National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awarenes Day

Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness day.
It's supposed to be a day dedicated to remembering the babies that we are unable to hold in our arms, and to raise awareness for pregnancy and infant loss. I makes me so angry that it's such a taboo subject. I find it so interesting that even though 1 in every 4 women has lost a pregnancy or a baby after birth, yet people don't talk about it. If it's really 1 in 4, that means that EVERY single person knows SOMEONE who has gone through this.

Even though it's so common, there are so many situations that make us feel uncomfortable when we talk about our kids. Our society is very uncomfortable with death, and the loss of a child is especially hard for people to talk about. Those who haven't been through it have NO idea what to say.

That's why today is so important. It is SO important to educate the people in our lives about what we're going through or what we've gone through. I think the most common thought when someone loses a baby, whether it's to miscarriage, still birth, neonatal loss, etc., is "oh, they'll try again". While that's true, I think it's important for people who haven't had to deal with this type of loss to understand that each child is unique, and just because we know that we WILL have another child (or children), the child that was lost is always remembered, missed, and irreplacable, even if it was miscarried. I haven't experienced miscarriage personally, but I can tell you that the women I know who have, do NOT just think of it as a fetus that would someday be a baby - it already was a baby who was loved and very much wanted.

Tonight is the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner for Dana's wedding, so I won't really have time to participate in anything going on for Oct 15th, but to be honest I'm okay with that. Olivia's birthday is in one month and five days, and that will be her day.

At 7 pm, please light a candle and participate in the Wave of Light. I have met SO many amazing women over the past almost 11 months who are missing their babies just as much as I am. I will be thinking about ALL of you ladies today!