#58 DJ, Premature Babies and Supporting Bereaved Parents with Ali Ande

In Episode 58 of Footprints on our Hearts, I talk to Ali Ande, whose first son, DJ was sadly stillborn in 2016. Her second son Grayson and her third son, Gavin were both born prematurely, Gavin at the height of the covid-19 pandemic last year.

In the interview, we talk about:

• Ali’s journey to getting pregnant and the naivety of pregnancy before loss (09:13)
• Going into hospital to give birth to DJ and spending time with him after he was born (20:44)
• How a nurse’s wise words helped prepare Ali for grief (27:08)
• Experiencing anxiety while pregnant with her second son, Grayson, and how she felt when he was in NICU (31:10)
• Her third pregnancy with Gavin and giving birth during a global pandemic (38:41)
• Why she created a platform to support other bereaved parents (44:04)
• How she feels raising black kids in America today (50:48)

You can connect with Ali on Instagram @aliandeenterprise and find out more about her on her website: https://www.aliandeenterprise.com/.

Thanks to Izzy Syme for editing and producing the show.

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