October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.
Join us to light a candle at 7pm on Oct 15 your local time to create an #InternationalWaveofLight to honor all babies gone too soon. Raising awareness about pregnancy and infant loss will help break the silence about this taboo topic and increase understanding and support to bereaved parents.
If you know someone who suffers from the tragic loss of their baby, please extend your support as much as possible:
- Be present.
- Say “I am sorry” instead of statements that minimize their emotions or tell them what to do/how to feel, such as “I understand how you’re feeling” or “God has his own plan” or “Your baby is in a better place.” They are not helpful.
- Offer specific help, such as bringing them dinner, sending them flowers, or taking them out for a walk.
- Ask about their baby, talk about their baby. You might feel uncomfortable at first, but bereaved parents want their babies to be remembered, not forgotten.
- Acknowledge the baby and their loss on special dates in the years to come, such as holidays, father’s day and mother’s day, the anniversary of the baby’s birth/death.
For parents who experience the loss of a child:
- Please seek help if needed. Talk to your family members, friends, professionals, and other grieving parents.
- Be kind and gentle to yourself. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.
- Allow yourself to grieve at your own pace. There will be moments when you burst into tears in public. There will be moments when you smile and cry at the same time when looking at your baby’s photos. That’s perfectly normal.
- Remember, grieving is now part of your parenting journey. You are and always will be a parent.
Grieving is a long and complex process. We believe that we will be able to find hope again, but it just doesn’t happen right away. It takes time - a long time - to process and transit to the “new normal”.
Lots of love and tight hugs to all bereaved parents out there and their support systems!