20 episodes

This podcast is for fellow grieving families who have suffered pregnancy loss - miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. The mission of this podcast is to assist you to come through this cruel twist of fate, with as much psychological fortitude, compassion for yourself and connection with others as possible, using wisdom, knowledge and insights sourced from interviewing experts and specialists in the fields commonly accessed by grieving mothers. Sharing these little gems will allow you to navigate the long journey ahead. Don’t let the darkness swallow you, don’t let yourself do this alone.

The Glimmer Podcast Dr Ashleigh Smith

    • Arts
    • 4.9 • 167 Ratings

This podcast is for fellow grieving families who have suffered pregnancy loss - miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. The mission of this podcast is to assist you to come through this cruel twist of fate, with as much psychological fortitude, compassion for yourself and connection with others as possible, using wisdom, knowledge and insights sourced from interviewing experts and specialists in the fields commonly accessed by grieving mothers. Sharing these little gems will allow you to navigate the long journey ahead. Don’t let the darkness swallow you, don’t let yourself do this alone.

    Culture, faith and community: how these impact on pregnancy and baby loss

    Culture, faith and community: how these impact on pregnancy and baby loss

    Fatima El-Assaad and Amanda Pain join Glimmer to share their experience of how their cultural and religious backgrounds have shaped their pregnancy and baby loss journey.

     Links:
    https://www.theglimmerproject.com/ 
    https://bluehearts.com.au/the-cause.html 
    https://stillbirthfoundation.org.au/

    www.thestillnest.com


     
    Special thank you to: 
    - Corey Green (podcast editor - Transducer Audio)  https://www.transducer-audio.com/
    - Coby Grant (Winter Bear backing sound track)
    - Ashleigh Smith (Producer and creator of The Glimmer Project, Podcast and Online group)
     
    Social media: 
    @glimmer_project
    @thestillnest.au 
    @bluehearts_au
    @stillbirthfoundation
     

    • 41 min
    Putting the jigsaw of your life back together after baby loss, with Liana Quinlivan

    Putting the jigsaw of your life back together after baby loss, with Liana Quinlivan

    The online Glimmer program’s beloved specialist bereavement midwife and fellow warrior Mum Liana Quinlivan joins this episode of The Glimmer Podcast to talk about putting the jigsaw of your life back together after baby loss. Liana runs the online Glimmer Program groups and has been a midwife for 15 years. Caitlin Crowley interviews Liana in this heartfelt episode of the Glimmer podcast.  
     
    After Liana’s baby ‘Dot’ died due to a skeletal malformation disorder, she felt like everything in her life had being shattered. There was so much disbelief. Liana speaks of the irony of “being the bereavement midwife with the dead baby” and feeling the need to hide from that identity. She explains the mixture of pride, love and awe of Dot and the powerful connection she shared with her. 


    She talks about wanting to fast forward those early days and struggling to let go of Dot while tyring to maintain a connection. 
     
     
     
    Links:
    ·       https://www.theglimmerproject.com/ 
    ·       https://bluehearts.com.au/the-cause.html 
    ·      https://stillbirthfoundation.org.au/  
     
    Social media:
    ·      @glimmer_project
    ·      @bluehearts_au
    ·      @stillbirthfoundation
     
     
    Special thank you to: 
    - Corey Green (podcast editor - Transducer Audio)  https://www.transducer-audio.com/
    - Coby Grant (Winter Bear backing sound track)
    - Ashleigh Smith (Producer and creator of The Glimmer Project, Podcast and Online group)

    • 26 min
    Navigating medical complications of pregnancy, babyloss and Preeclampsia

    Navigating medical complications of pregnancy, babyloss and Preeclampsia

    Rachel Whalen joins us in this episode of the Glimmer Podcast to discuss preeclampsia, stillbirth and maternal near-death experience in pregnancy. Caitlin Crowley interviews Rachel and asks her what it was like dealing with catastrophic grief while facing her own mortality. 
    Rachel is a preeclampsia loss mum and social media influencer who heads the Instagram @unexpectedfamilyouting. She is a writer, mother, griever and advocate. Rachel speaks about just wanting to go home and start the grieving process when Dorothy had died, however her medical condition was very serious. 
    There was a sense of ‘why hasn’t the world just stopped? Because my world has stopped. It’s standing still.’ Rachel shares her two prior miscarriages, her diagnosis of HELLP syndrome, preeclampsia and factor V Leiden mutation and the sense of needing to ‘keep going’ because she’d been through 3 pregnancies but still didn’t have a baby alive in her arms. She embarked on her rainbow pregnancy, constant monitoring and a sense of wanting to be empowered but not worried. She explains having a letter in the chart and setting the stage for how she wanted healthcare professionals to interact with her and discuss her past and current pregnancies. 
    Rachel explains mentally compartmentalizing during her rainbow appointment and focusing on the ‘right now.’ Caitlin expresses how hard it is to switch off the fear and try to ‘enjoy’ the moment and the rainbow pregnancy.  
    Rachel gives her 2 ultimate pieces of advice to the listener. She also explains how she answers people when they ask her how many children she has. Rachel explains about the relay race and ‘flying the flag’ for women who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss and severe pregnancy complications. 
     
