Supporting Others While Navigating Miscarriage and IVF with Marissa Hathaway
In this episode, Justine and Sarah are joined by Marissa Hathaway, a certified birth and postpartum doula. They discuss the harmful impact of 'at least' statements and how they can be invalidating to individuals who have experienced trauma or infertility. Marissa shares her personal journey of going through IVF and the challenges she faced as a doula supporting families while navigating her own miscarriage and infertility journey. They also discuss the importance of recognizing and honoring each person's unique story and the need for more support and understanding in the perinatal field.
Keywords
birth, postpartum, doula, trauma, infertility, IVF, ‘at least’ statements, miscarriage reproductive health
Takeaways
- The harmful impact of 'at least' statements and how they can be invalidating
- The challenges faced by individuals who have experienced trauma or infertility while supporting others in the perinatal field
- The importance of recognizing and honoring each person's unique story
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
03:30 The Harmful Impact of 'At Least' Statements
11:17 Supporting Others While Navigating Personal Trauma
15:01 Navigating Reproductive Health Challenges as a Doula
26:45 Recognizing and Honoring Each Person's Unique Story
34:56 Conclusion and Takeaways
On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma across the perinatal period, from trying-to-conceive to pregnancy, from childbirth to postpartum and parenting. Through an inspirational quote that drives our weekly conversations about trauma and healing, Justine and Sarah explore topics such as birth trauma, parenting as a survivor, and finding healing with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.
Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.
Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.
Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.
Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals
Marissa Hathaway is a full spectrum doula (certified in birth and postpartum), Childbirth Educator, and photographer. She came to doula through starting her career in global maternal health, human rights, and reproductive justice. She is dedicated to reducing maternal health inequities via intersectional collaboration and cultural humility. After studying Public Health & International Relations at Boston University, she attended the University of Haifa, in Israel, for her Masters in Public Health. Marissa has experience in rape crisis counseling, family planning/contraception counseling, and refugee health. Marissa’s approach to supporting families is centered around: embodied consent and informed decision-making; support for partners; and mental health and wellbeing
