Pregnancy Loss Awareness Week: October 9 – 15
by One in four pregnancies results in a miscarriage. One in four. 25% of our unborn children are dying. And the sad truth is in most cases, no one knows why. This topic needs more awareness and research to prevent some of these miscarriages and to help the families of those involved.
In the vast majority of cases, the cause of the loss is unknown. In my family’s loss, we were told that our lost son was perfect except for the fact that he was dead. Because the cause of the loss is unknown, it makes it very hard to prevent. Further research could lead to more information being available to pregnant parents that could help increase their chances of having a healthy child.
On the other hand, it’s surprising how many miscarriages could have been avoided by better prenatal testing. A good example of this is a condition called vasa praevia which is a complication that causes massive hemorrhaging. This hemorrhaging causes fetal death in 95% of cases. The condition can be detected through harmless ultrasound testing as early as 16 weeks. And when it’s detected, the fetal survival rate is nearly 100%! There are countless miscarriages which are caused by a poor prenatal diagnosis which could have been avoided.
Baby loss awareness week runs from October 9 – 15. Many communities have memorials or Walks to Remember during this week. The image of the butterfly is commonly used in reference to lost babies throughout history. They are powerful symbols of transformation in many cultures and belief systems. The transformation refers to the baby’s soul moving from a physical body to a spiritual body as well as the family’s eternal transformation by their babies short lives. Our family attended a butterfly release in the summer as a way to memorialize our loss (that’s my hand holding the butterfly below). Think of attending such memorial walks in your own community to show your support and awareness for pregnancy and infant loss awareness week.
Baby loss awareness ribbons are half pink and half blue to represent all the babies lost, both boys and girls. Tragically, many parents will never know whether the baby they lost was a son or a daughter. Wearing these ribbons will help to spread awareness and offer some comfort to grieving families as they struggle to put their lives back together. So, pin on your ribbons (can be purchased online or made at home) and light your candles on October 15 at 7 p.m. so that a wave of light covers the world and memorializes all babies taken too soon.
Liked it
-
-
-
-
-
Post CommentLisa Linthicum
On October 12, 2008 at 10:08 am
Thanks for sharing! I had a miscarriage in 2001 and still mourn the loss of my precious angel. Thanks for sharing this — I will definitely be lighting a candle on the 15th!
Paula Mitchell-Bentley
On October 12, 2008 at 10:15 am
I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s the toughest thing in the world to go through.
Ashley Hess
On April 21, 2009 at 10:21 am
This is a very good article, but let’s not forget to mention that SIDS/SUIDS is also including during this time and any pregnancy or infant loss. This is a very diffucult journey for us all. If you have lost a baby, please take a moment to visit firstcandle.org or october15th.com, these are both very good websites.
Georgie
On July 2, 2009 at 8:26 am
Little Soul was written by Tom lead singer of Oswald as his means of coping with his pain of loosing his unborn child. Singing it unleashed Tom’s emotions and enabled him to move on from his tragedy by communicating it to the world. To hear the song and see the video is http://www.oswaldtheband.com/littlesoul/
Jordan
On February 12, 2010 at 3:51 am
This is a great thing for you to do. I didnt get to find out if i was haveing a little girl or boy when i lost my little one last year. It was one of the hardest things i ever had to do. I will deffinantly be lighting a candle on October 15th.