A Mother’s Story of Escaping Domestic Violence and Navigating a High-Risk Pregnancy

by | Jan 20, 2026 | Podcast

Jennifer Lucas joins host Ciarra Morgan to share her powerful and deeply personal birth story. She shares what it was like to navigate pregnancy, survival, and motherhood while fleeing an abusive relationship. She discusses leaving an abusive relationship while pregnant, navigating a high-risk pregnancy and complex medical decisions, the emotional reality of having a baby in the NICU, and parenting and advocating for your child as a single mother. This conversation is raw, honest, and ultimately rooted in resilience — a reminder that safety, support, and new beginnings are possible, even when the path is incredibly hard.

Jennifer Lucas is a mother of two girls, 3 years old and 6 months old as of January 2026.  When she found out she was pregnant with her second child, she was a stay-at-home mom in the process of fleeing an abusive relationship.  She spent her first months of pregnancy in a domestic violence shelter before picking her career back up as a Special Education Teacher and making a fresh start.  Before she could completely regain her footing, however, complications were found on her 20-week ultrasound. After extensive testing, her baby was diagnosed with a severe growth restriction in the 1st percentile. She was hospitalized soon after for monitoring, and her baby was born at 32 weeks, spending 9 weeks in the NICU.  When she’s not working or caring for her children, she’s busy writing a book about her experiences, with the hopes of helping and empowering other women and moms in the same position.

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jennlu512
Instagram: @‌jennlu512

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For the pre-recorded, self-paced Birth Basics Class, click HERE.
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This podcast episode is also on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with close captions, you can find the channel HERE.

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The information provided on this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. Reliance on any information provided here is solely at your own risk.

Birth, Baby! Podcast was originally produced by Ciarra Morgan and Samantha Kelly.
Ciarra Morgan:
www.EmpoweredBeginningsATX.com
www.BirthBabyAcademy.com

Samantha Kelly:
www.beautifullymadedc.com

Birth, Baby! Academy is for birth workers and parents to dive in and learn! Whether you're an aspiring doula, seasoned birth worker, or expecting parents, we have something for you. Birth doula training and certification, childbirth classes, sleep consulting help and more!
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Birth, Baby! Podcast

Ashley Button

Navigating through pregnancy and planning for birth

It was shortly (but not soon enough) after becoming pregnant that I found this podcast, as I was scouring the internet. So much great contact with relevant information new moms need and/or want. Definitely recommend and highly suggest listing to the hot topics they cover. This podcast is “decline-phone-calls while-driving worthy!! 🙂

Feb 14, 2024

Boodreux Nixon
MUST listen for parents!

This podcast has been so helpful to me in so many areas as a mom of 3, and I have been able to share it with so many of my friends who are pregnant or freshly postpartum, too! The heart of these ladies is so apparent as they share rich and essential knowledge for motherhood. Its one of my favorites!

Feb 12, 2024

djvonyon
Everyone preparing for a new born needs to listen to this!

Every parent should listen to this series when preparing for a new born. My wife and I are preparing for our first baby and are so grateful for this podcast. Ciarra and Samantha are so thoughtful and helpful! All the episodes are helpful but really loved “Dude you need a doula”. Every partner should listen to dude you need a doula. Wow what a tough birth Natalie had! Jordan sounds awesome and your post visit story resonated a lot for me on some family trauma I have been stuck on. Thank you so much for this podcast 🙂

Feb 5, 2024

Kristi Hammerle
Must listen to podcast for parents

These ladies keep it real while providing valuable education and resources from experts in the birth field. Highly recommend!

Jan 29, 2024

smileyriley92
Loving it!

I’m loving this podcast and have been looking forward to listening to it on my walks. You two are both so knowledgeable and are making me feel so much more informed before beginning my motherhood journey. Appreciate you sharing your wisdom!

Nov 7, 2023

GangstaRealtor
Such a great resource!

This podcast is a gem! They provide information from both sides to help parents make the best choices for themselves!

Nov 4, 2023

Msjeanne84
Essential listening for every expecting or new parent!

I wish I had a resource like this when I was a first time mom. Hearing directly from the experts who are sharing SO much valuable information is unbelievably helpful. Even knowing that these resources and different practitioners are out there and how they can help moms & babies is a gift! Thank you for making this happen! I share it with all my friends!

Sep 28, 2023

kkthecat
Amazing resource

This is the podcast every expecting parent has been waiting for! So much great evidence based info and I love how they keep it real, but positive! This is also an amazing resource for birth workers to send to their clients. Thank y’all for bringing this to families!!

Jul 11, 2023

Finaleeworkingout
Best In The Game

Ciarra and Samantha are truly some of the best birth resources in Austin! What a gift that they’re now sharing their knowledge through a podcast for everyone to enjoy/learn from. If you’re looking for a holistic and unbiased perspective about birth look no further!

Jul 5, 2023

kmelot
Such a great resource for moms!

Love what Ciarra has created for moms looking for resources about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They are both fun and engaging and I can’t wait for them to release more content.

May 11, 2023

KamillaV8
Knowledgable and experienced experts

These ladies are pros in the prenatal, birth and postpartum fields. I am so happy that they are offering this podcast. It’s been quite a few years since I was pregnant so I’m looking forward to re-learning and learning and new and exciting information about this magical time of life.

May 10, 2023