In this episode we sit down with Dr. Terrell Hatzilias as she shares the story of the life and legacy of her son Kegan.  Dr. Hatzilias is a neuroscientist and medical writer. She is the proud mother of two children, her living daughter and stillborn son. Since the death of her son, Terrell has made stillbirth prevention and advocacy her passion. She has successfully lobbied SMFM to update pregnancy management guidelines for isolated single umbilical artery pregnancies, led a team of bereaved mother in passing legislation in Washington state allowing issuance of a Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth, and recently published her first book, titled Still His Mama, about stillbirth and grief. Thank you Terrell, for sharing your story with us, it was an honor. To purchase Still His Mama: click here [https://a.co/d/fRgPCVh]. You can connect with Dr. Hatzilias on Instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/still_his_mama?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==].  For more information on single umbilical artery: https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/birth/umbilical-cord-conditions Thank you for listening.

On April 28th, we attended the fundraising event at Spartan Gym [https://spartangymsc.com/] to honor Lucas James Swartz. We were lucky enough to speak with his mom Amber, twice on our podcast! During the event, we we are able to conduct mini-interviews and heard some beautiful stories of love and loss from other loss parents. The event raised over $13,000, which was then donated to the following local non-profits: Aubrey's Advocate [https://aubreysadvocate.com/], Noelle's Light [https://www.noelleslight.org/] and The Adalyn Rose Foundation [https://adalynrose.org/]. Thank you to everyone who came out to support this event and the amazing organizations the funds will support! We loved hearing your stories and connecting with you all!!!! Links mentioned: * Unite Grief Support Groups [http://www.unitegriefsupport.org/] - Couples/Mom Support * Unite Dad's Only Group [http://unitegriefsupport.org/fathers-only-virtual-support-group?fbclid=IwAR3JnbbkWVGxu9e0Yr-ozaRqo8shKZ2GrLTnH1AakOqMbiR2saQ3Vdv1ZAQ] - Contact Matt Sklar - [email protected] * Mindful Birthing and Planning [http://mindfulbirthphiladelphia.com/] * Light After Loss Support Group [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_CxnqORErZ5w7r46l34qIDuqBtk4_txtb7p3kdCkbCgUUVQ/viewform] * Sad Dad's Club [https://saddadsclub.com/] * Postpartum Stress Center - Counseling [https://www.postpartumstress.com/]

As the overseer of the Perinatal Bereavement Program, Ann ensures that families grappling with the loss of a pregnancy or an infant have access to a comprehensive array of services aimed at providing solace and assistance. Furthermore, Coyle plays a pivotal role in organizing Run with the Docs, an annual 5K event held outside Virtua Voorhees Hospital, which serves as a fundraiser for the Perinatal Bereavement Program. This event also fosters the participation of numerous families whom Ann has supported over the years. The upcoming Run With the Docs 2024 is scheduled for Sunday, June 9th at Virtua Voorhees. [https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Voorhees/RunwiththeDocs5k1Miler] Ann is also the facilitator of the HOPING [https://hopingnj.org/] (Helping Other Parents In Normal Grief) Bereavement Support Group. Ann, thank you for sharing your knowledge with our listeners, and for all that you do for your families!!! For more podcasts and stories, please visit the Blindsided website: www.theblindsided.com [http://www.theblindsided.com]

In this deeply moving episode, we have the privilege of sitting down with Lou and Hope as they share their unique and heart-wrenching stories of love, loss, and friendship. Lou, originally from France, met her soulmate while working in the United States. Living nearby in South Jersey, Lou and her husband Patrick embarked on the journey of parenthood during the challenging times of the pandemic in 2020. However, their joy turned to sorrow when Lou experienced a difficult pregnancy, leading to the heartbreaking news that their daughter, Lilly-Anna, would be stillborn on February 17th, 2021. On the other hand, Hope, a native of South Jersey, had a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy and birth with her son, Noah, born on March 24th, 2017. Tragically, Noah's life took a devastating turn when he contracted bacterial meningitis shortly after birth, ultimately losing his battle with the infection. The bond between Lou and Hope is one of resilience and compassion, forged through shared experiences of unimaginable loss. Their friendship blossomed in a unique manner that is sure to touch your heart as you listen to their stories. We are grateful to Lou and Hope for their courage in opening up and sharing their journeys with us. Their strength and grace serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration to all who may be facing similar challenges. Thank you, Hope and Lou, for entrusting us with your stories. You can find out more about the Blindsided Podcast on our WEBSITE [https://theblindsided.com/] If you would like to share your story with us on the podcast, please send us an email at [email protected]

