pregnancy and infant loss rememberance day

this thursday, october 15th marks pregnancy and infant loss rememberance day.

while reading he will carry me, stacy said some things regarding this day like she was reading my mind...i couldn't have said these things better myself. while my situation compared to stacy's (and that of my sister's and others in their situations) might seem trivial...i know my baby counts just as much..what i suffered was a loss and it hurts me deep.

as originally posted on he will carry me by stacy:

many of you know that october 15th is designated as pregnancy and infant loss remembrance day. while i am saddened that a day like this has a need to exist, i am glad that it does... as
remembering our babies can bring so much healing and hope.

i was doing a little research this weekend about this topic and here are some preliminary findings:

- according to emedicine, the overall miscarriage rate is 15-20%. some physicians believe this percentage may even be higher, as miscarriage can often occur before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

- approximately 25,000 babies are stillborn each year in the united states, and according to the march of dimes, about 19,000 babies die within the first month of life (called neonatal death).

- sids claims the lives of over 7000 babies each year nationally.

all of this is simply to say that many, many people are affected by miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. and if you are one of those people i want you to know this: your child matters.

lastly, as the "pailrd" site has announced, you are invited to light a candle on october 15th at 7pm in your time zone to create a wave of light in remembrance of the child/children that you have lost, or in honor of someone else who has lost a child thought miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death.

i'll be lighting two candles. one for our little one, and one for my sweeet nephew oliver.