     
    Links:
    https://www.theglimmerproject.com/ 
    https://bluehearts.com.au/the-cause.html 
    https://stillbirthfoundation.org.au/  
     
    Special thank you to: 
    - Corey Green (podcast editor - Transducer Audio)  https://www.transducer-audio.com/
    - Coby Grant (Winter Bear backing sound track)
    - Ashleigh Smith (Producer and creator of The Glimmer Project, Podcast and Online group)
     
    Social media: 
    @glimmer_project
    @bluehearts_au
    @stillbirthfoundation
    @unexpectedfamilyouting

    • 31 min
    Returning to work after pregnancy/child loss : TFMR, stillbirth, neonatal loss, miscarriage, baby, child loss

    Returning to work after pregnancy/child loss : TFMR, stillbirth, neonatal loss, miscarriage, baby, child loss

    This episode of the Glimmer Podcast is all about returning to work after miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss or TFMR (termination for medical reasons). It gives helpful lived experience and advice to the listener on how to navigate interactions with colleagues, clients and everyone involved in the workplace. This episode also gives helpful advice to employers and we recommend this episode to every work place whose staff may experience this type of loss. 
    Our guest is Ann-Maree Imrie, a social worker trained in grief and bereavement. She is also the mother to her son, Xavier who was stillborn in 2015. She took five months leave from work after his loss and can attribute a huge part of her healing to the support she received from her workplace. Ann-Maree has developed her passion - 'The Baby Loss Project' - an online training program that upskills employers to create policy, and respond proactively to pregnancy loss, stillbirth and infant death. This episode references the startling findings from the ‘Price Waterhouse Cooper’ economic impact analysis on the cost of stillbirth to organisations through presenteeism, absenteeism and family breakdown. Anne-Maree Imrie shares about the ‘baby loss project’ and why it is so important. It aims to take all the fear out of the support people in trying to support the bereaved parent back to work and turning them into a ‘grief literate organization.’  
    Links:
    https://www.theglimmerproject.com 
    https://bluehearts.com.au/the-cause.html 
    https://stillbirthfoundation.org.au 
    https://www.babylossproject.com/
     
    Special thank you to: 
    - Corey Green (podcast editor - Transducer Audio)  https://www.transducer-audio.com/
    - Coby Grant (Winter Bear backing sound track)
    - Ashleigh Smith (Producer and creator of The Glimmer Project, Podcast and Online group)
     
    Social media:
    @glimmer_project
    @bluehearts_au
    @stillbirthfoundation
    @mybabysvoice

    • 27 min
    TFMR and why terminology and language are so important - with Meagan Donaldson

    TFMR and why terminology and language are so important - with Meagan Donaldson

    Meagan Donaldson joins The Glimmer Podcast to talk about TFMR (termination of pregnancy for medical reasons), the importance of language and finding joy again after such heartache. Meagan is the author of ‘Still a Mum,’ which shines a spotlight on the stigma that still exists around pregnancy loss, TFMR and its impacts; not just for the parents but for other family members as well.
    Meagan Donaldson was 23 weeks pregnant when tests confirmed her unborn baby had a rare condition. Told the prognosis for their daughter was poor, they made a heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to their little girl. Soon after, Violet Grace was born. Still, but perfect.
    Meagan and Caitlin discuss the struggle of dealing with the busy practical side of babyloss and utilising writing to remember their babies. In relation to TFMR, Meagan has women writing to her saying they feel so much shame about the termination aspect of their baby loss so much so, they haven’t explained the TFMR to their families and carry the pain so privately. Meagan explains that the term ‘termination’ feels like it takes all the love out of Violet’s story and she felt this term didn’t appropriately describe the extremely difficult journey of saying goodbye to Violet Grace. She knows the choice of TFMR isn’t actually a choice and that it is made purely out of love. Meagan felt discomfort also with the word ‘died’ and preferred ‘loss’ while Caitlin feels differently. 
    Meagan shares about celebrating Violet’s birthday through creating cakes, donating gifts in her name and referring to her whenever asked how many children they have. She explains she has ‘muted’ certain people on social media and feels sadness when seeing babies similar aged to Violet posted on social media. Meagan used social media instead to immerse herself in a different type of community – those who have lost babies. Meagan’s psychologist told her to treat herself as she would a good friend in an effort to minimize the pressure on herself
    Meagan explains a need to make meaning out of this situation and try to help others going through a similar situation in the future. She created the fundraiser ‘Violet’s Gift’ which supports grieving parents after delivering a stillborn baby. Finally, Meagan explains how joy and light slowly returned to her life and that she worked hard to seek it out and actively move forward. Brunch, books, beach, looking at flowers, going for walks with her dogs, reading about resilience, random acts of kindness, meditation, seeing her psychologist, support groups and doing things to stay connected with Violet.
    It was hard work recovering from this immense trauma and has required a dedication that she feels has ‘felt like a fulltime job.’ At times it was too much and so at times she needed to give herself permission to just cry on the couch and ride the ‘grief hangover.’ Ultimately, what Meagan really needed to do, was to give herself some time.
     
