Summary

Jessi Michel shares her heartbreaking story of stillbirth and her advocacy work to prevent stillbirths. She recounts the day her daughter Freya was born still and the emotional journey that followed. Jessi emphasizes the need for better education and awareness about stillbirth, as well as improved data collection and research. She discusses two bills in Congress, the Maternal and Child Health and Stillbirth Prevention Act and the Shine for Autumn Act, which aim to address these issues. Jessi encourages listeners to support these bills by contacting their congressional leaders.

Takeaways

Stillbirth is a devastating experience that affects thousands of families each year.

Improved education and awareness about stillbirth are crucial in preventing future cases.

There are two bills in Congress, the Maternal and Child Health and Stillbirth Prevention Act and the Shine for Autumn Act, that aim to address stillbirth prevention through enhanced data collection, research, education, and awareness.

Supporting these bills by contacting congressional leaders can make a difference in advancing stillbirth prevention efforts.

More funding and resources are needed to train pathologists in stillbirth autopsies and to provide better support for families who have experienced stillbirth.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Story

21:33 Living with Loss and Finding Purpose

32:46 Advocacy for Stillbirth Prevention

43:00 The Urgent Need for Education and Awareness

48:15 Improving Research and Data Collection

51:26 Taking Action to Support Stillbirth Prevention

Links in this Episode:

*Stillbirth Support link to message congressional leaders: bit.ly/StopStillbirth

*To join Minnesota’s Stillbirth prevention advocacy groups: mnstillbirthlegislation@gmail.com or facebook group: Minnesota Stillbirth Prevention Advocacy

*SHINE for Autumn Act on socials: Instagram; Facebook, website

*Healthy Birthday, Inc on socials: Instagram; Facebook; website

*Measure the Placenta on socials: Instagram; Facebook; website

*Freya’s Hospital Library Wish list: tinyurl.com/FreyaLibrary

Childbirth is more than just that precious moment when a baby takes its first breath; it’s also about being fully prepared for everything that comes before. In today’s episode, we are thrilled to be joined by the Childbirth Advocate and Author of A Parent's Guide to a Safer Childbirth, Gina Mundy. In over 21 years as an attorney who specializes in childbirth cases, Gina has spent countless hours meticulously scrutinizing childbirth cases, conducting interviews with delivery teams, and thoroughly examining medical records to gain an in-depth understanding of every decision made during labor and delivery. These experiences paved the way for her writings, and her recently released guide is loaded with vital information that you probably won’t find in any other pregnancy book. Our conversation begins with Gina explaining her unique background in law and how it influenced her book. Then, we get a glimpse at the dangers of Pitocin misadministration before comparing the infant mortality rate and other statistics between America and other countries. We also learn why fetal monitors are important, why and how Gina made her book less “scary” than other pregnancy books, how childbirth attorneys engage with stillborn cases, and the role of baby advocates. To end, our guest highlights the most important things for expecting mothers to be aware of, and she explains in detail why and how her book is going to positively impact the future of childbirth.

Key Points from This Episode:

• Introducing the Attorney and Author, Gina Mundy.
• Exploring Gina’s unique background in childbirth law and how it influenced her writing.
• A closer look at her book, A Parent's Guide to a Safer Childbirth, and why she wrote it.
• The Pitocin dilemma.
• How statistics (like infant mortality rate) differ in America versus in other countries, and why.
• Advocating for fetal monitors.
• Why Gina prioritized making her book less scary for expecting parents to read.
• How she and other childbirth attorneys engage with stillborn cases.
• The top 5 things that every pregnant mom must know, including how to find the right doctor.
• Assessing the role of a baby advocate.
• Why Gina believes that her book, when read, will positively impact the future of childbirths.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Gia Mundy

Gina Mundy on LinkedIn

Gina Mundy on Instagram

Gina Mundy on Facebook

Gina Mundy Email

A Parent's Guide to a Safer Childbirth

A Parent’s Guide to a Safer Childbirth Chapter One

TNMD Law

Haven

Tellwell

Being resilient in the face of unimaginable loss and choosing to heal and carry on is an unimaginably difficult task. Today’s guest has suffered incredible loss but she made the remarkable choice to take those hardships in her stride and create a platform to help other people through their grief. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about Barbara’s life, the loss of her infant son and 21-year-old son, and how she found purpose in creating support groups, as well as learn about her books, how she started to see her son’s life as a gift not just a loss, and so much more! We discuss some of the signs that your lost loved one is visiting you and Barbara tells us about the incredible signs she’s experienced before we delve into the importance of talking about your grief. Finally, Barbara tells us why she believes that healing is a choice and walks us through some of the first steps of resilience. As always, please listen with care and take note of the trigger warnings in the key points for this episode.

Key Points from This Episode:

• Welcoming Dr. Barbara Hopkinson with a brief overview of her background.
• TW: For listeners who wish to skip Barbara’s account of the horrific loss she has suffered, please skip the audio between [00:01:55] and [00:04:36].
• TW: For listeners who wish to skip Barbara’s account of attempted suicide, please skip the audio between [00:08:18] and [00:09:01].
• How starting The Compassionate Friends and A Butterfly’s Journey gave Barbara purpose.
• When she knew that helping others would help her heal.
• Why she views her son’s life as a gift, not just a loss.
• Signs that your lost loved one is around you and why you need to remember them.
• Insight into A Butterfly’s Journey, Faces of Resilience, and Barbara’s grief methodology.
• Why it is healing to talk about your loss and connect with others who have experienced loss.
• What it looks like to choose to heal and take the first steps of resilience.
• An overview of Barbara's experience with mediums.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Barbara Hopkinson on LinkedIn

Barbara Hopkinson on Instagram

A Butterfly’s Journey

Free Song Download

A Butterfly’s Journey on Facebook

A Butterfly’s Journey on Instagram

A Butterfly’s Journey on YouTube

A Butterfly’s Journey: Healing Grief After the Loss of a Child

Faces of Resilience

Faces of Resilience

ABJs Faces of Resilience on Instagram

Faces of Resilience on Facebook

Giving Hearts Day

The Compassionate Friends

Haven

Tellwell