Hey, natal fam. I'm co-host Martina Abraham Zalunga.

Before I dive in, just a heads up that this episode deals with the trauma of pregnancy loss.

In the natal prelude, I alluded to the challenges my mother faced with me and each one of my siblings.

This episode, I'm going to share one of her stories, and the story

of another woman, Yvonne McCombs. Their experiences reflect the joys of becoming pregnant and also

the complications that can accompany childbearing and result in pregnancy loss. The sorrow of losing a

baby during pregnancy is something that many

don't talk about. In this episode, we honor those experiences and highlight the resiliency and

faith of black birthing parent who will to bring new life into the world. You're listening to

Natal. You're listening to Natal. You're listening to Natal. You are listening to Natal.

You're listening to Natal.

A podcast about having a baby.

Having a baby.

Having a baby while black.

My mom's name is Marilyn, and she is a fierce Caribbean mother.

She's strict.

You know, the type who's always got her eye on you, needs to know where you're going and when you're coming back, or maybe won't let you leave home at all.

But she's also incredibly supportive. She'll tell you to dream big,

the sky's the limit. Put your faith in God and you can do anything. She gave birth to me,

then my two sisters, Brittany and Brianna, and finally my brother, Joshua. But she only went on to raise three of us.

We all know our birth stories because each year, on the day or so leading up to our

individual birthdays, she calls to tell us exactly what she was doing at that exact moment

...