The Rainbow Connection

• “Somehow, We Lived” — A Story of Life Support, Letting Go, and the Baby Who Taught Them Everything

  Brianna shares the sacred and heart breaking story of her daughter Caroline, born with a complex heart condition and an incredibly rare genetic diagnosis. In this tender, raw, and deeply moving episode, Bri walks us through her high-risk pregnancy, the decisions that no parent should have to make, and the immeasurable love that carried her through it all. She also shares the beautiful way she now honours Caroline’s memory— through her nonprofit, Caroline Cares— and opens up about pregnancy after loss and what it’s been like to carry her rainbow baby boy. We talk about: Receiving a fetal heart diagnosis at 29 weeks Relocating for high-risk care at Stanford Balancing hope and fear while fighting for her daughter’s life Caroline’s birth and time in the NICU on ECMO An emotional mix-up that changed everything Making the heartbreaking choice to remove life support Holding Caroline for the first—and last—time How grief shaped her purpose and how Caroline Cares was born The complicated journey of pregnancy after loss This episode is a powerful reminder that grief and love are never separate— and that even in the most devastating loss, mothering never ends. 🕊 Caroline, this one is for you. Get to Know Brianna: Hi, I’m Bri. My husband and I are parents to our beautiful daughter, Caroline, who passed away at 27 days old in 2023 due to a rare congenital heart condition called Ebstein’s Anomaly. We miss her deeply every single day and continue to honour her life through Caroline Cares, a charity we founded to support other NICU families by delivering care bags to local hospitals. In 2024, we experienced an ectopic pregnancy — a heartbreaking loss that came just as we were beginning to hope again. After walking through so much grief, we are now joyfully expecting our rainbow baby this August. Caroline made me a mother. Her story changed everything. And now, I carry her legacy forward—through advocacy, through love, and through every family Caroline Cares is able to reach.   Connect with Brianna: Instagram: @briannahansen Support Caroline Cares: www.carolinecares.us Connect with Kristin: 📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca 🌈 The Haven - Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/the-haven — use promo code: RAINBOW to save $100 🕊 RECLAIM — The PAL Birth Course: thedoulalife.ca/reclaim — use promo code: RECLAIM to save $100 🤍 Mother Like No Other Community: www.thedoulalife.ca/community 📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review– this helps get the show and resources mentioned into the hands of the women that need them! And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

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• “Nothing About This Was Easy”: A Story of Stillbirth, NICU Survival, and the Baby Who Changed Everything

  Jessalyn shares the deeply personal and emotional story of her angel baby Camila, who was stillborn at 20 weeks, and the high-risk, complicated journey to welcoming her rainbow baby, Colby. In this moving episode, Jessalyn walks us through the shock of pregnancy loss after an uncomplicated first birth, the heartbreaking misidentification of her baby’s gender, and the complex layers of grief that followed. She also opens up about the fear, anxiety, and resilience it took to navigate a subsequent pregnancy filled with complications, including PPROM, hospital bedrest, and a NICU stay.   We talk about: Experiencing a missed miscarriage after her first healthy pregnancy  Losing her daughter Camila at 20 weeks and discovering her true gender days later  The emotional and physical toll of an induction after loss  The complicated decision to try again while deep in grief Navigating pregnancy after loss with high-risk care  A ruptured membrane at 26 weeks and hospital bedrest far from home Bringing her son Colby home after a premature birth and three weeks in the NICU  The ongoing balance of grief, healing, and joy in parenting both her living and angel children This episode is a tender, honest reminder of the strength it takes to survive life after loss and how joy and sorrow can exist side by side. Jessalyn’s story is proof that even through the most devastating chapters, we can find our way through.   🕊️ Camila, this one is for you. Get to Know Jessalyn: Jessalyn is a 35-year-old mom of three — an angel baby and two living children — living in Clarington, Ontario with her husband Carlos and their rescue dog, José. She grew up in Port Perry and still holds a special love for her hometown, with hopes of moving back one day. Jessalyn and Carlos have known each other since their early teens and have been together since their late teens, with a few years apart along the way. She works in Toronto and commutes a couple of days a week, balancing family life, work, and the ongoing journey of mothering all of her children. Connect with Kristin: 📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca 🌈 The Haven — Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/the-haven — use promo code RAINBOW to save $100 on enrollment 🕊️ RECLAIM — The PAL Birth Course: thedoulalife.ca/reclaim — use promo code RECLAIM to save $100 📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review– this helps get the show and resources mentioned into the hands of the women that need them! And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

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• “We Did It”: From the Stillbirth of Her Son at 39 Weeks to Welcoming a Rainbow Baby — Courtney’s Birth Story

