31 Days PAIL Companion: Start here
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and on 15 October, families worldwide light a candle at 7 pm for the International Wave of Light. In this episode, I look at where this month came from, why pregnancy and infant loss remains one of the most silenced losses, and what both grieving parents and their supporters can do differently.
I bring together the 2025 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness mini-series (episodes 142 to 157), its guest conversations and paired episodes for parents and for supporters, and turn them into two clear lists of dos and don’ts. One for you if your baby has died. One for you if you are standing beside someone whose baby has died.
I also share a personal note fifteen years after the death of my daughter Amaya, offer simple ways to mark 15 October, and point you to the exact episodes in the archive to return to, depending on where you are right now.
“You do not need the perfect words. What hurts most is not the clumsy sentence. It is the silence.”
Who this is for: Parents who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss, at any time. Partners, grandparents and siblings. Friends, colleagues and professionals who want to support bereaved parents without saying the wrong thing.
In this episode:
- The history of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and the Wave of Light
- A recap of the 2025 PAIL mini-series, episodes 142 to 157
- Dos and don’ts for grieving parents
- Dos and don’ts for supporters, including what to say and what not to say
- Ways to mark 15 October
- Where to start in the archive
Episodes mentioned: 142, 144 to 157 (PAIL Mini Series), 201 Grief and Time. Full list: nathaliehimmelrich.com/pregnancy-and-infant-loss-awareness-mini-series/
Access free resources: nathaliehimmelrich.com/free-resources-hub
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