I have to ask, who was your biggest advocate in your motherhood journey? As we advocate and bring more awareness to black mothers during this week, I think of this question and all that comes with it. I am reminded of the ups and downs of my journey into motherhood and I am truly blessed for the people that have been put in my path. Before my motherhood journey began, like many other women, I was told that I would need help in getting pregnant and would not be able to do so naturally. Thankfully, I believed that God can do all things and shortly after getting married, I became pregnant, naturally, with our first sweet baby. Then 18 weeks later, our sweet baby boy came much sooner than we wanted and was born sleeping. In hindsight, as a black woman, I did not see the red flags that were put in front of me by the providers around me at the time, that I see now. And like many other black women, I dismissed the lack of compassion and cold treatment I received during one of the darkest times in my life. Over the course of 5 years, I experienced 5 losses with the same medical practice. The provider I was under did not care to look for any additional interventions to help and see why I was experiencing consecutive pregnancy losses. Even though I asked numerous times about different options. It was always met with crude sarcastic remarks, which ultimately meant, no. And after the 5th loss, where I could have lost my life, my husband stepped in and said, enough was enough and we left that practice. This was my wake up call. I needed to take charge of my health because others will not if I don’t. I'm so grateful for my husband and his love and support. Through the losses, we weathered the storm of grief, and the emotional roller coaster that comes along with it. He has been my rock and support when I needed it most. Thanks to a dear friend, I was referred to my current obstetrics office. My doctor, midwife and all of the staff have become a breath of fresh air compared to my previous experience. Though I experienced 1 pregnancy loss with this office, my doctor did everything possible to find out what was happening with my body and was an advocate in helping me get the baby I desired for so long. Then with our 7th pregnancy, we welcome our sweet baby girl, earthside after 7 trying years. It was with my daughter that the fight and drive grew within me even more that I have to teach my girl to stand up for herself in any capacity, especially with her health. So, that brings me to these questions. As a black mother, are you advocating for your health? Do you have a team of providers and trained specialists that can be your ally and support? I have some amazing women in the Northeast Florida region that are truly passionate about the maternal care of black mothers in our community. Connect with them clicking the links below. Postpartum Support: MommyTu Doula: Lotus Ring Postpartum & Purely Nourishing Doula Counseling: Her Hope Behavioral Health

Meet Savanna, a wife, mom and owner of the The Shred Society. When I met Savanna, I thought she was an amazing power house but moreso the sweetest person you can meet. I've had the opportunity to photograph Savanna during both of her pregnancies. And I have to say this momma is absolutely radiant. Who is Savanna? As the owner of The Shred Society, I'm an online and in person women's personal trainer who specializes in pre and postnatal exercise correction. I have been a trainer for almost 10 years! I have a huge passion for guiding and empowering women through every phase of their life, from improving their strength and confidence, to preparing for pregnancy, to supporting them through pregnancy and postpartum and beyond! I am blessed to be a mama myself of 1 little girl and a *soon to be born* baby boy, so I've been through it all and understand what it's like in the mind and body of a pregnant/postpartum mama. How did you get started? Found my passion for a healthy lifestyle early on in college, after watching a close family member struggle with their health really for as long as I've been alive. I was always looking up things to help her out and give her guidance, and soon realized my search history on my computer was always just filled with health and fitness research! It became a passion of mine, and when I gained the "freshman 15", I got extremely interested in learning how to make my body thrive. From there, I started working as a trainer at the University of North Florida's wellness center, eventually taught spin classes and other group fitness classes all over Jacksonville in addition to personal training, and opened my own studio right after the pandemic hit as a way to provide safe and sanitary training for those who weren't comfortable going to a bigger gym. My business has only grown from there as I soon after opening The Shred Society became pregnant with my first, and immediately enrolled in a course to become pre/postnatal certified and now love training all the mamas! What services do you provide? In Person One on One Training and Semi Private (3 women max) personal training, Online Programs and Coaching, Nutritional Guidance (I am Precision Nutrition L1 certified), Postpartum Mama and Baby Recovery In Person Classes What do you enjoy most about your job? Getting to spend my days having great conversation with like minded women and being able to support them and cheer them on while getting them stronger both mentally and physically What is one of the biggest mistakes in your industry? -I notice, as a lot of trainers become more experienced, they start to think they know everything and aren't able to listen to their client's individual needs or desires (for example, a trainer might think heavy lifting is the ONLY way to see results, but a client says they feel better when they doing lower intensity/lighter weight movements). Another big mistake trainers make (usually when first starting out - I made this mistake for years!) is thinking they need to KILL their clients every single session, give them tons of burpees and jump squats, etc., just to make them sweat and feel exhausted at the end of their workout. At the end of the day, each session should be a combination of a personalized, intentional program for the individual's goals + catering to what their client enjoys doing I know there are plenty of moms that would love to connect with you. How can others find you, and connect? IG: @ strengthwithsavanna & @the.shred.society and Website: www.savannarose.co