If you didn't know, Siblings Day is April 10th every year!  We wanted to bring you, and your kids, something special so we interviewed the sibling (Emily) of a baby who was born still (Connor).   ------ Emily is 12 years old, and a sister to her two brothers Owen and Connor. Connor was born silently in 2016 when Emily was just 4 years old. Since that time, Emily has continued to speak of him and made sure he's included in family conversations.  She told us she enjoys sports such as volleyball, soccer and track. ------ Emily is (in my opinion) so very well spoken and a pleasure to interview. Not sure about where her future will lead her, but I feel like she will impact many as she shares about her family's experience. Her mom, Jenna, also shared about the day she lost Connor, and the headspace her family was in. Thank you Emily (and Jenna) for sharing Connor with our podcast, and the world!  You're an awesome big sister Emily!

In this episode, we were fortunate to sit down with Nikki Berry, a former OR nurse turned nurse educator and researcher with a focus on the grief and trauma of perinatal loss. The focus of her research came about as a result of her own tragic life experiences. Nikki's niece, Ayden, was born with a life limiting condition-anencephaly. As she watched her family go through this loss and tried to offer assistance in developing a plan for the birth of Ayden, she realized the resources and research were severely lacking. She has turned her grief into purpose and has published many articles and formed a non profit to improve resources and conditions for loss families.  Nikki is the founder of a non profit called Project poppyseed. This came about as a result of her personal experiences plus her research work with families for her dissertation. While completing her research she met many families who experienced perinatal loss and was struck by the silence and loneliness families dealt with throughout their grief journey. One of the tenets of Project Poppyseed is breaking the silence surrounding perinatal loss. Another is to conduct research and provide tools for providers to utilize. Nikki is a beam of light in the community and we are so thankful for the work she is doing. Nikki is someone who "gets it". It was honestly hard to follow up with commentary because she summed things up so beautifully! Thank you Nikki, you are an amazing human! The episode picture is a sweet view of Nikki holding baby Ayden after she was born, reading The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate The Wash, her favorite book, to her niece. If you are looking for an organization to donate to in your baby's memory, please consider Project Poppyseed. You would be funding much needed research. If you would like to be a participant or view current research please visit https://projectpoppyseed.org/ Thank you for listening!

This episode we sat down with mom Ashley Kreyskop-Naglak from Levittown Pennsylvania. She lives there with her husband Blake and their furry friends. Ashley and her husband Blake learned they were pregnant with their daughter Nora in January of 2023. The pregnancy was uncomplicated until about 26 weeks when Ashley started to experience rib pain. After going to the hospital, being treated and discharged, then readmitted, she learned that she was in liver failure, HELLP syndrome, and needs to be delivered emergently. Nora was born on June 3rd, 2023. She did very well in the NICU until day 7 when things started to take an unexpected turn. An x-ray revealed that Nora had a hole in her bowel as a result of Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Nora passed away later that day. Ashley, thank you for sharing your story of the life and legacy of Nora <3 You can learn more about the NEC Foundation here [https://necsociety.org/]!

