Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month: Your Baby’s Story Matters

For some families, pregnancy does not end with bringing a baby home. For others, time with their baby is much shorter than they ever imagined.

October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, a time to remember babies gone too soon and recognize the parents and families who continue to carry their love with them.

Pregnancy and infant loss can happen through miscarriage, stillbirth, or the loss of a baby after birth. Every experience is different, and so is the way each family grieves. Some parents may want to talk about their baby often. Others may not be ready. Some may find comfort in remembering special dates, attending a remembrance event, connecting with other parents, or simply having someone willing to listen.

There is no timeline for grief, and there is no “right” way to remember your baby.

Sometimes the Smallest Gestures Mean the Most

Supporting someone after a loss does not require having the perfect words. Simple things can make a difference, like saying their baby’s name, checking in months later, remembering an important date, listening when they want to talk, and letting them know you are thinking about them.

Sometimes a simple “I remember your baby, too” can mean more than you realize.

Support Is Available

If you have experienced pregnancy or infant loss, you do not have to figure out what comes next by yourself. Whether you are looking for counseling, someone who understands, a support group, or simply a place to start, there are resources available.

Okeechobee Healthy Start Coalition. Our team is here to support local families during pregnancy, postpartum, and times of loss. We can help connect families with local services, emotional support, referrals, and other resources based on their individual needs. You do not have to know exactly what kind of help you need before reaching out. Sometimes the first step is simply having someone help you figure out where to turn.

• Waves of Change

Waves of Change provides counseling and support for women and families, including support surrounding pregnancy, postpartum experiences, and infant or child loss.

Visit Waves of Change

• Madison’s Miracles

Madison’s Miracles provides support and resources to families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss, including grief counseling, support groups, remembrance events, hospital memory boxes, and assistance with funeral expenses when eligible.

Visit Madison’s Miracles

• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

Pregnant and postpartum parents can connect with trained counselors for free, confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Call or text: 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262)

Visit the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

October 15: A Night to Remember

October 15 is recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, allowing families to honor babies gone too soon and create space for remembrance.

Here in Okeechobee, we will come together for our Pregnancy & Infant Loss Candlelight Vigil. The evening will give families a peaceful space to remember their babies, light a candle in their memory, and feel supported by others in the community.

Whether your loss was recent or many years ago, you are welcome. Friends, family members, and community members who want to show their support are encouraged to attend as well.

Their Story Matters

A baby may have been here for months, weeks, days, hours, or only carried in the hopes and dreams of their family. Their place in that family still matters.

This October, we encourage our community to talk about pregnancy and infant loss, support the people who have experienced it, and make room for families to remember in whatever way feels right for them.

Their lives mattered. Their stories matter. And they are remembered.