After experiencing a stillbirth at 41 1/2 weeks, author Shannon Gibney found the silence around the experience an added source of trauma after an already devastating experience. As writers so often do, she turned to the literature and found that most of what was written was by white women or did not reflect her truth. So, she and author Kao Kalia Yang, who had suffered a pregnancy loss at 19 weeks, set out to elevate the voices of Indigenous women and women of color who have experienced miscarriage and infant loss.

 

Gibney joins Mom Enough to discuss What God is Honored Here? Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Native Women and Women of Color, which she co-edited with Kao Kalia Yang. Tune in to hear her story, excerpts from the book, and how we can all challenge the silence and dominant narratives around pregnancy loss.

 

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO CHALLENGE EXISTING NARRATIVES AROUND MISCARRIAGE AND INFANT LOSS?

Have you or someone you know experienced a miscarriage or infant loss? In what ways did you or your loved one find comfort or silence in the stories you heard about others' experiences or losses? What might you do differently in the future to support a friend or family member after a miscarriage or infant loss?

 

WANT TO LEARN MORE MISCARRIAGE AND INFANT LOSS?

❉ HELPING PARENTS HEAL AFTER MISCARRIAGE, STILLBIRTH OR A PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF A LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION. For many of us, pregnancy is a time of excitement, joy and anticipation of who this baby will be. But when anticipation turns to loss through miscarriage, a devastating prenatal diagnosis or stillbirth, grief engulfs mom, dad and other family members. Too often these heartbreaking experiences are suffered in silence – or perhaps dismissed by well-meaning friends who say, “You’ll be able to have another baby.” Tune in as Delta Larkey and Alyssa Wright discuss helping families navigate these losses and find strength and healing through rituals that are responsive to each family’s unique needs and strengths.
 

❉ MOTHERHOOD & WORDS: GIVING VOICE TO MOTHERS’ LOVE, LOSS AND LAUGHTER. Being a mom can evoke the highest and lowest of emotions, sometimes all at once! Minneapolis author and writing teacher Kate Hopper brings writers to Motherhood & Words at The Loft Literary Center to read from their latest works about their lives as mothers. Listen to three authors, including Kao Kalia Yang, who reads a powerful new piece about losing her first son in a very late miscarriage.

 

❉ HAVE YOU OR SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU LOST A CHILD? The loss of a child is surely the most devastating thing a parent can experience. Dr. Joann O’Leary and Dr. Jane Warland, both experts in parenting after loss, bring rich insights and useful tips for moving forward (or helping someone you know move forward) after loss in this episode of Mom Enough.