Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

October is awareness month for so many causes.  The most common is probably Breast Cancer Awareness Month but near and dear to my heart is

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

It was is a month set aside to remember those babies that have been lost due to miscarriage, stillbirth, illnesses, accidents, etc during pregnancy and after birth under the age of one year old.  In 1988 Ronald Reagan actually dedicated a day in the month to celebrate and remember these babies.  The day that was chosen was October 15th mainly because it fell in the very middle of the month. 

October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.   All across the globe at 7:00 PM there are candles lit in memory and honor of those babies who are gone but not forgotten.  At the hospital where I work, I am the co-chair of the Bereavement Committee and three years ago we started our annual ceremony for this occasion.  We have a speaker, do a responsive reading, and light candles.  We planted a tree the first year and this year we added a plaque.  We place ribbons and hearts on the tree as well.  It is such a special time of remembrance.

Tonight the speaker said something that hit this mommy's heart pretty hard.  She said, "When I lost my first baby to miscarriage and my 2nd baby at around 20 weeks, it was hard because as a mom I was supposed to protect them and I didn't."  As a mom, I can so relate to that.  We are their protectors.  We are supposed to keep them from harm and when we don't or can't, we carry so much guilt with that.  When God entrusts our children to us, He does so with a very specific goal, purpose, and time frame in mind.  Sometimes the time frame is shorter than others but we have to trust in Him that He has the baby's as well as our best interest at heart.  God is faithful when we are not.  He is sovereign and even though we may not understand His ways, I trust that He certainly knows what He is doing. 





If you have lost a little one in your life, I pray that you find God's peace beyond what you can understand today.

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