Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month 2022 with The Morning

Sep 16

For the grieving mom, every day is a day to honor, remember, and share about her baby gone far too soon. In the way she parents, in the way she loves, in the way she celebrates, and in the way she grieves, her baby is never far from her mind and her heart longs to hold him or her again. And yet, those on the outside aren’t often aware of the realities of her grief and the ways in which she longs to be remembered, alongside her baby.

In 1988, the US Congress declared October to be marked as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, a month to promote greater awareness and support for those whose babies died in pregnancy or as infants – approximately 1 in 4 families grieve in this way. Years later, October 15 became recognized as an official holiday: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, often celebrated by a Wave of Light. The Wave of Light is a worldwide ceremony of lighting a candle in memory of your baby (or your loved one’s) from 7-8pm in your local time zone – in essence, a candle will be lit for 24 hours honoring these babies in Heaven.

With the rise of social media and increasing awareness, October can be a big month for the grieving mom. At times it feels challenging to see so many statistics, so many stories shared, and so many memories brought back to mind on top of her normal grief. However, it can also feel freeing to have a dedicated time for so many to stand together acknowledging their babies and remembering them together.

In light of that, we wanted to take a moment ahead of time to let you know a few truths to cling to during the month of October, during Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, and share with you a few ways The Morning is showing up to remember your babies with you and remind you that you are loved. We invite you to join in with us however is most helpful and hopeful to you this year.

Oh - and ps - if you’re a friend or family member of a grieving mom, keep these encouragements in mind, and keep an eye out all month for ways YOU can learn, support, and care for those grieving the loss of a baby on The Blog, Podcast, and Emails. And before you go, check out The Morning Shop for beautiful, tangible products that will bless her this month - and all year long!

01. Your baby is remembered – every month of the year.

One of the challenging aspects of Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month is what happens after the fact. It can feel empowering to be able to share about your baby, about the realities of grief after baby loss, and to know that others are supporting you in such a significant time. However, that can also bring a significant amount of pain. Moms often want to know where the support is in other times, or why she feels forgotten or overlooked. She often wonders if her grief will be as accepted in November… or March… as it seemingly is in October. While she may feel more confident to say her baby’s name in October, she may feel unable to other times of the year, too.

If that is you, and you’re approaching this year with hesitation, fear, or even a disenchanted view of this month, please know you are not alone in feeling that way. Please also know: your baby is not forgotten. No matter what day of the year it is.

And also, we remember you. Even in the darkness of your grief, even in those lonely stretches where you’d do anything to hear someone say her name, even when the pain is so deep and you can do nothing but sob on your bathroom floor. You’re not forgotten, either.

You’re treasured here, and we’re honored to remember your baby with you.

02. No matter what you do this month, your baby is loved.

Sometimes it can feel like pressure to do all the things in significant months. But if there’s anything that grief has taught us all is that it is unpredictable, and at times, it’s all just too much.

It doesn’t matter whether you go BIG and celebrate with lots of outward displays of remembrance or if you honor your baby by sharing about him or her publicly and privately, or if you do nothing out of the ordinary at all this month. It does not change the fact that your baby is loved - just because he’s yours. His worth, her dignity - nothing changes as a result of your actions to remember.

We know that you remember your baby, that you love your baby (that’s what grief is after all!) and you don’t need to make grand gestures to prove it. But even if you did forget your baby for some reason (which you won’t, we promise), we know that God sees, knows, loves, and remembers your baby - forever.

So, no matter what you do or don’t do this month, know this: your baby is loved. Nothing will ever change that.

03. Don’t do this month alone. Honor your babies with us.

We have a few significant ways that we are gathering together as a community to recognize Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month this October. There is always a seat for you with us – will you join us in one or all of these things? (And if you choose to do nothing different this month, remember that we see you and will cheer you on, still!)

Click here to find all the ways you can honor your baby & raise awareness during Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month this year.

We know this month brings with it a mix of emotions and a variety of ways we will all celebrate. Much like grief, we will all do October in different ways this year. No matter where you fall on the spectrum of acknowledgement, please know that you are loved and you are treasured here – and so are your babies.