Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Remembrance Day: A time to remember precious lives lost
Until it happens to you, you don’t realize how common it is.
One in every three pregnancies ends in a loss, whether it’s miscarriage, stillborn or death shortly after birth.
To bring attention to how common this is, to highlight the help and resources available for those who find themselves in this gut-wrenching situation and to remember babies who have been lost, Remembrance Day is held each year on Oct. 15.
I am a firm believer that being around others who have experienced this kind of emotional loss, and talking about your feelings, helps.
That’s why at Backus Hospital we offer a Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group, held the second Tuesday every month from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Backus Medical Office building conference room. As a Backus social worker, I moderate the group and see firsthand how it helps.
But make no mistake about it: The grief associated with the loss of a child during pregnancy or in infancy can linger and cause long-term mental health issues if not dealt with properly.
Remembrance Day, which includes a nationwide candlelight vigil at 7 p.m., and our support group are two ways to properly grieve and heal.
For some, healing involves knowing there are others out there like them. For others, it’s knowing that just because you have one miscarriage doesn’t mean you will have another. Or, just remembering the lives lost can help.
Please join me this Remembrance Day in celebrating these precious lives, and in helping our friends and neighbors make it through these difficult times.
Elynor Carey is a social worker in the Backus Hospital Care Management Department. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Carey and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at healthydocs.blogspot.com.
One in every three pregnancies ends in a loss, whether it’s miscarriage, stillborn or death shortly after birth.
To bring attention to how common this is, to highlight the help and resources available for those who find themselves in this gut-wrenching situation and to remember babies who have been lost, Remembrance Day is held each year on Oct. 15.
I am a firm believer that being around others who have experienced this kind of emotional loss, and talking about your feelings, helps.
That’s why at Backus Hospital we offer a Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group, held the second Tuesday every month from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Backus Medical Office building conference room. As a Backus social worker, I moderate the group and see firsthand how it helps.
But make no mistake about it: The grief associated with the loss of a child during pregnancy or in infancy can linger and cause long-term mental health issues if not dealt with properly.
Remembrance Day, which includes a nationwide candlelight vigil at 7 p.m., and our support group are two ways to properly grieve and heal.
For some, healing involves knowing there are others out there like them. For others, it’s knowing that just because you have one miscarriage doesn’t mean you will have another. Or, just remembering the lives lost can help.
Please join me this Remembrance Day in celebrating these precious lives, and in helping our friends and neighbors make it through these difficult times.
Elynor Carey is a social worker in the Backus Hospital Care Management Department. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Carey and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at healthydocs.blogspot.com.
# posted by ----------------- @ 1:27 PM 
