Unexpecting

Christine has been pregnant 5 times in the past 4 years, but three of those pregnancies ended in a devastating loss. She tells her story while capturing real and honest emotions that come with pregnancy after loss, processing a loss, and parenting after loss. She shares her experience with her son Liam, who was diagnosed with irreparable illnesses in utero, making him incompatible with life and forcing Christine into a medical termination at 18 weeks. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Jen Marr is the Founder and CEO of Inspiring Comfort, and author of Showing Up: A Comprehensive Guide to Comfort and Connection. I am so honored to have Jen as a guest, as she lends her expertise to offer guidance on how to show up and comfort the people in your life who have experienced a trauma or devastation such as a pregnancy loss. She talks through the importance of knowing how to act on your feeling of empathy as it relates to ultrasound technicians, employers, and the people who surround those suffering a loss. Jen's book is available now. Click here to get your copy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Courtney lost her son Luca at 23 weeks pregnant due to his life-threatening diagnoses of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. Courtney's powerful outlook on her devastating experience is nothing short of inspiring. She talks through how she aimed to find the beauty throughout the trauma, and shares essential tips and resources for how to prepare for the immediate aftermath of a loss. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Annette details her harrowing history of recurring pregnancy loss. She relives the trauma of waking up from anesthesia after an emergency surgery to learn her baby had died and she'd lost her uterus. She talks about her resilience and how she hasn't given up on her journey to welcoming another baby into the world, which she hopes to pursue through surrogacy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Aaron shares his journey with infertility and pregnancy loss, having experienced several failed embryo transfers with his wife after multiple IVF cycles. He discusses the gender inequity that's present and how he approached his role as the non-birthing partner to ensure his wife felt the support she needed, while also navigating his own emotions. Aaron expresses his disappointment with the current bar that's set for men and how he feels there's a great opportunity to improve. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Sky takes me through her history of recurring loss and details the trauma of losing her daughter, Lennox, to a medical termination in her second trimester, due to significant brain abnormalities. She talks about the importance of giving yourself a chance to grieve, and how she's channeled her grief into writing a book and hosting a support group to help others who have suffered from similar experiences. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Arielle has had to relive her nightmare time and time again. She and her husband are both carriers for a rare genetic disorder known as Tay Sachs, leading to a 25% chance that both of them would pass the gene down to their child which would cause the child to be incompatible with life. The odds, however, were not in their favor, as 75% of their pregnancies resulted in a baby with Tay Sachs and, ultimately, a medical termination. They turned to IVF to increase their chances of having a healthy baby, but that road hasn't been easy either, as Arielle has suffered two miscarriages after successful implantations. As she tries to make sense of the cruel, unfair hand she's been dealt, she's doing her best to show up as a mom to her healthy 3-year-old daughter while also trying to come to terms with the idea that her family of 3 that she hoped to continue to grow may actually be complete. Join our community on Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Ash from Darwin, Australia has suffered 5 pregnancy losses in just two years. Two of these losses were due to partial molar pregnancies. The chance of experiencing a partial molar is just 1 in 1200, and the grim diagnosis can progress to become dangerous and cancerous. Ash and her partner are navigating the recurring grief while also showing up for their 4-year-old daughter, who yearns for a baby brother or sister. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Annie relives the devastating heartbreak of experiencing back-to-back miscarriages. She identifies a major flaw in our education system that forces people to navigate pregnancy loss blindly, and talks about the psychological pressures that women face when preparing their bodies for gestation. Join our community on Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Jackie shares her story of losing her son, Richard, during pre-term labor at nearly 35 weeks, due to a fetal maternal hemorrhage. She describes the unfortunate mishandling of her treatment and the shock and trauma of waking up from (non-consented) anesthesia to learn her baby had died. Jackie shares the beautiful and inspiring ways she honors Richard, and how she's channeling her energy into advocacy and giving a voice to others in similar situations. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Julia shares her history of suffering from multiple chronic illnesses and how they affect her ability to get pregnant and carry a baby. An unexpected pregnancy forced her into a medical termination, which she is trying her best to recover from, physically and emotionally, every day. We talk about the societal pressures of needing to be, or at least present as, "okay," and how the people around you can best show up for you after experiencing something so traumatic as pregnancy loss. Join our community on Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Laney shares her story of making to to 41-weeks before her baby, Hudson, died in-utero, forcing her into a stillbirth. Laney talks about how her faith was affected by her heartbreaking experience and how she continues to honor Hudson each day. Join our community on Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Leanna, an ER pediatrician, talks about experiencing recurring miscarriages and how her medical professional insight helped her understand and cope with the devastating losses. After a fluke injury coincided with a missed miscarriage, she was forced to endure agonizing physical pain on top of the immense emotional pain she was already in. Leanna gives us all hope for the future, as she just welcomed her rainbow baby this July. Join our community on Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Lauren shares her story of waking up from anesthesia to find out her newborn son didn't make it through her traumatic C-section. She describes the unimaginable pain of having a surgery performed while she could feel everything that was happening, and the aftermath of grappling with the senseless notion that a child so perfect has died. Join our community on Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Preview: Lauren describes the nightmare moment when her husband walked in to see his newborn son and was horrified to see the medical staff performing CPR on his tiny, lifeless body. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Lauren talks about the multiple traumas she's suffered throughout her life and her experience developing velamentous cord insertion and vasa previa, leading her to make the "decision" to terminate her pregnancy at 23 weeks, just days before the law would prohibit her from doing so. Join our community on Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Preview: Lauren recounts the moment she discovered she may be too far along to terminate her high-risk, unhealthy pregnancy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Dee shares her story of suffering three back-to-back miscarriages within the course of a year. She talks through the negative effects of being treated by apathetic and callous medical professionals, and explains how emotions can differ through each experience. Follow Unexpecting on Instagram Email us --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Stasia courageously shares her story of experiencing a stillbirth at 34 weeks, without even knowing she was pregnant. Join our community on Instagram Email us --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Stasia recalls the harrowing memory of delivering a stillborn baby after not even knowing she was pregnant. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support

Hi. I'm Ashley. I had an abortion on June 21, 2021. I started Unexpecting to create a safe place for people to share their stories of pregnancy loss. My hope is to bring a sense of comfort to those who feel alone in this undeserved place of suffering, and to shine a light on the hope for the future. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unexpecting/support