Rainbow Baby Taylor Bates

My husband, Hunter, and I reflect on the birth of our rainbow baby, Jonas.
Admittedly it’s been much more difficult for me to find time to record and edit this podcast while taking care of a newborn full time. We recorded this episode three months ago and I am just now getting it out after finding little pockets of time during naps to record and edit.
Though I want to continue to share about my postpartum and parenting after loss experience, new episodes moving forward will be more intermittent—I hope you understand! 
Episode includes: 
-How I cultivated peace on Jonas’ birthday
-How I coped with fearful thoughts leading up to his birth
-How this birth experience compared to our first baby Ellis’
-The importance of finding a great team and hospital for your rainbow baby’s birth
-The things we did to make Jonas’ birthday extra special
-What we brought in our hospital bag
-The emotions we experienced at the birth of our rainbow baby
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To connect with me visit taylorashleybates.com and find me on Instagram @rainbowbabypodcast
And 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.

Part two of my conversation with Rachel George focusing on her book “Grieve, Create, Believe: Process Your Loss with Intention and Truth ” and her self-publishing journey.
Through several years of experiencing miscarriage, infant loss, adoption, and the recent birth of another baby, Rachel wrote her book, Grieve, Create, Believe as a way to not only process her own grief through telling her story, but also to help others do the same.
Rachel’s book acknowledges that we can’t escape suffering or run away from pain and helps guide readers through expressing and working through their grief to ultimately move towards healing.
Some of the topics we address are:
-How Rachel decided that her writing needed to be shared through a book
-How writing the book helped with Rachel’s own healing process
-Deciding to self-publish
-What her editing process was like
-Learning what she could do herself to create the book and what to seek help with
-How to put together your own self-publishing team
-Determining when a book is finished

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Connect with Rachel on Instagram @rachelgeorgewrites, her blog, and purchase her book “Grieve Create, Believe” on Amazon.
To connect with me visit taylorashleybates.com and find me on Instagram @taylorashleybates
And 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.

A conversation that includes Rachel’s story of miscarriage, infant loss, adoption, and the recent birth of another baby. Rachel shares her definition of rainbow baby, which is more complicated because of her experience losing two rainbow babies, Clive and Winnie. Through the unimaginable grief of losing two newborns to unrelated heart issues, Rachel and her husband found the courage to continue to pursue their dream to grow their family through the adoption of their daughter Corrie and another pregnancy that resulted in the birth of their son Miles. Throughout the years of these experiences Rachel began writing her book, Grieve, Create, Believe as a way to not only process her own grief through telling her story, but also to help others do the same. Rachel is honest in her sharing and I am in awe of the realness and resilience of her faith journey through some of the darkest times.

Some of the topics we talk about:
-Dealing with the desire to get pregnant immediately after loss
-Rachel’s NICU experiences
-VBAC after loss
-Going through adoption after loss, including a failed adoption
-Coping with fear in deciding to try again after losing two newborns
-Getting comfortable with people not understanding the specific path that you’re walking
-Coping with anxiety during pregnancy after loss
-Dealing with guarded and complicated feelings after giving birth to a rainbow baby
-Learning to ask for help in motherhood after loss
-How Rachel’s faith in God became stronger through grief
-Expressing anger towards God
-Responding to Christian clichés
-Rachel’s advice for parents going through pregnancy after loss
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Connect with Rachel on Instagram @rachelgeorgewrites, her blog, and purchase her book Grieve, Create, Believe on Amazon.
To connect with me visit taylorashleybates.com and find me on Instagram @taylorashleybates

And 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.

I’ve faced some big milestones lately in my journey of pregnancy after loss. These have included making it to the same gestational week where my first baby was stillborn, having a baby shower, setting up the nursery, and taking maternity photos.
I talk about how I’ve coped with fearful and anxious thoughts and ways that I’ve sought reassurance during these emotionally tender times.
-Expressing grief through “mourning time”
-Tips for dealing with sleepless nights and anxiety
-Emotional ups and downs of Week 31
-Setting up our baby nursery
-Not making decisions based on fear
-What I did the morning of our baby shower that helped balance my emotions

Show Notes:
-The importance of Kick Counting countthekicks.org
-Listen to our photographer Devin Travieso’s story on Episode Seven of Rainbow Baby

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To connect with me visit taylorashleybates.com and find me on Instagram @taylorashleybates
And 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.

I can’t believe I’m finally entering my third trimester of pregnancy! In this episode I talk about…
-managing my expectations and fears
-dealing with aches and pains and prioritizing self-care
-seeing a chiropractor
-planning a drive-by baby shower and building a baby registry
-the importance of kick counting
-and deciding on a name for our baby
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Show Notes:
Count the Kicks App
Kicks Count rainbow wristband

Hunter and I check in with each other a little over halfway through our current experience of pregnancy after loss.
We talk about:
-The differences between this pregnancy and our first pregnancy with Ellis
-Milestones we’ve experienced so far in pregnancy after loss
-Staying present when anticipating “loss date” anniversaries during pregnancy after loss
-Fears we still have at this point and feeling comfortable planning for a future with the baby
-The impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and birth and creating a new image of our experience
-Finding peace about our decision for a scheduled C-section
-What I’ve learned so far from other podcast interviewees and biggest takeaways from other bereaved parents
-What we’re looking forward to about the last trimester and giving birth

Show Notes:
-Count the Kicks App
-Kicks Count rainbow wristband

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To connect with me visit taylorashleybates.com and find me on Instagram @taylorashleybates
And 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.