Julia Powers
photography
Wave of Light: October 15th
October 15, 2023
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
- 1 in 4 women suffer from a miscarriage
- 1 in 6 women suffer from infertility
- Every day, 14 women have to choose to TFMR of a WANTED pregnancy (terminate for medical reasons)
- 1 in 100 pregnancies end in stillbirth
- 2,300 babies die of SIDS each year” *
- *these are estimates based on research from 2022 reported pregnancies
These are not just statistics – they are your friends, your daughter, your wife, your mother, your coworker, your neighbor, and your family. Too many women and too many families suffer in silence and there aren’t enough conversations around these very difficult topics.
So I decided to speak up. It was unbearable and uncomfortable for some, but it was helpful and healing for others. I am 1 in 4. I am 1 in 6. I have been one of those 14 women several times. I am not alone and neither are you. ❤️🧡💛💚💙
The Wave of Light is a global day of remembrance for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, shining light on families who have struggled with such issues. I invite you all to participate in the Wave of Light today, October 15 to honor all mothers and their babies gone too soon. To participate, light a candle at 7 pm EST and keep it lit for the whole hour. You are encouraged to post photos of your candles to #WaveOfLight
Last month, I had the pleasure of hosting my 4th Annual Rainbow Shoot to honor these beautiful women and their powerful stories. Here are some of their stories 🌈
Courtney
I was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 13. I never gave much thought about how it would affect my fertility until we started trying to conceive. We have been trying for about 1 1/2 years. We have completed five medicated cycles, with our most recent resulting in pregnancy and unfortunately an early loss. We will soon be starting another cycle. Although very excited and hopeful, the unsuccessful cycles and loss steal the innocence and joy of trying to conceive and replace it with hesitancy and fear.
Amanda D.
I got pregnant via IUI in December 2022 and had a miscarriage at 6 weeks in January 2023. I did an egg retrieval and transfer – now I’m expecting my rainbow baby in January 2024, one year after my miscarriage.
Jenn
My husband and I were married in August of 2022 and our first child, our son, “crashed our wedding” as a total surprise at 6 weeks. We found out that he had died at 37 weeks for unknown reasons. We consider ourselves lucky to have met our son, even though he was already in Heaven when we met him. He was perfect and we are all still so sad even 6 months after his passing. We hope to be parents to a child on Earth sometime in the near future. Our mantra has been that “we are moving forward but we’ll never move on”.
Amanda B
My husband and I met after a major life change on his part, which was for the best. He came to our relationship with two small children, whom I welcomed as my own as best as I could. However, amidst custody battle after battle, it was apparent that he was never going to be able to parent his children equally. I also longed for a child of my own, that we could share. Naively, I thought this would be easy. We began our attempts and after just over a year, we began IVF treatments. We overcame insurance issues, poor egg quality, and two unsuccessful transfers of angel embryos. After three years of science and love, we were able to welcome our beautiful baby girl, who is the light of our lives. We never forget the storms that brought us our rainbow.
Alex
I’ve been in the IVF process for about 1 year; I got pregnant in February and miscarried at 10 weeks. I had multiple complications from the miscarriage, which made it very difficult to mourn the loss, and the whole process dragged on for months. I went through a failed transfer last month, and I’m getting geared up for my third transfer soon. Miscarriage and IVF is an intense journey.
