In today’s episode Tamira Dunn shares her 2nd trimester loss story due to an incompetent cervix of son Elijah and her inspiration for Elijah’s Hope Foundation Incorporated.  The foundation sponsors an annual walk for pregnancy and infant loss in Baltimore and donates a portion of the proceeds to their scholarship fund which supports doctoral students who are majoring in women and reproductive health.  The loss of her son was very heartbreaking, but she has used her passion for helping others to create a resource for women who have experienced the same loss.  A year after her loss, she accepted a position at Roberta’s House as the Program Manager for the Hope Project.  The Hope Project provides supportive services to women who have experienced a fetal or infant loss before the child’s first birthday.  Ms.Dunn is truly using her testimony to help others.  Her goal is to empower women to keep the faith in spite of their loss.

In today’s episode Tanika Dillard shares her recurrent pregnancy loss story including 2nd trimester miscarriages and a stillbirth.  Tanika Dillard is a natural leader, motivational speaker, and trusted counselor to her peers.  She is a credentialed certified birth and bereavement doula, where she offers compassionate physical, emotional, and spiritual support to expectant families in any trimester and any birth outcome. Tanika’s passion for breaking the silence of pregnancy loss positioned her as founding member and Facilitator for Share Upstate Pregnancy & Infant Loss  Support Group. Her efforts to honor the lives of her children and increase awareness on the taboo subject have uniquely connected her with medical professionals and grieving families across the globe. In August 2014, Tanika embarked upon a new phase in the literary revolution by releasing Building A Family Breaks My Heart; a best selling novel inspired by her blog writings. Building A Family Breaks My Heart is a magnificent work of heart, capturing the essence of despair from loss and the beauty of dreams fulfilled. The novel is sure to capture and connect the hearts of those who have experienced pregnancy loss, infertility, or supporters of those who have.

In this episode Dr. Tiffanie Williams shares her loss story of son Liam, who was born still due to an incompetent cervix.  Dr. Williams is a Licensed Clinical Social worker and has provided mental health services for over 8 years.  She is defined by her strength, resilience, tenacity, quick wit, ability to make others laugh, and loyalty to family and close friends. The Liam Lives Foundation, Inc., founded on November 28, 2016 is a faith based, non-profit charitable organization, which seeks to provide counseling and supportive services to families who have suffered from pregnancy and infant loss due to early miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, neonatal, and post-neonatal death. She hopes to use her personal experience with pregnancy loss and her knowledge in the field of mental health and health sciences in order to increase awareness surrounding pregnancy loss and infant death and its impact on families. Ultimately, she hopes that she will be used by God to draw all closer to him. She is a willing vessel ready to show the world God’s favor over her life even in the midst of tragedy.

Dr. Shaughanassee Williams, DNP, CNM is an emerging trailblazer looking to establish positive change in her community and around the globe. She is a Certified Nurse Midwife holding a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University, a Masters and Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Old Dominion University and a Nurse Midwifery endorsement from Shenandoah University. She has extensive leadership experience working in the healthcare arena as the visionary and director of HealthyHER Center for Women’s Care, a nurse midwife at Bon Secours Medical Group and also an adjunct nursing professor at Norfolk State University. Her passion lies in leadership development and carrying on the long-standing entrepreneurial spirit of her family. She is also the think tank behind Midwife Speaks– her platform to educate and empower women regarding holistic health. She has been coined “the people’s choice for women’s health”. Through transparency and with authenticity, Midwife Speaks is the bridge between patients and providers by giving women, and their families, the necessary tools to holistically empower their physical, mental and spiritual health. Shaughanassee remains active within her community. As a Christian minister, she counts it an honor to serve through teaching and volunteerism. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors for organizations such as the Urban League of Hampton Roads Young Professionals and the YWCA Va Peninsula. She has performed numerous speaking engagements at Old Dominion University, Hampton University, the Urban League of Hampton Roads and many other organizations. Shaughanassee enjoys spending time with loved ones, traveling, laughing and making others smile. Her life motto is “I live to inspire.”

In today’s episode Fathia Savory shares her miscarriage story and what inspired her begin a Go Fund Me Campaign to raise awareness and funds to help other Loss Moms during October which is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and beyond.  Fathia is a fashion stylist, wardrobe, and image consultant, a business that she started in December 2013.  Her goal is to provide each client with personalized experience so they can, embrace, embody, and enjoy their true self.  Fathia and her husband Omar of 5 years experienced their first loss in November 2016 and then again in August 2017.  The two losses were devastating, but they both promised each other, and God that they would not lose faith or hope.  One of Fathia’s favorite scriptures is Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Fathia hopes by sharing her story, it will help others on their healing journey.  After their second miscarriage Fathia felt it was necessary to raise funds to complete a passion project. Fathia created a candle to help bring awareness and support to pregnancy and infant loss. The candle will be available for purchase and will also go into care packages donated to doctor’s offices, hospitals, etc. For each candle purchased someone in need will receive a care package.  

In this episode Jo-Anne M. Harvey shares her miscarriage story and what inspired her to co-write an eBook named “Joy Comes in the Mourning: Using Scripture to Overcome Miscarriage and Infant Loss.”  Jo-Anne is also the founder of Financial Promised Land which seeks to empower women using the life of Moses to free themselves from financial bondage.  She lives by Phillipians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” the verse she and her father recited together each morning before school.  In this episode, Jo-Anne shares how her sister circle of friends helped her through her miscarriages, and even how God saw fit that her and her co-writer, Shonika M. Ochoa-Williams, had their rainbow babies on the same day.

In this episode I sit down with my husband Brandon O. McAfee  and he shares his perspective on our losses, and shares the birth story of our Rainbow baby Maxwell Immanuel McAfee also known as Super Mighty Max.