Meet Jessica Santiago Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m Filipino-American, Turning 33 at the end of October, I work in Healthcare IT, and I’m married with 3 kids (a 4 year old son, 1 year old stillborn baby boy, and a newborn baby girl born a year after our angel). Tell us about your pregnancy? For my 2nd pregnancy, we planned it, we had a goal to get pregnant some time in 2022. So I was super excited, when I found out around end of December 2021, I felt the pregnancy sickness, then confirmed it with a pregnancy test. My husband and I did a gender reveal with our son at Disney, found out we were having another boy. The same day, we already picked out his name, Theodore-Grey. We had so many future plans for our 2 boys, playing together, having a bunkbed and growing up with each other. My pregnancy was pretty easy and smooth. No complications. So I loved being pregnant with Theo taking bumped pics throughout the 9months. When did you experience your loss and how far along were you? My 2nd son, Theodore-Grey, was due August 22, 2022. I found out August 21, that there was no heartbeat. I gave birth to our stillborn angel on his due date, August 22, 2022 at exactly 40 weeks. My world was torn apart that day. The hardest news to hear and the hardest experience to go through. We were able to hold him the whole time we were at the hospital. The hardest part was when the nurse took him away from me and my husband. How have you been able to heal after your loss? I did therapy, I’m in fb support group reading other stories about other mama’s with stillborn angels, my parents, in-laws, sisters, husband, and my 4 year old son is very supportive and keeps me strong. We celebrated every 22nd of the month for our angel’s birth-monthsary, I cry it out, I talk about Theo all the time. We mention Theo during my 4 year old’s bedtime stories a lot. We have an altar dedicated to our angel and light up battery powered candles every night for him. I wear a pendent necklace with him on it every where I go. So basically, I’m still healing and grieving, but it helps that we keep him alive through our bedtime stories, incorporating him in our daily lives, just never forgetting about him because no matter what he’s still part of our family. Do you have a support system? If so, who and how have they helped you as you are healing? Definitely, without a support system, I don’t think I would be as strong. I have my husband, first son, newborn rainbow baby girl(born 8/8/23 schedule induction because of a stillborn, crazy beautiful story on how she is connected with Theo, her due date was supposed to be 8/21/23, day before Theo’s), I have my parents, in-laws, my sister, sis-in-law, cousins, bestfriends, aunts. I have a whole village of support. They helped by also believing he is my son, and not pushing me to move-on so fast, knowing grief doesn’t have a time limit, they all bring up my 3 kids, not just 2. They check up on me asking how I’m doing. They light up candles on special days for Theo. They pray for us. What is a quote or mantra that has helped you through your healing? God has a plan.

1 in 4. That is the statistic of how many families have experienced a pregnancy or infant loss. October is recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, a time to shed light on a topic that is often covered in silence and stigma. Pregnancy and infant loss is one of the hardest experiences that someone can go through in their lifetime. It is deeply personal, the pain can be overwhelming both physically and mentally, and the effect it can have on relationships can be challenging. In this blog, I aim to address some of the most frequently asked questions about pregnancy and infant loss. As a mom who has experienced 6 pregnancy losses, I am offering both empathy and information that I wish I had during one of the most trying times of my journey into motherhood. What is pregnancy and infant loss? Pregnancy and infant loss covers a range of experiences, including miscarriage (a loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation), stillbirth (the loss of a pregnancy at 20 weeks or later), neonatal death (the death of a baby within the first 28 days of life), and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) . How common is pregnancy and infant loss? About 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. 1 pregnancy in 100 at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later is affected by stillbirth, and each year about 24,000 babies are stillborn in the United States. And Infant mortality in the US was 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021. What can I do to support someone who has experienced pregnancy or infant loss? Support from loved ones is invaluable during these difficult times. Offer a listening ear, be present, and allow the grieving individual to express their feelings. Avoid offering unsolicited advice and instead ask how you can help. A simple "I'm here for you" can go a long way. How can we raise awareness during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month? Awareness begins with conversations. Share your own story if you feel comfortable, or support those who do. Utilize your platforms, whether that is on social media, within healthcare organizations and even within your extended families. Attend awareness events, and encourage open dialogue about pregnancy and infant loss. And participate in awareness events throughout the year and during October. By doing this, we contribute to the much-needed destigmatization of this matter. Pregnancy and infant loss has been a silent grief that affects countless families worldwide. By having the conversations and asking the questions, I hope to foster empathy and awareness, not just in the month of October, but on an ongoing basis. It's crucial that we continue to break the silence surrounding this topic, support those who have experienced these losses, and work towards a more compassionate and understanding society. Source Url: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/stillbirth/features/pregnancy-infant-loss.html https://www.winniepalmerhospital.com/content-hub/pregnancy-loss-1-in-4 https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/infantmortality.htm