
Today is Thursday, October 15. Today is pregnancy and infancy loss awareness day. As a mother of two, one of the first worries that came to my mind when I found out I was pregnant was, “what if I lose this baby?” You immediately do everything within your power to make sure that your baby is healthy. You make sure you are eating correctly, you make sure you are sleeping enough, and you do everything you can to take care of the growing child inside of you. Sometimes, some things are completely out of your control, and there is nothing that you can do. That doesn’t mean that it hurts any less. I have held the hands of friends and family members who have experienced this loss. I have cried tears with them in their most darkest times. So today, I light this candle in the memory of that child that didn’t get to come home, or that child that didn’t make it past the first year of life.
As I write this, it may be another day where you are. You may be ahead of me or you may be behind me, but I want you to know that I am thinking of you. I was supposed to have two beautiful nieces that didn’t survive the journey to this side. 1 in 4 women have experienced pregnancy loss – that is a alarming number. That is why it is important that we always be kind to those around us because we never know what someone is going through. Be a wave of light tonight and every night for your friends and family, or for yourself if you have experienced loss. The loss may lessen, but it will never go away. Keep those who didn’t get to bring a child home with them in your thoughts tonight.