March of Dimes confronts the darker corners of parenting and pregnancy in a necessary new podcast

If you’re looking for a new podcast for your summer playlist, consider listening to one that helps a good cause.

March of Dimes, the nonprofit that fights for the health of all moms and babies, just launched a new podcast, Unspoken Stories: A March of Dimes Podcast. The show, hosted by Tatyana Ali, shares true, honest stories about pregnancy and parenthood. While there are plenty of parenting and pregnancy podcasts around (Motherhood Sessions, Longest Shortest Time, and Mommifaceted for starters), few tackle the happy times as well as the reality of loss. And unfortunately, since the United States is in the midst of a maternal- and child-health crisis, with more than 380,000 babies born prematurely each year, as well as more than 50,000 women experiencing life-threatening complications as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, loss is far too real and far too common.

“There is no perfect pregnancy, birth, or parent—and yet we rarely hear the REAL stories,” said March of Dimes president and CEO Stacey D. Stewart in a statement. “This is why March of Dimes started the podcast, showing that there are stories to share and people more than willing to share them.”

As March of Dimes does its important work to help reduce the rising rates of premature birth, as well as maternal mortality and morbidity, the new podcast helps it spread the word and bring together a community of support for what can feel like an isolating loss.

“Just knowing what other people go through, it just makes you feel exponentially better. And you don’t feel so isolated,” said actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who was interviewed for the podcast. “You don’t feel so cursed. Other people that are good people have to go through it too.”

Each episode of the podcast features a parent’s honest story about the realities of starting a family, the joys of parenting, and the complex machinations of the U.S. healthcare system. Ali speaks with celebrity guests like Sigler as well as noncelebrity parents like Petina Dixon-Jenkins, who has experienced multiple premature births and loss, and Jay Richardson, a dad who faced the realities of parenting a premature baby.

The podcast is part of the #UnspokenStories initiative launched by March of Dimes in April to shine a light on what can feel like the darker corners of parenting and pregnancy. Get Unspoken Stories: A March of Dimes Podcast wherever you choose to get your podcasts or at UnspokenStories.org.