BROADCASTS.com

Infertility, pregnancy loss, infant and maternal mortality----none of these are topics that we enjoy talking about, but the number of women and families affected by these obstacles is astounding. For African-American women, there is a stigma attached to these issues, and the compounding problem of their voices not being heard.Today\u2019s show addresses these topics and more in honor of October being Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.\n\xa0\nErica McAfee is the founder of Sisters in Loss, LLC, a faith-based grief and pregnancy loss coaching company that helps black women turn their pain into purpose after loss.\n\xa0\nSisters in Loss provides consulting and coaching services to help women step beyond anxiety and fear into trust and peace after loss. The Sisters In Loss goal through courses, retreats, and conferences is to help women minimize regrets, maximize memories, and manage their path forward after loss. Their self-titled podcast spotlights faith-filled black women who share miscarriage, infant loss, and infertility stories and testimonies to heal, gain clarity and peace, find hope, and become victorious after loss. Launched in August 2017, the podcast has a community of 5000+ Sisters in Loss.\n\xa0\nErica is a Grief and Pregnancy Loss coach, pastor\u2019s wife, and Mom to two angels in heaven and one rainbow baby, Maxwell, also known as Super Mighty Max. She is an alumnus of Virginia Commonwealth University where she earned a BS degree in Chemical Engineering.\n\xa0\nShow Highlights:\n\xa0\n\nHow Erica found podcasts a few years ago when she had a long commute to work each day, but she couldn\u2019t find one that told the stories that aligned with what she and her friends had experienced with traumatic loss\n\nThe year-old podcast shares weekly stories of real women of color and how faith helps them gain clarity, peace, and learning\n\nErica\u2019s coaching work with those still early in their loss experience or those in pregnancy after loss\n\nHow loss affects everyone around you\n\nHow the podcast helps African-American women know what questions to ask their medical professionals, no matter where they are in their journey to parenthood\n\nThe example set by celebrities recently who have shared their pregnancy and birth stories\n\nThe power of storytelling in healing the pain of loss\n\nHow the podcast helps support women through the grieving process by building a community\n\nSeeing success stories of others helps people in their personal experiences\n\nHow Erica and her guests share their faith on the podcast and the role faith plays in the journey to healing\n\nHow the podcast gives scripture, tools, and resources for support\n\nHow some people going through loss cling to faith and others push it away\n\nSometimes the grieving process isn\u2019t \u201cover and done\u201d and we tend to shove those feelings down because we feel guilty holding onto them\n\nWhat we should know about supporting women of color through loss: Maternal and infant mortality is an issue that African-American women face 3-4 times more than other races\n\nWhy black women are not taken seriously by their medical providers and their voices aren\u2019t being heard\n\nErica\u2019s message to friends and family of those who have lost: Continue to check on loved ones who have gone through loss, because they may have deep, dark moments. Be a listening ear for your loved ones.\n\nHow healing requires you to do the work\n\n\xa0\nResources:\n\xa0\nFind Erica and Sisters in Loss:\nwww.ericammcafee.com\nwww.ericammcafee.com/podcast\nwww.sistersinloss.com\nwww.instagram.com/ericammcafee\nwww.facebook.com/ericammcafee\u2019\n\xa0\nhttps://www.ericammcafee.com/summit\xa0Find out about Erica\u2019s free healing and prayer summit, Oct. 15-19\n\xa0\nTherapy for Black Girls, a podcast by Dr. Joy Harden Bradford