Pregnancy & Infant Loss Day

October is a big “awareness month” for a lot of things here in the US – Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Liver Awareness Month. Those were the handful I was able to pull up on a list, but there may be more that even I do not know about. One that wasn't listed and many do not know about is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness. 

This was officially declared in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. October 9th – 15th, specifically, is Baby Loss Awareness Week.

I think many are aware of Pregnancy and Infant loss, but how aware? Do you know how common it is? Do you know what to say to someone who has experienced a loss? Do you know that they don’t want to forget their angel baby (or babies) and pretend like nothing ever happened? Or that saying things like “it was just too soon” or “well, you should be happy you can have other children” (both are things I was told) REALLY hurts?! 

There are a lot of things I think people aren't aware of when it comes to pregnancy and infant loss. I think sharing your love with those that have lost a baby or babies by participating in the Wave of Light on October 15th is a great way to show your support. 

One of my all time favorite quotes is, "Have you hugged a Baby Loss Mom lately?" I think every mom I know that has lost a baby, loves having hugs even more than most people.

Maybe you don’t understand the grief and pain. I pray that you never will. But by reading and understanding what can and does happen to 1 in 4 Moms is the first step. It is a great way to say, “I may not understand your pain directly but I love you and want to help you remember your baby.” To participate in the Wave of Light, you light a candle at 7pm in whatever time zone you are in on October 15th and leave it lit for one hour. Then the next time zone will be lighting their candle(s). This will send a wave of light around the world in remembrance of all the angel babies. I personally have had a candle lit all day for my baby Landon Ryan Brown. 
I am sharing our story in remembrance of our 'angel baby', Landon. You will be able to find the post: http://armybrownie.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-angel-baby-landon-ryan-brown.html