How lucky are we to sit down with Amber Swartz again? You asked, she answered! This episode we go over some listener questions for Amber. She continues to amaze us with her passion and positivity in the midst of losing her son, Lucas James. Thank you Amber for sharing your raw and relatable reality. Amber and her husband Nick are hosting a fundraiser on April 13th, 2024 at Spartan Gym in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. This event benefits Adalyn Rose Foundation [https://adalynrose.org/i-lost-my-baby/], Aubrey's Advocate [https://aubreysadvocate.com/], and Noelle's Light [https://www.noelleslight.org/]. There will be a workout followed by a family friendly day with raffles, food, drinks and games! Workout is optional. The Blindsided ladies will be at the event, please come meet us! Tickets can be purchased here: https://ticketstripe.com/events/1041363 Adalyn Rose Foundation [https://adalynrose.org/i-lost-my-baby/] Aubrey's Advocate [https://aubreysadvocate.com/] Noelle's Light [https://www.noelleslight.org/] Thank you for listening. Please consider leaving a review on Spotify or Apple. Your feedback can help us reach others who need to hear these stories.

Brittney Basquez will be sharing the story of her daughter Aria with us.  Brittney is a stay-at-home mom living in South Jersey with her son, daughter and fiance'.   She lost her daughter Aria, at 20 weeks 6 days gestation on April 27, 2021. After a very complicated pregnancy with her son, who was born with some medical issues, Brittney was nervous to be pregnant again.  She was worried something could go wrong.  Besides some spotting occurred around 16 weeks, her pregnancy proceeded as normal.  Finally at 19 weeks, Brittney felt like they could share the news of her pregnancy with family and friends!    Unfortunately things took a turn for the worse and Aria's birth story began on April 25th, which was also Brittney's son's second birthday.  She was actually attending a baby shower and had to leave and head to the hospital after speaking to her midwife.  Testing confirmed that her water had broken and her daughter would most likely be born.  After 2 days of monitoring in the high-risk floor of the hospital, Brittney began to pass blood clots, which was the first sign she was going into labor.  Aria was soon born sleeping on April 27th, 2021, into the arms of her loving parents.She was fortunate enough to be surrounded by her fiancé, a caring hospital staff, a professional bereavement counselor and best of all, her wonderful Obstetrician (who also delivered her!). Since then, Brittney and her fiancé have welcomed their rainbow baby, Eliana Hope, into the world.  They feel as though she was definitely a gift from her sister in Heaven, and she has brought a lot of healing to her family. This is Brittney's first time talking about Aria and sharing her story publicly.   Thank you so much for giving the Blindsided Podcast that honor! You can see more photos of Brittney and her family on our website at www.theblindsided.com If you would like to share your own personal story, please email us at [email protected]

After Ana tragically lost her son Owen to stillbirth on October 3, 2015, she redirected her focus towards advocacy, prevention, education, and raising awareness. Active under the moniker "Still My Son" on social media platforms, she draws strength and encouragement from the loss community as she tirelessly strives for change in honor of all infants who left too soon. While nothing could replace the longing for her son in her arms, Ana channels her maternal love into activism and serves as Co-Director of Medical Innovation & Advancement for PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy [https://www.pushpregnancy.org/], a stillbirth prevention non-profit she co-founded with other grieving families in 2021. As a member of the Count the Kicks Influencer Advisory Board [https://countthekicks.org/team-member/ana-vick/], she spearheads initiatives aimed at engaging Latinx/Spanish-speaking communities, ensuring that every parent receives essential fetal movement education to safeguard their babies. Ana also advocates for the adoption of placental measurement, known as EPV, as a standard prenatal care practice to mitigate the risk of stillbirth in babies with undersized placentas. Furthermore, she promotes "Womb Wisdom" through her educational initiative, Sacred Birth Circle, where she conducts interviews with maternal health experts and birthing parents, equipping families with knowledge for their pregnancy and childbirth journeys. Ana's Instagram @stillmyson [https://www.instagram.com/stillmyson/] Also, you can follow her work @sacredbirthcircle [https://www.instagram.com/sacredbirthcircle/] and @stillcountsorg [https://www.instagram.com/stillcountsorg/] Get info about Count The Kicks [https://countthekicks.org/], plus their free app, for fetal movement & kick counting Rainbow Clinic & Pregnancy After Loss Provider training [https://www.pushpregnancy.org/rainbow-clinic] at Push Pregnancy (Contact us for a free training code courtesy of Ana, until 3/1/24!!).