Today is a special day. October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. This day meant nothing to me two years ago, and in fact, I didn’t even know it existed. I was the woman who didn’t get or spend any time thinking about infants being lost. And then it happened to us. Almost a year and a half ago, our second son, Gabriel, was born at 37 weeks and then passed away 2 hours later. There is no heartbreak like losing a child, and a day like today helps all of us moms who have lost a child through miscarriage, perinatal, or infant loss to come together and be remembered. It helps us spread awareness of some of the things that we lost our babies to. It helps us reach out to women who have no support system, no one to cry with, and feel all alone in their loss. It’s one day out of the year when maybe there is less talk of baby announcements and more talk of remembering the ones we lost.
Nothing can ever take away our pain. Nothing can give us our babies back. But we can feel loved, supported, and most importantly, that our babies are remembered. Let’s let today be an opportunity for that. Statistically 1 in 4 women will have a miscarriage. That doesn’t even include the women who have a stillborn baby or lose their infant. That means that each one of us knows someone who has known this loss. Take a moment today to remember them. Send a text, an email, a card, or do something special to let them know they aren’t alone, that you love them, and that you remember their baby who should be in their bellies or their arms. Today is a day for us to be there for each other.
In an effort to remember our precious babies, let’s join the movement to light a candle tonight. The Wave of Light was created to bring unity to pregnancy and infant loss. They ask that we light a candle at 7pm — wherever we are — in remembrance of a special baby who has touched your life. Join in with us this year! Last year many friends sent me pictures of candles they lit remembering our Gabriel, and it meant so much to me! Give that hope and love to someone in your life by lighting a candle and sending them a picture.
For more information look at my posts from last year here and here. Help spread hope by lighting a candle.
And my very favorite — here are just some of the candles people shared last year. This post will make you smile.
