Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, a time to bring greater awareness, deeper understanding, and compassion to families who have experienced the loss of a precious baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or other complications.
For many parents, pregnancy begins with hopes, plans, and expectations for the future. When that journey ends in a sudden loss, the experience can be deeply personal and profoundly challenging. Parents may be navigating grief while also coping with physical changes, questions about what happens next, and the challenge of having to heal and recover.
And while pregnancy and infant loss can sometimes feel difficult to talk about, more families are affected than many people realize. In the United States, stillbirth alone affects approximately 1 in 175 births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Every Family May Experience Loss Differently
Everyone’s journey is unique and there is no single way to cope with pregnancy or infant loss. Some parents may want to talk openly about what happened, while others may need more privacy. Some may turn to family, friends, faith communities, support groups, or healthcare professionals. Others may find that their needs change as they move through their experience.
Culture can also shape how families understand and respond to loss. Beliefs and traditions surrounding pregnancy, motherhood, family, grief, and mourning can influence whether a loss is discussed openly, how support is offered, and what parents find comforting.
That is why compassionate care should begin with listening and understanding. Rather than assuming what a mother or family needs, we can make space for them to tell us.
When Your Body Is Still Changing
Pregnancy loss can be emotional, but it can also come with physical changes that parents may not expect.
Depending on when the loss occurs, a mother’s body may begin producing milk. For a mother who loses an infant after breastfeeding has already begun, she may also have an established milk supply.
Experiencing these changes while grieving can be difficult. For some mothers, lactation may be an especially painful reminder of what has happened. Others may have different feelings about their milk and what they would like to do next.
Some mothers may want to reduce and eventually stop their milk production. Others may choose to express their milk for a period of time, and some may explore the possibility of milk donation.
There is no choice that every mother is expected to make.
A healthcare provider or lactation professional can help a mother understand her options, manage discomfort, and make decisions based on her physical and emotional needs.
Support Starts With Compassion
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month is an opportunity not only to learn, but also to help make loss a little less isolating for the families experiencing it.
You do not have to be a healthcare professional to make a difference. Check in on a friend or loved one who has experienced a loss, even if some time has passed. Listen without feeling the need to find the perfect words. Respect how they choose to grieve, and remember that what feels comforting to one family may not feel the same to another.
You can also help by sharing trusted information and resources. Someone in your community may be quietly navigating an experience you know nothing about.
And if you know a mother who is experiencing lactation after a pregnancy or infant loss, let her know that support is available. A healthcare provider or lactation professional can help her understand her options and make decisions based on what feels right for her physically and emotionally.
This October, consider sharing this article with someone who could benefit from it. Sometimes awareness begins simply by making it easier to have a conversation that too many families still have to navigate quietly.
