October 15th is an important annual day of remembrance for families that have experienced pregnancy loss or infant death.
October has been proclaimed as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy and parts of Australia.
As per the Remembering Our Babies website, President Ronald Reagan was the first United States President to acknowledge the month by issuing a proclamation in 1998 which stated, “When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn’t a word to describe them. This month recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States and around the world. It is also meant to inform and provide resources for parents who have lost children due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirths, birth defects, SIDS, and other causes.”
October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, which is typically observed with remembrance ceremonies, walks of remembrance, candle-lighting ceremonies, and the International Wave of Light. Also as per the Remembering our Babies website, the Wave of Light on October 15th involves lighting a candle “at 7pm in all time zones, all over the world. If everyone lights a candle at 7pm and keeps it burning for at least one hour, there will be a continuous wave of light over the entire world.”
For several years now, Adoption STAR has been a proud supporter of the Western New York Perinatal Bereavement Center, a wonderful resource for individuals that have experience perinatal loss.