01. The Sister Mama Project
On loss and learning.
Last year I lost my first pregnancy. There is nothing extraordinary about this, as thousands of other women experienced some form of this loss on that same terrible day. I was not alone, yet I was more alone than I had ever imagined a human body could feel. In the aftermath, I took all the scraps of information I had from doctors, nurses, naturopaths, doulas, friends, and family and dove deep into one rabbit hole of the internet to another—trying to understand what happened and how to avoid it in the future.
“For the rest of my life, I will live with my hands outstretched for things that are no longer there.”
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Notes on Grief
What I found was at first alarming. The overwhelming message of the "pregnancy or pregnancy loss internet" was either very focused on the need to buy things for your pregnancy or sad articles. But I kept digging, and I started finding odd and beautiful things, like the importance of planning a conscious conception (up to a year before getting pregnant!), nourishing foods and traditions, and unique ways to heal. Beyond the internet, I found healers that put me on a path to healing and happiness after complete devastation. I enrolled in a nutritional therapy program and started reading about Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, yoga, and much more. My research and the people I met along the way inspired me to dive even deeper into understanding this great mystery of our bodies.
I wish I had known about all of this before getting pregnant, and more important is my wish to share this information with everyone I love. Thus Sister Mama was born, a space to share what I've found about different ways to care for a sister mama's body, whether you're planning to get pregnant "one day" or want to understand new ways to be gentle and nurturing in your body today.
Thank you for joining me on this path of healing and knowledge seeking. I'm so happy you're here, and if you have things you wish you knew before you were pregnant or questions you'd like explored here, please reply. Be well.
