Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
October…
It's October! And until now, I have referenced this month as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now I also reference it as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month (PAIL Awareness). Unfortunately these are both near to my heart. On October 1st, I sent a text message to one of the strongest and most loving women that I know -- "It's our month! It's Breast Cancer Month AND PAIL Awareness Month" - to which I got a response saying "We are strong and will get through this together." Go Us!
I am not really focusing on anything specific this week, other than some random facts and references. All being facts that I never really knew about until the last 3 months.
First of all, there are so many specific National Days/Months throughout the year. I never realized that until I was looking tonight. A few other important ones (according to me) for the month of October…
Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
Bullying Awareness Month
Emotional Wellness Month
Depression Education and Awareness Month
Dessert Month
Pharmacist Month
Physical Therapy Month
Halloween - I feel like everyone knows about this one already 🤪
If you are curious about ANY national days or months recognized, Nationaldaycalendar.com has them all listed. Be ready to see a national month or day for pretty much everything!
History…
I know some of you may like history…I usually would rather stick with biology or chemistry, but I guess I will be a good student and share just a small piece of history I learned in the last week or so.
President Ronald Regan proclaimed October as Pregnancy and Infant Awareness Month in 1988 with the following statement.
"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.
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.”
Hooray! Cool! That's enough history for me.
🧙♂️Wave of Light…
October 15th is national Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance DAY. I am a bit new to this, but it seems that there are a number of organizations that hold fundraisers, create remembrance walks, and participate in other ways to support parents of infant loss. (March of Dimes is one of my favorites and has been for a number of years.)
On October 15th, the International Wave of Light takes place. To learn more about this, google it (haha) or use this link. https://www.october15th.com/
The run-down for the Wave of Light is that everyone around the world is encouraged to light a candle at 7pm (in whatever time zone. No converting time zones is necessary) and then leave it lit for 1 hour. It is in remembrance of our heavenly babies. And that’s it! That is literally all you have to do 💙
If you happen to participate, send me a picture of your candle! That would be pretty cool and then I can even post some of the pics for all to see - and little Franklin can enjoy the lightshow from Heaven.
Stillbirth
Lastly, I would like to give this small piece of information, for those who are unfamiliar with stillbirth.
What is a stillbirth? What is the difference between a stillbirth and a miscarriage?
Miscarriage: baby is less than 20 weeks
Early Stillbirth: baby is 20-27 weeks
Late Stillbirth: baby is 28-36 weeks
Term Stillbirth: baby is 37+ weeks
*Franklin was born at 28 weeks + 4 days**
Stillbirth is the death or loss of a baby. This can occur during or before delivery. Miscarriage is also the loss of a baby. Here is the difference, based on the pregnancy timeline.
I HIGHLY recommend visiting this CDC website for more information on stillbirth. It is not a super long page and pretty easy to read. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/stillbirth/index.html
And Lastly, here are a few celebrities who have endured the heartbreak of stillbirth…
CHRISSY TEIGEN and JOHN LEGEND
Katey Sagal
Jennifer Syme and Keanu Reeves
Lily Allen
Jackie Kennedy
Wendy Williams
Brooke Henninger - oh wait...that's me! (hahaha!)
