United By Loss Foundation
United By Loss Foundation
Grieving Father -
Brochure (pdf)
Grieving Father -
Brochure (pdf)
Grieving Grandparent - Brochure (pdf)
Grieving Grandparent - Brochure (pdf)
Grieving Family & Friends - Brochure (pdf)
Grieving Family & Friends - Brochure (pdf)
Recommended Readings
Published Books for Bereaved Mothers & Birth Givers
Recommended Readings
Published Books for Bereaved Mothers & Birth Givers
The Power of Healing: A Memoir of Loss & Victory - Simbi Animashaun
The Power of Healing: A Memoir of Loss & Victory - Simbi Animashaun
Every person we meet has a story to tell and an opinion for you, but at the end of the day, you have to learn to put yourself first and do what is best for you. If not, these people will try to tell you “who you are,” “what you should do,” and “what you should be”. That is not how we were created. God created us to all be uniquely designed and that is how we should live our lives every day.
The Power of Healing: A Memoir of Loss & Victory is intended to be a resource and guide for those experiencing or have experienced pregnancy and infant loss. Simbi Animashaun openly shares her personal experiences about her recurrent miscarriages and brain hemorrhage; how they affected her day-to-day routine; and her process of healing.
She is also transparent about how her faith caused her to have a fulfilling life after the storm. Simbi's victory finally comes after recognizing that she needed to heal from all of life's challenges and embrace God’s timing.
Ghostbelly - Elizabeth Heineman
Ghostbelly - Elizabeth Heineman
Ghostbelly is Elizabeth Heineman’s personal account of a home birth that goes tragically wrong—ending in a stillbirth—and the harrowing process of grief and questioning that follows. It’s also Heineman’s unexpected tale of the loss of a newborn: before burial, she brings the baby home for overnight stays.
Does this sound unsettling? Of course. We’re not supposed to hold and caress dead bodies. But then again, babies aren’t supposed to die.
Interwoven with her own accounts of mourning, Heineman examines the home-birth and maternal health-care industry, the isolation of midwives, and the scripting of her own grief. With no resolution to sadness, Heineman and her partner learn to live in a new world: a world in which they face each day with the understanding of the fragility of the present.
I Had A Miscarriage: A Memoir, A Movement - Jessica Rucker
I Had A Miscarriage: A Memoir, A Movement - Jessica Rucker
Sixteen weeks into her second pregnancy, psychologist Jessica Zucker miscarried at home, alone. Suddenly, her career, spent specializing in reproductive and maternal mental health, was rendered corporeal, no longer just theoretical. She now had a changed perspective on her life’s work, her patients’ pain, and the crucial need for a zeitgeist shift. Navigating this nascent transition amid her own grief became a catalyst for Jessica to bring voice to this ubiquitous experience. She embarked on a mission to upend the strident trifecta of silence, shame, and stigma that surrounds reproductive loss—and the result is her striking memoir meets manifesto.
Drawing from her psychological expertise and her work as the creator of the #IHadaMiscarriage campaign, I Had a Miscarriage is a heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, and validating book about navigating these liminal spaces and the vitality of truth telling—an urgent reminder of the power of speaking openly and unapologetically about the complexities of our lives.
Jessica Zucker weaves her own experience and other women's stories into a compassionate and compelling exploration of grief as a necessary, nuanced personal and communal process. She inspires her readers to speak their truth and, in turn, to ignite transformative change within themselves and in our culture.
At a Loss: Finding Your Way After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Infant Death - Donna Rothert, PhD
At a Loss: Finding Your Way After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Infant Death - Donna Rothert, PhD
If you’ve experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy due to health risk or abnormality, or death in the first year of your baby’s life, you’re not alone. Life after these losses can be heartbreaking, confusing, and lonely. Family, friends, and medical professionals may minimize your loss or say “You can always try again.”
Written by a psychologist who experienced two pregnancy losses herself, At a Loss offers thirty essays on the thoughts, feelings, and struggles that come along with losing a pregnancy or baby. Whether you are early in a crisis of grief or exploring the loss years afterward, you will find self-compassion, healing, and new ways to make meaning of your loss.
Donna Rothert, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in perinatal issues, including pregnancy and infant loss. She is in practice in Oakland and Walnut Creek, California. Visit her online at www.donnarothert.com.
This Too Shall Pass: Turning Pain Into Power - Simbi Animashaun
This Too Shall Pass: Turning Pain Into Power - Simbi Animashaun
Experiencing the loss of a pregnancy can bring unimaginable pain and grief. Michelle Obama writes in her memoir Becoming (2018), "If I were to create a file on things no one tells you about until you're right in the middle of them, I might start with miscarriages." A miscarriage is lonely, painful, and depressing. When you have experienced one, you will probably think it is a personal failing, but it is not.
The purpose of this healing journal, This Too Shall Pass: Turning Pain Into Power is to provide 7 STEPS to turning your pain into power after you have experienced pregnancy loss. It has been designed to allow you to start your miscarriage recovery through prayer and journaling.
God wants us to be vulnerable with him, so do not be afraid to share your inner thoughts and feelings with him. We tend to feel alone sometimes, especially during our losses, but we are not. God has already designed our journey, and he will never leave us! I pray that this journal helps you heal and live a fulfilling life.
