October 15th is observed as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. It is a day of remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant death which includes, but is not limited to, miscarriage, still birth, SIDS, prematurity, neonatal and postnatal death. This day serves to promote awareness, honor our loved and longed babies, and to support the bereaved individuals and families.
The reality is one in four women will experience the loss of a child during pregnancy or infancy. And just like motherhood, it’s something that you don’t quite grasp or understand until you experience it firsthand.
And I’ll be honest, I didn’t know about Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day until I experienced the loss of a pregnancy for myself. It’s a club that none of us want to be in. But it’s a club that many of us are in.
Tonight at 7:00 p.m. I invite you to take part in a global “Wave of Light” by lighting a candle in memory of your little one. If everyone leaves their candle illuminated for one hour, the result is a continuous chain of light spanning and illuminating the globe for a 24-hour period in remembrance of our loved and longed babies.
Today we honor the babies born sleeping, the babies we carried but never held, the babies we held but could not take home, and the babies who came home but could not stay.
Post your Wave of Light photos on social media using the official 2019 Wave of Light hashtag: #WAVEOFLIGHT2019