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**TRIGGER WARNING: Miscarriage, Stillbirth, a Pregnancy Loss In this episode, we explore the mental and emotional aspects of pregnancy loss with expert guest,Dr. Jessica Zucker, Ph.D. Dr. Zucker is a Los Angeles-based psychologist specializing in women's reproductive and maternal mental health with a background in international public health. She is the creator of the #IHadAMiscarriage campaign which launched with her first NYT piece in 2014 and has since become a global movement. Here’s an overview of what you’ll hear about in this episode: Jessica’s personal and professional background, including her own experience of having a miscarriage at 16 weeks When and why Jessica started the #IHadAMiscarriage campaign The role that shame often plays in miscarriage and pregnancy loss, and how working to release the stigma around loss can help people heal Jessica’s goal to talk about EVERY aspect of life after loss, especially the areas that don’t often get discussed (i.e. sex/masturbation, friendship, pregnancy etc.) Some exploration into why our culture/society is so uncomfortable with miscarriage and pregnancy loss and how that often manifests itself as people saying inappropriate and/or hurtful things to the person suffering a loss A bit of guidance on things to say and things NOT to say to someone grieving a loss, including the importance of just being present and willing to listen A discussion about the cultural norm of keeping a pregnancy secret until it’s “out of the woods” at 12 weeks, and how that can lead to feeling even more isolated if a miscarriage does occur The difference between a stillbirth and a miscarriage, including some stats on each, and how the gestation of a pregnancy can impact grief and the healing process Some suggestions on how to navigate a loss for people who are going through it What it’s like to be pregnant after a loss, including Jessica’s personal experience with this The strain that pregnancy loss can place on relationships, including some insight into how these losses can impact the non-pregnant partner Where to begin when it comes to processing/healing from a loss Dr. Zucker’s list of suggested books on this topic: They Were Still Born: Personal Stories about Stillbirth by Janel Atlas Trying Again by Ann Douglas What I Gave to the Fire by Kim Flowers Evans About What Was Lost: Twenty Writers on Miscarriage, Healing, and Hope edited by Jessica Berger Grose Empty Arms: Coping with Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss by Sherokee Ilse Unspeakable Losses by Kim Kluger-Bell Pregnancy After Loss by Carol Cirulli Lanham You Are Not Alone: Love Letters From Loss Mom to Loss Mom by Emily Long An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken Surviving Miscarriage: You Are Not Alone by Stacey McLaughlin Finding Hope When A Child Dies by Sukie Miller A Guide for Fathers: When a Baby Dies by Tim Nelson Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein Poor Your Soul by Mira Ptacin Vessels: A Love Story by Daniel Raeburn Holding Silvan: A Brief Life by Monica Wesolowska --- If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at birthkweens@gmail.com with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!