Stillbirth Remembrance Day

Quote taken from the Faces of Loss Faces of Hope facebook post today:

"September 6th is Stillbirth Remembrance Day. Stillbirths tragically strike 1 out every 115 pregnancies. In the USA, 26,000 babies are stillborn every year. That's approximately 71 precious babies every single day. Remembering all the babies lost to stillbirth today and everyday."


It's such a scary statistic and knowing how many other parents there are out there (and will be in the future) who will go through what we're going through is hard to imagine. Seriously- approx. 71 babies in the USA are stillborn every day?! It's so sad & heartbreaking.  To think that today there have been that many families impacted by this is just terrible.

Today we of course think of Sofia as we do every day, and all the other babies who died too soon.

A couple weeks ago we watched a movie "Life as we know it" that brought the sad emotions to the surface once again.  They're always there, but right now since I'm pregnant I try to keep them at bay so I don't get too upset and potentially cause harm to the growing baby inside my belly.

The movie was the opposite of our situation.  Parents of a one year old were both killed in a car crash and the baby was left alone, to be raised by her Godparents. We enjoyed the movie, even through some sad parts, but it was the end of the movie that brought on the tears.  They were celebrating her birthday and I just couldn't keep it in.  Without saying a word Tim knew exactly why I was crying. I looked over and tears streamed down his face too. The harsh reality that Sofia's birthday is quickly approaching and she won't be here for it is almost unbearable. We miss her so much.

We went for our weekly visit to the cemetery this past weekend and the area with the angel statue was all torn up.  The statue was on a pallet in the grass and all the square stones paid for & dedicated by families (including Sofia's from Tim's parents) were gone.  Even the bushes that surrounded them were torn out.  We aren't positive but we're thinking (HOPING) they are just fixing it up.  The stones were not in the ground very well and had shifted over time.  We can't imagine they would just be getting rid of it since the stones were bought by families.  It was kind of irritating though to find it in such disarray without being told.  Couldn't they at least have posted a sign or something!? I shouldn't let it bother me but it does.  Where is her stone?  My mom had placed a small gift we never saw on that stone and it was likely tossed out by the workers. We visit once a week and pick up any items left there or by her grave.  It bothered me knowing something of Sofia's was tossed and we never got to see it.  I asked Tim if he thought they'd even place the stones back in the same order as before (he doubts it, and honestly so do I). That bothers me too.  I know it's not her grave but it is a place where her name is engraved and we stop there to think of her often. We've grown accustomed to her "spot" by the angel and I'll be upset if her stone isn't in the same spot as before.  Hmpf.  I just hope it gets put back before winter.