At 17 weeks of pregnancy, Marsheila Tillman's water broke. She was advised to end the pregnancy because, "historically, when a woman's water breaks this early, the baby dies within 24-48 hours." She was told that if she continued with the pregnancy, her baby had a 1% chance of survival and she had a 5% chance. She and her husband took that chance believing that, with God, all things are possible, and her baby was delivered vaginally and was born healthy and strong a little after 30 weeks of pregnancy. Listen to her story to hear how she recruited a team of people who provided her with the reso ..read more

"Your placenta is dead. It's calcified. Your body is trying to tell you this pregnancy needs to be over." "You didn't bring your bag in to this appointment? Aren't you optimistic? Now you're going to leave and come back-don't you know that you could sit on your cord and since your waters are all dried up, you could lose your baby and not know it?" "Dry births are extremely painful. I don't recommend it." "We know your baby is big and you're going to deal with dystocia...it's best to just let us get the baby out." "Your baby is not responding well to the epidural (within 30 minutes of administe ..read more

Gwen’s birth story is one of the most empowering ones I’ve ever heard and her journey to and through it started years before she got the delivery room. We have had the privilege of walking alongside Gwen as she, with the discipline of a marathon runner and the unmatched support of her family and husband/best friend, Nick, -recovered from the effects of preeclampsia following her first delivery -lost 30 pounds -got off of her blood pressure medicine -changed her diet -swapped providers until she found one who was equally passionate about her having the VBAC they desired -moved to be closer to t ..read more

On at least three different occasions, this precious mom was given the option to abort her baby after he was diagnosed with Trisomy 18/Edward's syndrome. She was told that he would likely die during delivery or shortly afterwards. She decided not to abort and does not regret her decision. Listen to this podcast to hear a story of strength, resolve, dedication, genuineness, sacrifice, generosity, and the love of a mother. Listen to how she navigated her pregnancy and delivery and learn how you can support someone who has experienced loss. Recovery and healing needs to take place following the l ..read more

After having her first baby via cesarean delivery, Pamela Barner was told she had a 4% chance of a uterine rupture with her second. What she heard was that she had a 96% chance of uterus not rupturing. Her uterus did rupture, however and so did her bladder; and contrary to what one would expect, she did not feel pain at all while it was happening. After her second child, she was told she shouldn’t have another baby. She decided to get a second opinion and she birthed her third child six years later without complications. In her story, you hear her indecision about the role Pitocin played in ..read more

LaPortia's job denied her short term disability despite her having heart palpitations, being unable to feel her left leg or arm, get dressed by herself, or walk without a cane. -She took off without pay. Her high blood pressure was ignored by the hospital and emergency room staff on multiple occasions following delivery. -Her MIST monitor connected her with an OBGYN who was not in her area who connected her with a provider who got her the medicine she needed. Her hands were so swollen at one point that she couldn't pump to provide breast milk for her baby. Her doctor told her it was just a par ..read more

One provider made assumptions based on her age and made her feel like "she was the old maid who couldn't have a baby." The one she swapped to let her know he delivered babies from women who were way older than her so he wasn't going to make her age an issue. With the knowledge of her having a miscarriage on Mother's Day weekend during her first pregnancy, her cousin referred her to Operation M.I.S.T. when she got pregnant the second time around. In her words, "at Operation M.I.S.T., not only are you monitoring vitals, but you're giving women hope and positive manifestations of what is to come ..read more

Strong...Amazing...Free...These are the three words MIST Mom Haley used to describe her birth following her second delivery! She felt like there was nothing she couldn't do! Following her first delivery, she described her experience as unplanned and out of control; she felt sad. She said she had a textbook pregnancy, but then "on game day, everything went left." In her words, the biggest difference between the first and second birthing experiences were the education she received and the people she had on her team. We are so grateful that she chose to allow Operation M.I.S.T. to be on her team ..read more

Laura was given surgical and hormonal options at 31 years old that could have prevented her from getting pregnant later in life. Thanks to getting a second opinion, she kept her organs and preserved her ability to bring forth life. Even with PCOS, stage IV endometriosis, kidney stones, ovarian cysts, failed IUIs, hormone therapy, and 40 negative pregnancy tests, she remained faithful that she and her husband would have the baby she so strongly desired. She ultimately went on to get pregnant the old-fashioned way after stopping all of the interventions, getting a pelvic health PT, tracking her ..read more

Cocoa didn't feel an overwhelming sense of love or joy when her son was born; to the contrary, she found that she didn’t want to be around him. She thought something was wrong with her until her mother and grandmother spoke with her about postpartum depression. Cocoa says, “I am a mom, but I am not just a mom. I am not who I used to be, but I can decide who I want to be going forward.” Cocoa bonded with her son for the first time when he was one. She created a program to help women understand that they are not alone. For more info, visit https://www.concocoaching.co  Reach out: suppo ..read more