I think we can all agree that life is an incredible privilege.
Still, that doesn’t change the fact that, every now and then, we all face incredible hurdles.
Grief, loss, and personal tragedy are an inevitable part of everyone’s story, and we all have to find our own way to face those feelings.
Still, as much as mourning is a part of the human experience, it’s never easy to see someone going through the pain of a loss.
This is especially true when it comes to a topic that, for years, was skimmed over and underreported, because of the shame and stigma involved: miscarriage, stillbirth, and the loss of babies.
For most of human history, the average mother would lose as many children as she kept, but these losses weren’t deeply acknowledged by society.
Now, women who have survived the pain of losing a child to miscarriage or other circumstances are coming out to grieve in the open, and to raise awareness about the specific pain of losing an infant or a pregnancy.
It's hard to fully put into words that challenges that face parents who lose a child at a very young age, experience a still birth, or miscarry a much-wanted baby.
These losses are often personally devastating, but, somehow, aren't always tallied as being "equal" to the death of an older child or adult, at least not historically.
In the not-so-distant past, when a woman was likely to carry as many as 14 children in her lifetime, early losses were treated almost cavalierly — when they were acknowledged at all.
More often, women who lost babies during their pregnancies or shortly afterward were shamed for the loss.
They faced a social obligation to mourn quietly and privately, without discussing or processing the pain that comes losing a child at any stage.
Now, women are refusing to let this uniquely personal form of pain be hidden any longer; moms who have lost babies are focused on raising awareness about the precious lives they have lost, and that they'll never forget.
Leading the charge is an organization called Pregnancy And Infant Loss Awareness, or PAILA.
This organization represents the interests of moms who are tired of pretending that their losses don't mean something.
They seek to raise awareness about the incredible prevalence of losing a child in pregnancy or shortly after — 1 in 4 women will face this loss — and to destroy the taboo around publicly discussing and mourning the lives of very young children.
In the interest of furthering their message, they are encouraging moms and their supporters all over the world to #goPINKandBLUE.
Pale pink and blue, often associated with newborn babies, are used as the awareness colors for infant and pregnancy deaths.
PAILA encourages folks who wish to support moms facing loss (and remember the little ones no longer with us) by representing the cause with pink and blue, and even changing their profile pictures on Facebook to have a pink and blue overlay.
Pale pink and blue ribbons are easy to make right at home with just a twist of ribbon, and the Facebook profile picture switch is slowly becoming more and more prevalent.
We've seen Facebook offer options in the past, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness and other causes.
Now, it's possible to create a similar awareness-raising profile for Pregnancy and Infant Loss by checking out the official #goPINKandBLUE website and following the steps online.
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, so make sure to switch your profile picture this month if you want to support this cause that is so often neglected or ignored by folks that don't understand the pain of losing a pregnancy or a baby.
October 15th is the official Remembrance Day for the cause, and is marked in many communities by memory walks and other fundraisers to help support families experiencing this tragedy.
To learn more about this important month of reflection, be sure to watch the video below.
If you want to spread the word about this important issue, please be sure to SHARE this important information with friends and family!