    Links:
    https://www.theglimmerproject.com/
    https://bluehearts.com.au/the-cause.html
    https://stillbirthfoundation.org.au/  
    Booktopia link for ‘Still A mum’ link here. Website:https://meagandonaldson.com.au/
    You may also like to refer back to another Glimmer Podcast interview relating to TFMR with Anabel Bower, author of Miles Apart : Season 1, episode 4
    Special thank you to:
    - Corey Green (podcast editor - Transducer Audio)  https://www.transducer-audio.com/
    - Coby Grant (Winter Bear backing sound track)
    - Ashleigh Smith (Producer) 

    • 29 min
    Who can you talk to about baby-loss? This episode is all about managing tricky conversations with family and friends, and the free support available from the Red-Nose support line

    Who can you talk to about baby-loss? This episode is all about managing tricky conversations with family and friends, and the free support available from the Red-Nose support line

    Edwina Symonds is a red nose volunteer support line worker whose son Sebby passed away due to a rare genetic disorder. She uses writing to help grieve and also to help those around her to understand the impact child loss creates. Caitlin Crowley interviews Edwina on her work as a volunteer for the Red Nose support line.
    Edwina explains that working at Red Nose feels like a legacy for Sebby and her contribution through that work is his gift to the world.
    Edwina reassures the listener to call the 'Red Nose Crisis line' – even if you are the father-in-law, there is no grief too distant or too ‘small.’
    Edwina encourages people to just listen to grieving families and that there is literally nothing that you can do to help, just listen. She explains how often some of the people closest to us are the people that hurt us the most. Edwina advises in that situation to 'please come back to your child, come back to the love,’ and don’t spend your time or energy on that hurt from others. Be a lioness and protect yourself and say ‘no, I am not going to that event to spend time with that hurtful person.’ It is all just ‘fuzz.’
    Edwina offers suggestions for friends or family trying to ‘pull grieving people up and out of the well’ and ideal ‘tones’ to use in their texts or phone calls suggesting activities.
    She explains what helped her through those first most painful, ravages of grief. Edwina talks about organ donation and the pivotal role registering with the online organ donation registry plays. Please find the website link below. It takes less then 60 seconds to register and can save lives. 


    The episode wraps with an acknowledgement of the painful journey bereaved parents walk and how time influences that path. 


    Links:
    https://www.theglimmerproject.com/
    https://bluehearts.com.au/the-cause.html
    https://stillbirthfoundation.org.au/  
    https://www.thegriefyway.com/
    https://rednose.org.au/page/grief-and-loss-support-services
    https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today
    https://feelthemagic.org.au/?gclid=CjwKCAiAx8KQBhAGEiwAD3EiP1uoFvJpH3A_0wClUwkYq11msBjmR3zZdL2XmiBA9_-aeV2LRz8qLBoCa8UQAvD_BwE
     
    Special thank you to:
    - Corey Green (podcast editor - Transducer Audio)  https://www.transducer-audio.com/
    - Coby Grant (Winter Bear backing sound track)
    - Ashleigh Smith (Producer and creator of The Glimmer Project, Podcast and Online group)
     
    Social media:
    @glimmer_project
    @bluehearts_au
    @stillbirthfoundation

    • 35 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
167 Ratings

167 Ratings

jessosborncoach ,

The conversation we all need

I’m loving these episodes. So powerful insightful, and useful. I’ve been feeling the difference in how I’m managing my own grief that I’ve tried to ignore for years, realising that instead I need to let myself heal properly. Thanks so much for bringing us these conversations Ashleigh! X

Peniscilen ,

Episode 4

Once again a sensitive and informative conversation about the scope of this sad topic 🙏. A great insight for all of us to share and better support our loved ones. Congratulations on episode 4 Ashleigh 💕

grannyhands ,

:)

Glad I found this :)

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