Sarah: Walking the Tightrope between Joy and Loss, High-Risk Births, Miscarriages, and the Journey to Becoming a Bereavement and Fertility Doula

Content Warning: This podcast episode delves into sensitive topics such as miscarriage, birth trauma, and death, exploring the emotional complexities of these experiences, including the loss of a child, high-risk pregnancies, and the role of a bereavement doula.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like walking a tightrope between birth and loss? Join us, your hosts Liz and Natalie, as we welcome Sarah, a seasoned doula and mother, who has extraordinarily experienced both the joy of childbirth and the pain of loss. Sarah’s rich narrative of her journey, losing her first child and navigating her way to become a bereavement doula, tugs at the heartstrings. We take a deep dive into her world, discussing the emotional support vacuum in infertility treatments and her initiative to bridge this gap, especially for military spouses.

As the conversation unfolds, we tackle the pressing issues faced by high-risk mothers during childbirth and the absolute necessity of providing them adequate resources. Sarah, herself a high-risk mother, poignantly sheds light on her unique struggles and triumphs with her four living children and 13 miscarriages. A sobering revelation – nearly 45% of mothers experience birth trauma – is discussed at length, leading us to the introduction of a doula program tailored to help high-risk mothers who have experienced birth trauma heal through a positive birth experience.

Moving to a more sensitive subject, we discuss death and the role of a death doula. Sarah bravely discusses her own journey of grief, losing both of her parents, and how her work with hospice led her to the discovery of death doulas. This segment underlines the emotional toll of being a death doula and the absolute necessity for self-care in this role. Sarah’s story is a touching testament to the importance of human connection and the honor of accompanying someone on their end-of-life journey. Tune in to be moved, inspired, and educated by this powerful episode.

Connect with Sarah through her website: https://heritageconsultingstl.com/