October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. This day is a day that no parent EVER wishes to be “remembering”.
Baby Center comments saying that miscarriages happens “to about one woman in 100” however after more research (past and present) I was informed that about 1 in 4 women will experience a miscarriage in their lifetime! That’s a VERY high chance of having a miscarriage. I am the youngest of 4 sisters and two out of the four of us miscarried.
I remember when I got pregnant with my second child. It was only a few months after having my daughter. The pregnancy came as a surprise but I was excited about being pregnant! I went for my regular doctor appointments and as the weeks went by they couldn’t find the heartbeat. I was told that that was OK because it may have been hiding or still too little. However, needless to say, they sent me for an ultrasound. When it came time for an ultrasound I laid there, on the table, telling the lady viewing my baby, how happy I was. How for the past week and a half I was feeling really really good, so much so that I didn’t even feel pregnant. I told her how awesome my first pregnancy was because my delivery only took about 6 hours. The whole time this is going on she isn’t saying anything and told me that she couldn’t say anything. She then left and the doctor came in. He told me the unthinkable. My baby had died.
The thing is, once you have a miscarriage you feel that you are the only person you know that has had one. But the truth is once the news comes out that you have had a miscarriage, MANY friends will come out and say that they have also miscarried. I knew a lady that had eight miscarriages. That’s ALOT! I think I would feel like giving up with no hope of a child. Side note – she did get pregnant again and have a child, three actually.
Know that you are not alone. There is a group called “Baby Steps Walk to Remember” and they created an event to remember those who will forever be remembered in your heart. Register here for Baby Steps Walk to Remember. A FREE walk to remember those who were too soon gone.
We went to A Walk to Remember in 2012 and it did close that chapter for me. I encourage you, if you have had a miscarried or know someone who has, please share this event with them.
**To my dearest Joey, forever in your mama’s pouch**
