Today we’d like to introduce you to Roiann Baskin.
Roiann, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I remember finding out I was pregnant. My daughter Journey was four years old at the time. She was so excited about becoming a big sister. We were expanding our family of three to a family of four. We got pregnant very quickly and I just naively assumed that it would be an easy, uncomplicated pregnancy just like my first. But at ten weeks, I suffered a miscarriage. I can honestly say it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever gone through. I felt alone, ashamed, embarrassed. I felt like something was wrong with my body. I didn’t know how to cope myself let alone be there for my daughter who could not understand what happened or why she wasn’t going to be a big sister anymore. I thought maybe there were some children’s books that might help. But after looking, there were very few that dealt with miscarriage and even fewer that applied to older siblings. So, the idea came to me…I was going to write one for her.
The name of my book is Rainbow Sister. There is a term, “rainbow baby” that is referring to a baby born after a pregnancy loss. It is called a rainbow baby because it is like a rainbow after a storm: something beautiful after something scary and dark. So, I chose the title Rainbow Sister in that same idea…my daughter becoming a big sister after the loss.
Has it been a smooth road?
When I first decided to write the book I had no idea what I was doing! It took a lot of research and trial and error. I had to submit my manuscript several times and make format changes. Luckily I had a wonderful illustrator! My friend Jeff Szymanski is an amazing artist in Houston. He has painted murals for St.Arnolds Brewery, George Bush Sr. & Jr, Governor Rick Perry, Peter Frampton and more. His artwork has been displayed in many locations including Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Newark Airport and the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Baskin Birth story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a certified birth boot camp instructor. I first became interested in becoming a birth professional when I started my own journey towards motherhood. It was so eye opening to me to see how something as wonderful as giving birth to a baby was so often feared and the processes surrounding it greatly misunderstood! I spent a lot of time researching as I prepared for the births of my own babies. From there I grew to love helping others prepare for amazing birth experiences, and encouraging them to be informed of their choices so they could give birth with confidence. After two amazing birth experiences of my own, one in a hospital and one at a birth center, I finally pursued this passion of mine- to help couples experience how amazing birth can be and to remove fear from the equation. I am so proud to be a part of Birth Boot Camp because we literally have a class/workshop for everyone! We have online classes, hospital birth classes, home birth classes, comfort measures during labor workshops, sibling birth classes and more!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I would love to continue providing more childbirth classes in my community. I also plan to become certified as a doula and a baby loss advisor/rainbow doula so I can help more families that have been affected by miscarriage.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.baskinbirth.com
- Phone: 713-818-2672
- Email: rbaskin@birthbootcamp.com
- Instagram: @baskinbirth
- Facebook: facebook.com/baskinbirth
Image Credit:
Key Wilson Photography, Morgan Bliss Prints
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
