"Turning Pain into Purpose" with Kate Boydston

Today’s episode of Power of MoMMAs Voices highlights a “Pain into Purpose story of Kate Boydston. Kate is a survivor of placental abruption, gestational diabetes, and postpartum anxiety and depression, as well as a NICU stay. She has since used her “mom voice” on local, national, and international stages as both a Patient Family Partner and as Mrs. New York American. 

“Being able to know that I had a goal of being on a stage, being an advocate for maternal mental health, really gave me an area to set some goals for my therapy.”

“I'm able to feel like my voice is actually making an impact in my state and community.”

“…my mom voice has been able to travel internationally and that's all due to MoMMAs Voices and the training that I received as a Patient Family Partner.”

“And I think that it's important to find your group of people that will support you in getting to that ultimate goal that you're looking for. And I found my people through MoMMAs Voices.”

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About MoMMAs Voices
MoMMAs Voices (Maternal Mortality & Morbidity Advocates) is the first-ever maternal health patient advocates program bringing together real patient and family voices. We're made up of dozens of maternal health organizations who represent all types of maternal health conditions, as well as cross-cutting topics like maternal mental health, racial equity, healthcare delivery, and patient-provider partnership. We sit at the center of maternal health improvements, connecting and training patients with lived experiences, providers, quality improvement leaders, researchers, and policymakers to move forward improvements in maternal care. We are a program of the Preeclampsia Foundation.

Episode Transcript

Bekah (00:00):
Hello, and welcome to today's episode from Power of
MoMMAs Voices.
My name is Bekah Bischoff and Iam the Program Manager.
Today we'll highlight acertified patient family partner
and talk about her experienceduring pregnancy, after birth,
and how she came to MoMMAsVoices for her advocacy journey.
We hope this will show ourlisteners different stories,

(00:23):
advocacy styles, and how we areall a community.
I'm excited to introduce ourguest today, Kate Boydston.
Kate is a survivor of placentalabruption, gestational
diabetes, and postpartum anxietyand depression, as well as a
NICU stay.
Thank you so much for beinghere with us today, Kate.

(00:43):
I have really enjoyed followingyour journey and
accomplishments, and I wouldjust love for you to share a
little bit about your birthstory with us today.

Kate (00:53):
Thank you, Bekah, for inviting me to share my story on
here.
I'm one of the three-in-fourwomen who went undiagnosed with
maternal mental health strugglesafter having my first son.
I went through a traumaticbirth with him, which was the
placental abruption, and afterthat came a NICU stay.
During that time, it was about12 months that I went

(01:13):
undiagnosed with maternal mentalhealth struggles.
I did not know that I was goingthrough all of those postpartum
depression and anxiety symptomsuntil 11 months later when one
of my friends had reached out tome and saved my life.
She gave me the resources thatI needed and the motivation to

(01:36):
get started on researching allabout what I was going through.
But it wasn't until I was fouryears postpartum that I
eventually got settled with atherapist that I enjoyed that
really listened to me and helpedme heal from my traumas, which
is when I had my second, andthat's where I experienced

(01:58):
gestational diabetes andprobably would've had postpartum
depression and anxiety if Ididn't go through the trauma
therapy that I went throughafter having my first, so, just
to back it up just a little bit,while I was pregnant with my
first, I did not know that I washaving a boy, and I think

(02:20):
because there's many unknownsduring my pregnancy, I was
really cautious about bondingwith the baby during my
pregnancy after he was born, Iwent through that very traumatic
experience of the placentalabruption, and it made it even
harder for me to bond with himafter because I was so uncertain

(02:42):
of where we were in our motherand son bonding experience to
know where to even begin withthat bonding process.
Because he was NICU, he wastaken away from me right after
being born, so it was evenharder to have that bonding
experience with him.
But from there, I have beenable to find time for myself to

(03:06):
have that healing and to be ableto bond with him in other ways
to make up for all those timesthat I felt like I had missed
after I first had him.

Bekah (03:17):
Oh, I just felt everything that you just said,
and I'm so grateful for yourfriend who really, truly saved
your life because it brought youto MoMMAs Voices and for me to
get to know you.
And I just have so enjoyedgetting to know you.
Thank you for sharing yourstory.
I know that you are passionateabout sharing it.

(03:38):
And no matter how long it'sbeen or how many times you've
told it, it's still it still canbe hard to share.
So thank you for coming on andtalking with us.
I'd love for you to talk abouthow you got involved in sharing
your story and how you found outabout MoMMAs Voices.

