Maternal Mental Health Stories
Ashley Inclima
PATIENT STORYTELLER: Ashley, mother and founder of Tides of Life Doula & Perinatal Bereavement Services shares the mental and emotional challenge of losing her first child to a fatal disorder, compounded by the grief of an early miscarriage just three months later. Despite these heartbreaking losses, Ashley's resilience prevailed as she found support and embarked on a journey that ultimately led to the birth of healthy identical twin daughters. Despite the hardships she has faced, Ashley's journey is a testament to her strength, resilience, and unwavering commitment to helping others find healing and support in their own unique journeys through pregnancy loss.
Becca Austin
PATIENT STORYTELLER: Becca is a wife, mama to one amazing boy, and works as a Patient Education Specialist for Henry Ford Health. She shares the devastating impact of spending the first 13 days of her son's life away from him, with several of those days battling for her life. She hopes that others understand the complicated mental health journey mamas and parents undertake when they have their own healing to do while raising and caring for a baby. She hopes others know that it is okay to struggle, it is okay to have bad days, and it is okay to not be okay all of the time.
Mercedes Price
COMMUNITY STORYTELLER: Mercedes Price is a childbirth educator, full spectrum doula, pregnancy researcher, wife, and mother of two toddlers. Her background is in preterm birth research and project management. After almost 10 years in research, she recognized the need to intervene because the research world moves too slow. She is a co-founder of Embrace: A Motherhood Collective, a group that aims to serve BIPOC moms through holistic support and self-care events. She aims to hold space for all moms to feel heard, appreciated, and understood.
Samantha Henry
Ruth Ann Blake
COMMUNITY STORYTELLER: Ruth Ann Blake is a wife, mother to two sons ages 2 and 6 years old, and a licensed perinatal mental health therapist. She shares her experiences working with mothers, fathers, and families who have experienced trauma and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, after her own lived experience with trauma and self-advocacy. Ruth hopes to send a message of empowerment, comfort, and healing to all who listen.
Hailey Maddox
PATIENT STORYTELLER: Hailey Maddox is a mother to two beautiful children. She details her journey navigating her son's life-limiting diagnosis prior to his birth and carrying the immense grief of his loss. She shares her story in support of bringing greater awareness to the experience of infant and pregnancy loss and with the hope that those who have or will experience the loss of a child, feel less alone.
Andrea & Wayne Bate
PATIENT & CAREGIVER STORYTELERS: Andrea and Wayne Bate are husband and wife from Windsor, Ontario. Their lives took an unexpected turn with the arrival of their son, Bodhi Bate, on March 9, 2020. Bodhi's birth was marked by a sudden complication, leading to an emergency C-section. This challenging experience reshaped their outlook on life, fueling a strong determination to support other families facing similar struggles during childbirth, and navigating the complexities of the healthcare system. Andrea and Wayne are set out on a mission to share their journey, offering insights and lessons learned, hoping to inspire and support others facing similar challenges.
Molly Bell
PATIENT STORYTELLER: Born to be a mother, Molly Bell’s body had different ideas! So she and her husband set on a journey through infertility, cancer, mental health and miscarriage which led them halfway around the world to create their family trio. She risks sharing her story of becoming a mother in hopes of highlighting the compassion and support still needed for Mamas to ultimately find their happy endings.
Tara Smith
PATIENT STORYTELLER: Tara Smith is a loving wife and first time mom to an angel baby who was born sleeping. She wants to share her experience through this loss so others won’t feel alone, and to shed light on a subject that is often hushed. She desires to share her story that is both raw and full of hope.
Jacobeth Morshall
CAREGIVER STORYTELLER: Jacobeth is a the first born in her family and a has a younger sister. She is a customer service representative by profession. She shares her experience of being a caregiver to her sister who had postpartum depression. After her own experience, she hopes to send a message of understanding comfort and healing and awareness to all who listen.
Rachael & Craig Guzzardo
PATIENT & CAREGIVER STORYTELLERS: Rachael and Craig Guzzardo have been married for 10 years and are parents to three young children. Rachael’s story focuses on her experience of postpartum depression after the birth of their second child, and together they share their perspectives on navigating the newborn stage during the early, dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic. By telling their story, they hope others feel validated in their shared experiences.
Heather Buchanan
CLINICAL STORYTLLER: Heather was lucky to have worked 22 plus years in Labor and Delivery at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital where she gained experience with a diverse population of moms throughout the entire labor, delivery and postpartum process. Her current role remains within the Henry Ford Health system in the Nursing Education department. She hopes to blend the two roles together to empower clinicians and the community to shed light on maternal mental health struggles and the need for more education and healing. She is the mom to two beautiful daughters, ages 14 and 18.
Riziki Bakari
CAREGIVER STORYTELLER: Riziki Bakari is a young lady who upholds the “Ubuntu” mantra, which is centered around the service to humanity. She is currently working as a customer service representative, which basically translates to extending help to those in need. Her caregiving experience does not fall short of the same, as it has enabled her to not only learn but also contribute immensely to society as a health care assistant.
LaKenya Hill
CLINICAL STORYTELLER: LaKenya Hill, MA, TLLP, is a Perinatal Behavioral Health Consultant at Michigan Medicine. She is also a PhD candidate, and her research focuses on the Black maternal mortality rate and amplifying the voices of Black mothers. She is also a mother.