Men and Miscarriage: A Dad's Guide to Grief, Relationships, and Healing After Loss - Aaron Gouveia
Men and Miscarriage: A Dad's Guide to Grief, Relationships, and Healing After Loss - Aaron Gouveia
Miscarriage, infertility, and abortion are generally considered women’s issues—and while they are far from uncommon in our society, open conversations surrounding those topics are exceedingly rare. They're seen as taboo, even distasteful. And that’s just for women.
When it comes to men and how they are impacted by these issues, it’s almost complete radio silence. It’s not that men don’t think about these things or aren’t affected—after all, they make up half of most couples experiencing these issues—it’s that toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes in our society tell men that suffering in silence equals strength and expressing emotions is weakness. It’s men not knowing how to feel, how to express those feelings, or if they’re even allowed to feel this trauma beyond supporting their partner.
In Men and Miscarriage, husband and wife Aaron and MJ Gouveia ask men (and others) these questions directly. Using their own personal experiences enduring four miscarriages and a medically-necessary abortion combined with interviews of people from all different backgrounds and walks of life, the couple sheds light on how these topics influence men, women, their relationships, their mental health, and examines the shame and stigma too often associated with pregnancies that don't go as planned.
Lifting The Weight Of Miscarriage - Jihan A. Williams
Lifting The Weight Of Miscarriage - Jihan A. Williams
What are the first few months after a pregnancy loss like? What emotions does the woman feel? What experiences trigger her grief and is there anything that the persons and institutions around the grieving parents can do to help?
Lifting the Weight of Miscarriage is an emotional and raw recount of one woman’s journey in the six months following her second trimester miscarriage. By exploring her physical, emotional and spiritual experiences in that time, she offers insight into the often hidden world of pregnancy loss while providing suggestions to encourage healing that can be useful to other sufferers and the people in their lives.
Although written in a Caribbean context, this must-read narrative is a conversation starter that is relevant to the universal pain of losing a child or children. Healing is possible and this book can help!
Unexpecting: Real Talk on Pregnancy Loss - Rachel Lewis
Unexpecting: Real Talk on Pregnancy Loss - Rachel Lewis
When your baby dies, you find yourself in a life you never expected. And even though pregnancy and infant loss are common, they're not common to you. Instead, you feel like a stranger in your own body, surrounded by well-meaning people who often don't know how to support you.
What you need during this time is not a book offering easy answers. You need a safe place to help you navigate what comes next, such as:
· Coping with a postpartum body without a baby in your arms.
· Facing social isolation and grief invalidation.
· Wrestling with faith when you feel let down by God.
· Dealing with the overwhelming process of making everyday decisions.
· Learning to move forward after loss.
· Creating a legacy for your child.
Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child after Pregnancy Loss (Hardcover) - Sarah Philpott, PhD
Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child after Pregnancy Loss (Hardcover) - Sarah Philpott, PhD
Prayer Time
Each day includes a prayer that allows you to cry out to God as you put your trust in Him and lean into His arms.
Soul Work
Grief from the loss of an unborn child can be paralyzing and deeply impact your soul. Daily Soul Work portions will help you have tools you need to get through each day and rediscover joy. There is also a special place for you to record your own story.
31 Daily Devotions
Loved Baby includes 31 devotions from Sarah Philpott to help you care for your soul as you journey through your loss and grief. Know you are not alone and find hope for tomorrow as you grow in strength that can only come from God.
Press & Media
Press & Media
Click on the images to access Simbi's interviews, publications, and stories. Since May 2021, she has been a frequent guest on various publications and podcasts. Her personality effortlessly connects with a broad audience. By sharing her challenges and difficulties with pregnancy and infant loss, she hopes to inspire and empower other mothers and birth givers to find comfort and healing after their loss(es).
251 - Miscarriage Survivor and the Power of Healing: A Memoir of Loss & Victory
251 - Miscarriage Survivor and the Power of Healing: A Memoir of Loss & Victory
Hear our founder, Simbi Animashaun, share her powerful story about her challenges and difficulties with pregnancy loss and her journey to motherhood. Click the image to listen to the podcast interview. Erica also has a variety of resources and recommendations for sisters experiencing pregnancy and infant loss in the DMV area.
HMHBGA Presents Part One: My Story
HMHBGA Presents Part One: My Story
On May 12, 2022, Simbi Animashaun partnered with Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHBCG), and Pickles & Ice Cream to share her real, unfiltered story of the challenges and difficulties she faced during her pregnancy and the postpartum period. The panel discussion includes three other women who share their stories as well. Topics include domestic violence, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and suicide. Click the image to listen to the panel discussion.
HMHBGA Presents Part Two: My Survival
HMHBGA Presents Part Two: My Survival
On May 26, 2022, HMHBCG hosts a follow-up panel discussion to Part One: My Story. Listen to Simbi Animashaun share how she overcame her hardships and took steps to lead a healthy life, which includes vital resources she used to survive perinatal loss and postpartum depression. Click the image to listen to the panel discussion.
Simbi Animashaun Receives HMHBGA's 2022 Wonder Mom Award
Simbi Animashaun Receives HMHBGA's 2022 Wonder Mom Award
Simbi Animashaun will be honored with the inaugural Wonder Mom Award at the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia’s 48th Annual Meeting and Conference. The Wonder Mom Award recognizes a Georgia mom who demonstrates the power of a mother’s inner strength to deal with the successes and challenges in life while exhibiting an interest in her community by empowering fellow moms through services that enrich mothers, children, and families.