October: Pregnancy, infant, and child loss awareness month

October holds space for a kind of grief that doesn’t have adequate words.

Almost every person either has experienced or knows someone who has experienced a pregnancy, infant, or child loss. Yet, so often, those who have experienced loss, navigate the journey feeling alone and forgotten.

To very parent who has experienced pregnancy, infant, or child loss, know you are seen. You aren't forgotten. Your love, your heartbreak, your memories, and the child you carry in your heart are all real.

You don’t have to move on. You don’t have to explain your grief. You don’t have to make it make sense (because it doesn’t).You just get to be exactly where you are, however that looks today.

You are a parent, no matter how long you held your child, or even if you never got to hold them in your arms. They will always be your child. So many hearts carry this same quiet ache, and even if it feels like everyone in the world is moving on except for you, you are not forgotten.

There are no perfect words, and no single path through this kind of pain; only small, quiet steps and the gentle reminder that love and grief can exist together.

At Fortis, we believe healing isn’t about rushing forward or “getting over it.” Sometimes healing begins in simply allowing yourself to feel, to rest, to breathe, to be.

You don’t have to be in this alone. 🤍