National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month

On October 25, 1988, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5890, designating October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month throughout the United States. In his proclamation, he noted that the observance offers an opportunity to increase understanding of the great tragedy involved in the deaths of unborn and newborn babies, and to consider how, as individuals and communities, we can meet the needs of bereaved parents and work to prevent the causes of these losses. The designation had been requested by Congress through Senate Joint Resolution 314, which authorized and requested the President to issue the proclamation in observance of the month. Since that autumn day, every October has carried this quiet, sacred purpose, and each year the circle of remembrance grows wider.

The scale of the loss is difficult to comprehend, and that is part of why the month matters. About one in four women will suffer the loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death in her lifetime, a statistic so common that nearly every extended family carries it somewhere in its story. Most miscarriages occur before the twelfth week of pregnancy, often before a family has even shared the news that a baby is on the way, which means the grief arrives wrapped in secrecy. Because the loss happens so early and so privately, too many parents suffer in silence, unsure whether they are allowed to mourn a child the world never met. This month exists to tell them that they are allowed, that their grief is real and worthy of tenderness, and that they are not alone in it.

Within the month, October 15 holds a special place as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. The movement began in 2002, when three grieving mothers, Robyn Bear, Lisa Brown, and Tammy Novak, came together to strategize on how to secure recognition for the babies they had lost and for families like theirs. Their campaign led to a petition of the federal government and the governors of all the states, asking that October 15 be officially recognized. On September 28, 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Concurrent Resolution 222, supporting the goals and ideals of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. By 2016, all 50 states had issued proclamations honoring the day, a testament to what determined, grieving parents can build from love and refusal to stay silent.

One of the most moving traditions of the observance is the International Wave of Light. First observed in the United Kingdom in 2003, inspired by the American movement, the Wave of Light asks families around the world to light a candle at 7 p.m. in their own time zone on October 15. As candles are lit hour by hour across the globe, a wave of light travels around the world in memory of the babies who died and in honor of the families who love them. Churches, hospitals, and community groups hold services of prayer and remembrance, buildings and landmarks are illuminated, and individuals light candles in their own homes and share them online. It is a simple act, a flame in a dark room, that says what words sometimes cannot: you are remembered, you are loved, and your light reached us.

Organizations across the country carry this work all year, and October gives their mission a national stage. Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support is a leading voice in raising awareness surrounding baby loss, honoring and remembering all babies gone too soon. Each October, the organization invites its community to join a social media awareness campaign, take part in the International Wave of Light, and attend the annual Share Walk for Remembrance and Hope in St. Charles, Missouri, along with chapter walks held across the nation. Their belief is straightforward: when we raise awareness, we raise understanding, and as understanding grows, so do empathy and compassion for families walking through tremendous loss. Together, they insist, we can raise the standard of care for grieving families and make sure no one has to suffer in silence or alone.

If someone you love is grieving a pregnancy or infant loss, this month offers guidance on how to help. Listen more than you speak, and avoid well-meaning phrases that can wound, such as suggesting it was for the best or that they can simply try again. Acknowledge the baby by name when you know it, because naming says the child was real and will not be erased. Offer practical help, a meal, a ride, a quiet presence, instead of only saying to call if they need anything, since grieving parents rarely have the energy to ask. Check in again weeks later, when the casseroles have stopped and the world has moved on. And remember that grief does not follow a calendar; the parents you comfort in October will still need gentleness in the months that follow. Compassion, offered steadily and without an expiration date, is one of the greatest gifts a community can give.

Pregnancy and infant loss has been suffered in silence for far too long, and this month exists to shatter that silence with tenderness. Every story shared, every candle lit, and every walk taken in remembrance tells a bereaved family that their child mattered and that their pain is seen. Research, better care, and honest conversation can prevent some losses and heal many hearts, and each October renews the commitment to both, in every hospital, every home, and every heart that remembers. Until then, October stands as a promise carried on candlelight: no parent has to grieve alone, and no baby will ever be forgotten.

THE STORY BEHIND NATIONAL PREGNANCY & INFANT LOSS AWARENESS MONTH

📄 The 1988 Proclamation
President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5890 on October 25, 1988, designating October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month throughout the United States.

🕯 The Wave of Light
First observed in 2003, the International Wave of Light asks families to light a candle at 7 p.m. in every time zone on October 15, sending light around the world.

💗 Three Grieving Mothers
In 2002, Robyn Bear, Lisa Brown, and Tammy Novak began the campaign that led to October 15 being recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

🏛 Congress Acts
On September 28, 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Concurrent Resolution 222, supporting the goals and ideals of the Remembrance Day.

💙 One Million a Year
About one million U.S. pregnancies each year end in early loss, stillbirth, or newborn death, and one in four women experiences such a loss in her lifetime.

WAYS TO CELEBRATE

🕯 Light a Candle
On October 15 at 7 p.m., light a candle in memory of a baby gone too soon and join the International Wave of Light.

👟 Walk for Remembrance
Join a local remembrance walk, such as the Share Walk for Remembrance and Hope, to stand beside bereaved families in your community.

🤗 Offer Gentle Support
Reach out to a friend who has experienced loss, listen without cliches, and consider a donation to a support organization in their baby’s name.

Celebrate National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month

All through October 2027, hold space for the babies gone too soon and the families who love them still. Light a candle, share a story, donate to a support organization, or simply sit with someone in their grief. In remembrance, there is love, and in love, no one we love is ever truly gone from our hearts. Not now, not ever.