October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss month. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan designated the awareness month in honor of families who have experienced a miscarriage or infant loss.
October 15 is specifically set aside as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, which includes miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS and the death of a newborn.
Recently, the NARMC Auxiliary worked with the NARMC OB team to create rainbow bags. The bags are a comforting gift to those experiencing a perinatal loss, giving those patients and families a way to create loving memories. Each bags contain a teddy bear, information about bereavement support and other comfort items.
“Initially these bags were donated by a patient who had experienced a loss herself. It was her way of resolving her own grief by reaching out to others. We thought that was a wonderful idea and wanted to see it continue,” said Karen Boyers, RN.
The NARMC teams’ thoughts go out to everyone impacted by October 15.