is walking through life after pregnancy loss, whether they are trying to conceive, currently pregnant, or parenting after loss.