Thousands of Families Experience Stillbirth. Three Moms Tell Their Stories in a New Documentary.

by Nadia Sussman ¹ , Liz Moughon ² , Duaa Eldeib ³ , Margaret Cheatham Williams ⁴ and Lisa Riordan Seville ⁵

THE FILM

Intimate, infuriating and ultimately hopeful, “Before a Breath” braids together the stories of three mothers determined to make pregnancy safer after losing children to stillbirth.

After the loss of her daughter Autumn, Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya discovers that more than 20,000 stillbirths occur every year in the U.S. — and at least 1 in 4 is likely preventable. She goes to Washington, battling political inertia as she fights to make stillbirth research and prevention a federal priority. Kanika Harris, a maternal health advocate and doula, tells the story of her twins, Kodjo and Zindzi, as she trains a new generation of Black birth workers. And Stephanie Lee, a nurse leader at a Manhattan hospital, seeks answers about what might have led to her daughter Elodie’s stillbirth as she takes a leap of faith and becomes pregnant again.

Inspired by ProPublica’s groundbreaking reporting on the stillbirth crisis ⁶ , which was a finalist for a 2023 Pulitzer Prize, the film is a powerful story of grief, healing and three mothers demanding that the U.S. do better by expecting parents.

Watch “Before a Breath” on YouTube

FEATURING Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya is a stillbirth parent advocate and the mother behind the SHINE for Autumn Act ⁷ , named in honor of her daughter, Autumn, who was stillborn in 2011.

Watch video ➜ ⁸

Kanika Harris is a birth justice advocate and doula. She holds a doctorate in health behavior and health education and is the executive director of the National Association to Advance Black Birth ⁹ .

Watch video ➜ ¹⁰

Stephanie Lee is an associate director of nursing in critical care at a New York City hospital. She was also a patient at the Rainbow Clinic at Mount Sinai ¹¹ .

Watch video ➜ ¹²

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

“Before a Breath” is free to stream on YouTube ¹³ . If you’d like to host a screening or conversation in your community, please sign up here ¹⁴ and use these guides to help you get started.

Download the guide for a community screening ¹⁵

Download the guide for health professionals ¹⁶

WATCH MORE

You can find our trailer, sneak peek scenes and additional videos on the “Before a Breath” playlist ¹⁷ on YouTube.

LEARN MORE

Read ProPublica’s reporting and participate in our stillbirth memorial.

• You can read ProPublica’s guide, “What You Need to Know About Stillbirths ¹⁸ ,” and our whole stillbirths series ¹⁹ .
• Hear the stories of other families by visiting our stillbirth memorial ²⁰ and create your own ²¹ .

Get more information about stillbirths and care for parents of loss.

• The Rainbow Clinic at Mount Sinai ²² is one of several clinics opening around the country that care for pregnant patients with a history of perinatal loss.
• The University of Utah recently opened a Stillbirth Center of Excellence ²³ , a hub of efforts to end preventable stillbirths in the U.S.
• The International Stillbirth Alliance ²⁴ promotes collaboration for the prevention of stillbirth and newborn death worldwide.
• Bereavement support groups for families of loss are available around the country and online. Your local hospitals and birth centers may suggest some.

STAY IN TOUCH

• Have you hosted a screening? Tell us about it! ²⁵

FILM TEAM

• Nadia Sussman, Director and Producer
• Liz Moughon, Director of Photography and Producer
• Duaa Eldeib, Reporter and Producer
• Lisa Riordan Seville, Producer
• Margaret Cheatham Williams, Editor
• Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi, Additional Editor
• Mandy Hoffman, Composer
• Almudena Toral, Executive Producer

This content originally appeared on ProPublica ²⁶ and was authored by .