As the saying goes, there is nothing worse than losing a child. The grief and devastation that follow can linger for years; indeed, for a lifetime. And those who have experienced it suddenly feel the unwilling members of a club in which the only prerequisite for membership is suffering the unthinkable.
But one thing is certain. Childlessness doesn’t have to mean isolation, because there are support groups, special therapy sessions and there is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day. Sponsored by the group Remembering Our Babies, October 15 is day on which those who have lost can share their feelings with each other and tell the world in a positive way what they never wished to have to speak. The day even gained recognition by the US government when the House of Representatives passed Resolution #222, making the holiday official.
Remembering Our Babies is an organization that was created to provide support, education and awareness for those who are suffering or may know someone who has suffered a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, a still birth or the loss of an infant. They enable parents in the process of reclaiming their lives, remembering the ones they’ve lost, and regenerating hope. As they say, “Too many families grieve in silence, sometimes never coming to terms with their loss. Our goal is to help others relate to our loss, know what to say, do or not say, not do and to help families live with their loss, not ‘get over’ their loss.”
According to a 2004 National Vital Statistics Report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2000, 15.6% or 1,003,000 of the 6,401,000 pregnancies in the United States ended in either a miscarriage or stillbirth; the CDC also indicates that in 2003 the number of live births in the United States was 4,093,000, and of those births, 27,500 ended in the death of an infant under the age of one.
If you know someone who has lost a child, reach out to them today and say you care. And if you yourself have lost a child, there are others like you ready to give support.
Photo via RememberingOurBabies.net.