We Remember: Pregnancy and Infant Loss

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. I have a number of friends who have lost babies to miscarriage, stillbirth, or early death. It's more common than you might think. My heart always is heavy when I think of the babies missing in their lives, of who these babies might have become.

If you know someone who has lost a baby to miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death, please give them sympathy and a listening ear. Don't tell them how to feel or second-guess their situation, but just listen. If the time seems right, ask them how they are doing or offer to just hold them. They may not want to grieve in front of others, so a card or a message of love and support can be helpful yet still allow them to grieve in private. Take your cue from the mother as to what kind of support she needs. Don't assume she'll be "over it" in a month or two. That loss will likely live on in her heart forever.

We remember:

the babies born sleepingthose we carried,
but never held,
those we held,but could not take home.those who came home,
but could not stay.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

Sadly, I have had a number of dear friends and acquaintances who have had miscarriages, whose babies were born still, or who did not live through their first year. These losses have left their footprints in my heart too.

You simply cannot work in the birth field for 20+ years and not know people whose precious babies have died. Miscarriage is more common than you might think, and while stillbirth and infant mortality is rare, it does still happen. These losses are absolutely devastating and go unspoken of far too often.

To any in my reading audience who might have experienced a loss like these, my heart goes out to you. To my dear friends who have been through this difficult experience, I hold you and your babies forever in my heart. It may seem like no one remembers, but you might be surprised how often I think of them, and you too. So much love to you.