October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and I invite you to join me in helping to:
- Stop the silence surrounding tough topics like pregnancy loss and infant death.
- Say our babies names. Don’t forget them. Cherish them.
- Show your support to a mom and dad whose child has died, no matter how much time has passed.
- Spread awareness around whatever topic is close to you. Miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss, rare disease, SIDS, bereavement support, medical care, insurance… there are so many parts of pregnancy and infant loss.
This month of awareness first came to be in 1988, by President Ronald Reagan. He said:
“When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn’t a word to describe them. This month recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States and around the world. It is also meant to inform and provide resources for parents who have lost children due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirths, birth defects, SIDS, and other causes.“
You can read more about my personal experiences here, or learn about the organization my family created after the death of our daughter Olivia by visiting: The Pink Zebra Club.
But mostly this month, I don’t want to focus on just me. I want to invite you to join me.
Share on Social Media Images
If you’ve experienced pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or infant loss, I encourage you to share your story on social media this month. I created these pregnancy and infant loss awareness social media graphics for you to use. I hope these graphics help you find the courage to share your story, to share the memory of your beloved baby. Ask your family and friends to remember them with you.
And if you haven’t personally experienced pregnancy and infant loss, but you have a loved friend or family member who has, I created this set of graphics just for you:
Support your loved one by remembering their baby, always, but especially during October which is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month.
Help keep our babies memories alive with us, please. Say his or her name, often. Especially this month. Share their story. Reach out to mom and dad and let them know you remember their baby, and that you love and miss their baby.
What a wonderful resource you’ve created to help us women remember that we aren’t alone and there are ways that we can share our story without it feeling like we’re anything less then a mother for what we’ve endured. I lost my first baby at 6 1/2 weeks old and while I didn’t get to the names part yet, I fully believe that she was a little girl and it’s brought tremendous joy to talk about her to my son and share that he has a sister up in heaven that God needed for a special purpose. Thanks for writing about this! It’s so so important!