  In this raw and redemptive episode, Courtney shares the story of her son Beau, who was stillborn at 39 weeks, and her rainbow baby Daisy, born almost exactly one year later — in the very same hospital room. She takes us through the shocking moment she heard “there’s no heartbeat,” the sacred experience of birthing and holding her son, and the decision to return to that same space to bring Daisy into the world — surrounded by love, memory, and the presence of her firstborn son. We talk about: The unexpected loss of her son Beau at full term The out-of-body experience of being told there was no heartbeat Choosing to birth Beau unmedicated, and the power in that decision Parenting her two younger daughters through grief and sibling loss Navigating pregnancy after loss and the decision to be induced Returning to the same birth room — and how that became an act of reclamation Welcoming Daisy and honouring Beau in every step Courtney’s story is honest, heartbreaking, and full of the fierce love only a mother could give. It’s a testament to what it means to walk through unimaginable loss — and to find healing in the most unexpected places.   🕊️ Beau, this one is for you.   Get to Know Courtney: Courtney is a mother of 3 daughters, Taylor, Briar and Daisy, and 1 angel baby boy, Beau, who lives in Collingwood, Ontario. Right now she is on maternity leave with her rainbow baby, but when she is in the working world, she works as an Educational Assistant with the School Board. Courtney enjoys baking sourdough (when she remembers to feed her dying starter), going for hikes, creating new embroidery art and spending time working in the garden planted for Beau.    Connect with Courtney: Instagram: @courthodgson   Connect with Kristin 📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca 🌈 The Haven - Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/the-haven -- use promo code: RAINBOW to save $100 on enrollment 🕊 RECLAIM -- The PAL Birth Course: thedoulalife.ca/reclaim -- use promo code: RECLAIM to save $100 📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life   If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review– this helps get the show and resources mentioned into the hands of the women that need them! And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

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• "This Is What I Could Do for Her” – Birth, Loss, and Love as a Mother and Midwife

  Ashley shares the sacred and heart-shattering story of her daughter Marigold, born after a fatal diagnosis. In this deeply moving episode, Ashley walks us through the months of preparing to say goodbye, the home birth she fought for, and the moments of peace, presence, and pain that came after. She also shares the path to her rainbow pregnancy and the emotional birth of her son, Wesley, born just over a year later. We talk about: Receiving a life-limiting diagnosis halfway through pregnancy Choosing comfort care and preparing for her daughter’s death Planning a home birth for a baby who wouldn’t stay The sacred 43 minutes she spent holding Marigold The moment her two daughters met— just before Goldie passed Navigating postpartum grief, rage, and the aching silence that followed Becoming pregnant again just 4.5 months later The emotional and physical intensity of birthing after loss The healing, heartbreak, and transformation that comes with mothering all her children This episode is a tender, powerful reminder that grief and beauty can coexist— and that birth, even in loss, can absolutely be sacred. 🕊️ Goldie, this one is for you.   Get to Know Ashley: Ashley Thorup is a mom to three children, Luca June, Marigold, and Wesley, a wife to Michael, and a home birth midwife from Fayetteville, Arkansas. When she isn’t with her loved ones or attending births, she enjoys being outdoors, reading, writing, gardening, and eating really dark chocolate.   Connect with Ashley:  Instagram: @ashley.thorup Website: marigoldmidwifery.com   Connect with Kristin: 📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca 🌈 The Haven - Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/the-haven -- use promo code: RAINBOW to save $100 on enrollment 🕊 RECLAIM -- The PAL Birth Course: thedoulalife.ca/reclaim -- use promo code: RECLAIM to save $100 📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life   If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review– this helps get the show and resources mentioned into the hands of the women that need them! And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

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• “Both of Them?” — A Stillbirth Story of Twin Daughters and a Mother’s Unprecedented Strength

  In this deeply vulnerable episode, Tyla shares the story of her twin daughters, Jhene and Raelyn. From the joyful surprise of a twin pregnancy to the unimaginable heartbreak of a stillbirth at nearly 26 weeks, Tyla takes us through the sacred, painful, and powerful moments that changed her forever. We talk about: Navigating a high-risk twin pregnancy The moment she was told there were no heartbeats The trauma of birth and hospital decisions How she and her husband walked through the days and weeks that followed Finding meaning, motherhood, and the courage to try again Welcoming her rainbow baby This episode is an emotional, essential listen for anyone who has loved and lost a baby, and for all of us seeking to better understand the depth of grief— and the depth of love— that loss parents carry. 🕊️ Jhene and Raelyn, this one is for you.   Get to Know Tyla Tyla lives in Oshawa, ON with her husband, her earthside son, Lincoln and her furbaby Lyla. Outside of constantly colouring with Lincoln, keeping him from feeding Lyla and going on adventures at the park so Lincoln can find all the pinecones and chase all the birds, she is getting back into body movement via Crossfit. She considers herself a reality TV connoisseur; everything from The Real World to Love Island to Traitors, she's seen it all. She also loves a good skincare routine, root beer and sushi.    Connect with Tyla on instagram: @tylacampbell   Connect with Kristin 📍 Website:The Doula Life 🌈 The Haven - Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/the-haven -- use promo code: RAINBOW to save $100 on enrollment 🕊 RECLAIM -- The PAL Birth Course: thedoulalife.ca/reclaim -- use promo code: RECLAIM to save $100 📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life   If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review– this helps get the show and resources mentioned into the hands of the women that need them! And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

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