Kate (03:54):
Of course.
So I am a pageant girl at heartway before having children.
And because of that it was partof my therapy process to be
able to go through my story andbe able to tell it in an
educational way without gettingso emotional about all of the
pieces that I went through.
So I really used a pageantexperience which sounds kind of

(04:15):
silly, but it was also self-carefor me.
So being able to know that Ihad a goal of being on a stage,
being an advocate for maternalmental health really gave me an
area to set some goals for mytherapy.
So I was able to practicetelling my story to my
therapist, practice walkingthrough every piece of my story

(04:39):
of that traumatic birth withoutgetting upset or emotional.
I was able to find places inthere that I wished I had
educational practices given tome and be able to share that
with other moms or other familymembers so that they were more
aware of how to support a newmom in their families or
themselves.

(04:59):
So because of that, I foundMoMMAs Voices and I found MoMMAs
Voices through joining MomCongress and social media
really.
So being able to find differentresources while I was going
through my therapy was helpfulto find MoMMAs Voices because
then going through the trainingto become the Patient Family

(05:23):
Partner, I was able to also gothrough all of that practice of
telling my story and being ableto use it in that educational
aspect that I wanted to as agoal with the help of everybody
in MoMMAs Voices supporting methroughout the way to be able to
then use my voice as aneducational purpose or a patient

(05:45):
with lived experience in thereal world doing day-to-day
things with my state and CDC, sothat has been amazing and an
amazing experience to be able todo, and really an ultimate goal
when I started my therapy.

Bekah (06:02):
I love how it all just has been woven together with
your love for being in pageantsand storytelling and all of
that.
I'm also just so happy that youfound us and, and joined us in
our advocacy efforts.
I would love for you to share alittle bit about the different
ways that you've been able touse your mom voice for awareness

(06:22):
and advocacy.
I know that you've been able tobe paired with some engagements
for us and we're just so veryproud.
And I would also love for you,if you can, to talk about how
you've used your platform asMiss New York American.

Kate (06:37):
Sure.
So going with the how I used mymom voice, I have been able to
be on different webinars withdoctors different groups with
New York State and the CDC.
I'm currently working with agroup doing equity for NICU

(06:58):
since I'm a NICU mom, and I'vebeen able to help with the
perinatal mental healthcondition safety bundles, which
has been an amazing experiencebecause I'm able to feel like my
voice is actually making animpact in my state and
community, and hopefully travelthrough the nation at one point.

(07:19):
So, It has been an honor to bea patient with lived experience
because I can say to someone, Ithink you should add this
because of this, and I feel likeit's been eye-opening to hear
other moms at the same time thatare like, oh yeah, I
experienced that also.
So it's being able to use yourvoice and really speak for the

(07:43):
majority of people who feel likethey went unheard during their
pregnancies and labors.
And I think that that's reallyimportant.
So during my pageant work, Ihave been able to, put my voice
out on a platform that'sinternational really, and be
able to talk about my experiencewith MoMMAs Voices and being a

(08:05):
patient with lived experienceand all of the extra work that
MoMMAs Voices has been able tograciously bring me to be able
to share my story, and that hasbeen through different podcasts,
through interviews, TVinterviews different media
sources, and working with AIM.

(08:26):
So I think that because of allof that, my mom voice has been
able to travel internationallyand that's all due to MoMMAs
Voices and the training that Ireceived as a Patient Family
Partner in the beginning, andthen all of the experiences that
have added onto that, that havereally created this community

(08:46):
of other women that have beensupporting each other through
difficult stories and being ableto educate other women so that
they don't go through the sameexperiences that we did.

Bekah (08:58):
Thank you for sharing this.
You have done so many wonderfuland amazing things.
I know that I had the joy ofwatching one of your pageants
and was so impressed with yourgrace and your poise, and was
watching cheering you on,wishing that you had been the
one who won, but you were awinner in my book.
What advice would you give tosomeone listening who wants to

(09:20):
get involved, but is just kindof stuck or maybe just doesn't
really know where to start?

Kate (09:28):
So I think that it's really important to know where
you are in your healing journey,even as a bystander of someone
that you know, that went througha traumatic experience or just
some type of story with theirbirth or labor or pregnancy.
So I think knowing where youare in your journey and then
being able to join a group likeMoMMAs Voices that are able to

(09:51):
help you get to your level ofwhere you should be in order to
be able to make an impact inyour community.
It's not a quick overnightprocess.
And just to remember thathealing is not linear.
You're going to go throughdifferent emotions while you're
healing.
And I think that it's importantto find your group of people

(10:13):
that will support you in gettingto that ultimate goal that
you're looking for.
And I found my people throughMoMMAs Voices.

Bekah (10:21):
Oh, we are so glad that you found us.
Thank you so much for sharingwith us today.
I know that this is gonna be soinspiring for our listeners to
learn about you, our beautifuladvocate, and mom behind the
crown, Kate.
And thank you so much for beingon, and thank you to our
listeners for tuning in today.

Kate (10:42):
Thank you.