Host Amy Pelkey speaks with Mandy Wannarka, LICSW, PMH-C, RYT-200, a therapist specializing in supporting mothers and couples through the difficult journey of pregnancy and infant loss, including making the decision to terminate a pregnancy for medical reasons (TFMR). Mandy shares insights from her career in social work, focusing on her experience …

Kelly Powers, CRNA and Divorce Coach, offers invaluable insights and guidance for those facing the daunting prospect of a crumbling marriage amidst the burden of losing a baby. The episode touches on several key points: Kelly's Personal Journey: Kelly shares her own challenging divorce experience and how it led to her career as a divorce coach. Com…

Reverend Daryl Lavway engages in a meaningful conversation with host Amy Pelkey, CRNA. Leveraging his extensive ministry experience and role as a chaplain in a Level 1, academic, medical center, Daryl provides profound insights into the intersection of grief and faith. Five key points discussed include: Unhelpful religious comments like, "It was Go…

Dr. Errin Weisman is a burnout coach, mentor, speaker, podcaster, and friend. She shares her experience with burnout that began in medical school and escalated during her residency and early years as an attending physician. This led to her feeling trapped. The episode highlights the impact of the pandemic on burnout and the challenges faced by heal…

Two experiences can co-exist. Create space to tend to your experiences and the feelings that arise along the way while cultivating self-compassion and love. This meditation is about 5 minutes long. Pause to Remember Information Pause to Remember Resources for Healthcare Providers Grieving After Pregnancy and Infant Loss Facebook Group Virtual Suppo…

Katie Cooper, MS, CRNA, APRN has a unique perspective on fertility care. Not only did she donate her eggs to a family in her 20s, she now specializes in fertility anesthesia. Listen to our conversation as we cover: Tips to optimize your health in preparation for infertility treatments Suggestions and questions to ask when researching a fertility cl…

Chelsey Herzig, CRNA works in a critical access hospital in Minnesota. She talks about her daughter, Brynn, and the impact losing her has made in her life including her career and marriage. Some of the things discussed include: Infertility treatment Process of diagnosing Brynn with a life limiting diagnosis (included a fetal MRI) Decision to termin…

MNDFL Rx (Mindful Prescription) A 4-week mindfulness based grief course for healthcare providers grieving after pregnancy or infant loss. Learn more and sign up for group or private options here. Pause to Remember FREE Resources for Healthcare Providers Grieving After Pregnancy and Infant Loss Facebook Group Virtual Support Group Amy's Calendar to …

Bailey Dykema, CRNA works in Minnesota at a critical access hospital. She has been on a four year infertility journey (IUI and IVF) and experienced a miscarriage in November 2022. Bailey shares her experiences with: PCOS, hypothalamic amenorrhea, and nutritional issues related to overtraining/HIIT workouts Stress related to moving, getting married,…

MNDFL Rx (Mindful Prescription) A 4-week mindfulness based grief course for healthcare providers grieving after pregnancy or infant loss. Learn more and sign up for the March 2023 group or private options here. Do you have questions? Talk to Amy here. Pause to Remember Free Resources for Healthcare Providers Grieving After Pregnancy and Infant Loss…

Sara Asch, from The Center for Grieving Children, in Portland, Maine, works closely with families, volunteers, and the community in the areas of grief and loss, program development, outreach, and training. Sara offered many suggestions and insights regarding grieving children. Some include: Sitting with difficult news about a life limiting diagnosi…

Macy Guisto, DPT talks about chronic pain after pregnancy and infant loss. In this episode she talks about: Risk factors - emotional overload, trauma Pain after delivery or c-section Identifying contributing factors lack of sleep emotional overload constantly in "fight or flight" mode stressors (like loss) hormones nutrition Induced labor, epidural…

David Allsop, MS, CFLE, CNP is completing his PhD in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is investigating how sexual wellbeing changes after pregnancy loss and hopes to better understand the experiences of the couples in the ALOE study. ALOE stands for Acknowledging Loss Outcomes and Exp…

Resources Facebook Group-Grief Support Group for Healthcare Providers after pregnancy and infant loss Virtual Support Group for Healthcare Providers after pregnancy and infant loss Amy's Calendar to talk 1:1 eBook - A Guide After Pregnancy & Infant Loss Refer a provider (therapist, counselor, psychiatrist, etc) Be a guest on the podcast Contact Amy…

Three goals are outlined to create a guide for you. With these goals, suggestions are made for what you can do or buy to help alleviate feelings of isolation, support day-to-day responsibilities at home, and offer comfort. This information is written in a blog post found here. You can also have it emailed along with information from Episode 20 by c…

This episode is for all the support people who care about a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker who is grieving after a pregnancy or infant loss. A comprehensive list of what not to say is reviewed with examples. Suggestions to start a conversation with a griever and how to create a safe space for them to share is also offered. This infor…

Mindfulness Practice Do you ever feel like your mind is scattered or you're distracted by your emotions? Meditation is one mindfulness practice to help you redirect your awareness to the present moment. Here is a meditation for when you feel like your mind or emotions are getting the best of you. You can listen to this mindfulness practice in your …

Dr. Tyra Abdalla, DPT specializes in pelvic health. In detail, Tyra talks about: signs and symptoms of pelvic dysfunction how to find a pelvic health specialist how the pelvis is evaluated traumatic birth how to obtain the best outcomes with a holistic approach pelvic floor issues after c-sections vs vaginal delivers including scar tissue and adhes…

