Real Stories With Rise: Cyterria
Name: Cyterria Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Snapshot: Cyterria is a mother that has experienced injustice in the healthcare industry. She recounts her last pregnancy experience, her struggles to feel heard by medical professionals, and describes her ongoing journey dealing with perinatal loss. Content Warning: loss, trauma, and sensitive images How were you connected with POEM Rise? I […]
Real Stories With Rise: DeLana
Name: DeLana Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Snapshot: DeLana is a wife and mother who has struggled to juggle motherhood, a full-time job, and preserving her mental health. She shares how her mental health took a major toll due to a toxic work environment, pregnancy, and the pandemic. She also recounts how she improved her mental health through […]
Real Stories With Rise: Erica
Name: Erica Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Snapshot: Erica is a wife and first time mom trying to balance work, partnership, and motherhood. After being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes at 24 weeks and receiving care that only further complicated her pregnancy, she recalls her struggles with maternal mental health and shares her process for healing. How were you […]
Real Stories With Rise: Erika
Name: Erika Pronouns: She/Her Snapshot: Erika is a veteran mother and wife. Following the birth of her 4th and 5th children, however, she began to experience intense Postpartum Anxiety. Curiosity and insight from close loved ones encouraged her to seek professional help and she discovered she had postpartum hypothyroidism, which contributed to her fluctuating mood. […]
Real Stories With Rise: Jhay
Name: Jhay Pronouns: N/A Snapshot: Three years after experiencing a miscarriage, Jhay and her husband learned they were expecting again. Despite the passing of time, grief remained present. Jhay was nervous to share the wonderful news and was admittedly scared to be pregnant again. She now speaks to how she coped with anxiety and leaned […]
Real Stories With Rise: Kelli
Name: Kelli Pronouns: She/Her Snapshot: Before Kelli provided the full-time Doula care she does today, she was one of the hearts behind POEM Rise. The mental health support she provided others came alongside her own story of loss and healing. Kelli recounts what it was like to experience the loss of her first pregnancy at […]
Real Stories With Rise: Tiffany
Name: Tiffany Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Snapshot: Tiffany recounts being pregnant during a very stressful time in her life. Her family was grieving and experiencing declining health. The world looked different due to the pandemic, and her job was demanding in response to the shifting times. Grief and anxiety were present for Tiffany during the 1st and […]
Real Stories With Rise: Turquoise
Name: Turquoise Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs Snapshot: Turquoise was about 10 weeks along and expecting their first child at the onset of the pandemic; they shed light on how a lack of LGBTQ+ inclusive and gender-affirming resources and Anti-Black medical care further exacerbated isolation. Their physical pain was compounded by the emotional trauma of birth, and their […]
