Episode 20: "A Missing Stitch"— Hope After Stillbirth with Alissa Christensen

Rainbow-Baby-Alissa-Christensen

This is a very special episode featuring my conversation with Alissa Christensen, who’s baby Anna was stillborn two years ago today—May 20, 2018, the same day as my baby Ellis. She’s the only other loss mom I’ve met who’s baby shares that birthday.

It’s also the 20th episode of this podcast, airing on Ellis and Anna’s second birthdays—May 20, 2020. I just love all the synchronicity. And on that note—I have a special request—if you’ve found this podcast meaningful, I’d love it if you’d take a few minutes to rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. I’ve created this podcast to form community around pregnancy loss and hope, and also as a legacy for Ellis’ life, and ratings and reviews help it to reach more people. It would mean so much to me if we could get 20 reviews for the 20th episode on his second birthday—May 20, 2020! 

So back to the episode—Alissa and I originally connected through Instagram after our babies were stillborn on the same day. She experienced a placental abruption that resulted in Anna’s stillbirth and almost took Alissa’s life as well.

Since then I’ve watched her story continue to unfold as she became pregnant and gave birth to her fourth baby, Quinn, though not without difficulty. She experienced preterm labor that eventually landed her in the hospital for several weeks and was followed by a month long NICU stay after Quinn was born. Alissa talks about dealing with compounded grief after experiencing the loss of her sister shortly followed by Anna’s stillbirth. She shares how she was able to cope with grief by creating a successful blood drive as a legacy for Anna and also by crocheting hats in honor of Anna and other lost babies for her small business, A Missing Stitch. She also talks about what it was like to give birth to Quinn with the same doctor and hospital and how loss affects her two years later. 

Our conversation ended up lasting several hours because we just had so much to talk about with each other. I did my best to cut it down for this episode, but will be releasing a bonus episode soon with some extra content about stillbirth that I think is really important. I hope this conversation resonates with you as much as it did for us!

Alissa talks about: 

  • How grief changes two years after stillbirth 

  • Dealing with compounded grief

  • The value of connecting with other loss parents, especially via Instagram 

  • Her definition of a rainbow baby

  • Being present during a rainbow baby pregnancy

  • Establishing a blood drive as a legacy for her stillborn daughter, Anna 

  • A Missing Stitch—crocheting as therapy in grief after stillbirth

  • Stillbirth and c-section

  • Trying to conceive again after stillbirth

  • Getting pregnant again 6 months after stillbirth 

  • Returning to the same doctor and hospital 

  • Her preterm labor and NICU experience with last pregnancy

Please share this podcast with anyone you know who is walking through life after pregnancy loss, whether they are trying to conceive, currently pregnant, or parenting after loss.

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