Brenda Behan, LSW, learned there was something wrong with her son, Tucker, when a cystic hygroma was detected at her first ultrasound appointment. At that time, she was experiencing numbness on the right side of her body. Soon after, a large lesion was detected on her brain stem, MS was diagnosed, and treatment began. Brenda had many difficult deci…

In this episode, Amy Pelkey talks about taking a break from digital break. She shares some thoughts from Cal Newport's book, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World and how they can be applicable to anyone including grieving mothers. Both positive and negative aspects of social media while grieving are highlighted with the hope…

Do you feel like there is a sea of options to help you with your grief but sifting through the resources feels like a time consuming task? Why don't you take a listen to this episode focused on EMDR which stands for "eye movement desensitization and reprocessing?" EMDR is a type of therapy with many applications including PTSD, anxiety, depression,…

In this episode, learn about some of the benefits yoga can have and what you may learn when practicing yoga. FREE YOGA with the Pause to Remember Community The first class will be August 28 at 7:15pm EST Led by Amy Pelkey, MSN, CRNA, RYT 200 This is for healthcare providers grieving after pregnancy or infant loss. There will be time for gathering a…

Are you struggling with money after your pregnancy or infant loss? Maybe you are brainstorming ideas to pay for the care of a fertility specialist. Are you taking time off or cutting back your hours? Maybe you are curious about working as an independent contractor/Locums, but can't figure out how the retirement, healthcare coverage, and disability …

Here are 6 benefits of joining a support group like the one offered through Pause to Remember. Recognizing that you are not alone Sharing ideas Feeling hope Different perspectives A sense of belonging Giving back Virtual Support Group for Healthcare Providers after pregnancy and infant loss 2nd Monday of every month 7:45-8:45pm EST Led by Amy Pelke…

Do you ever feel like you can't get away and have a moment of peace? Want to try a "mud mask and mindful bath" practice? Note: This podcast contains some affiliate links. They will not cost you extra to use and are options. Using these links will help support the podcast and offerings at Pause to Remember. Gather the following: Bath towels (includi…

When Brittany Kemp's daughter, Eden Grace, was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome, she and her husband took the information in stride and looked forward to the day she arrived. Everything was going ok until Brittany could not feel Eden moving. Listen to this episode and find out what happens and how Brittany's grieving journey unfolds. In this episode,…

Do you ever feel like you need a vacation from your grief? Can another emotion co-exist with your sadness, frustration, or overwhelm? Getting on a plane for a vacation with your partner or a few of your girlfriends may not be realistic right now. How about taking about ten minutes right now to create a mini-vacation for yourself? Join Amy for a few…

With Father's Day right around the corner, this episode is with a father, David Pawlikowski, CRNA, who experienced losses with his wife. Their first loss was while he was in anesthesia school. Here are some things discussed: Miscarriages D&E Seeking help at Shadygrove Fertility in Maryland; Dr. Bromer (https://www.shadygrovefertility.com/our-care-t…

This is a quick, 5-breath meditation (<3 minutes) with Amy to regroup, relieve some emotions, or restore yourself in the moment. Pause to Remember - Website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest Amy Pelkey, MSN, CRNA, RYT-200 - Speaker at conferences, WebsiteBy Amy Pelkey, MSN, CRNA, RYT 200

There is a Taoist story about a farmer and all the events that unfold after he loses his horse. Regardless of what happened, the farmer responds, "maybe" each time his neighbors label the event as good or bad. Give it a listen and see how this story could impact your grieving journey. Mentioned in the Show MBSR - Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction …

Dr. Kerry Petsinger, DPT talks about living through seven pregnancy losses while working full-time as a physical therapist. You can hear her share: Scheduling physical therapy patients so she could get to her own doctor appointments Therapy Feeling like she wanted to run away from pain and her marriage Felt like having a baby consumed her life Stop…

Whitney Jablonski, CRNA lost her daughter, Colby, less than two days after she was born in March, 2019. Listen to this honest conversation about Whitney's grieving journey and how Whitney is trying to help other families in honor of her daughter. Whitney and Amy discuss the following in this episode: Mother's intuition in the 1st trimester Self adv…

Christy Orndorff, RN has over 30 years of experience as a pediatric palliative nurse. In 2017, she was named "Nurse of the Year" at the academic medical center where she cares for many patients and their families. Christy resides at Valley View Farm that dates back to 1905. At the farm, her family breeds Belgian draft horses and hold special events…

Crystal Webster, author of Confessions of a Griever: Turning a Hot Mess into a Haute Message, openly shares her grief journey after losing her daughter, Madelyn Elizabeth, hours after she was born. The conversation covers many topics including the following: Madelyn's nursery today Taking a vacation from grieving in Las Vegas Divorce papers Feeling…

10:45 Tara Brach Mindfulness Meditation 13:22 Going to therapy 14:40 Returning to work in the hospital 15:58 Triggers at work 19:30 Meditation and yoga for grieving 19:53 Yoga teacher training at South Hills Power Yoga 20:16 Creating Pause to Remember with Shawna Locke 21:59 Working with burnout coach, Dr. Errin Weisman 22:34 Moving Pause to Rememb…