Commemorating a Child Lost During Pregnancy
Those couples or women who lose a child either through miscarriage, still birth, IVF or abortion, generally live this experience on their own, shrouded in sadness and in silence. Such a loss is still considered a taboo and a failure for the mother or couple. We felt the need to break this silence and start bringing forward these babies , giving them a name and celebrating them as members of the family.
About losses
Disturbing findings highlight the fact that talking about the loss of an unborn child largely remains a taboo and private subject. Many celebrity parents, however, have opened up about their losses. They have done so because they believe that sharing their experiences and insights may help others facing grief after a pregnancy loss. The healing value of having open conversations about miscarriage and other losses cannot be overstated.
Support
All this has motivated us to offer this support to parents and families who went through this experience. So it was decided that a celebration with its proper rite needed to be prepared and offered to the public.
In Gozo, this first celebration was carried out on the 2nd of October 2016 during a mass by His. Ecc Bishop Mario Grech at Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary. We informed the public through the social media. The attendance was good and even people who lost there child about forty years ago attended or sent comments to shared their experience. After the homily, we read the names of those babies whom the parents have presented to us. This celebration has now become an annual event held in the first week on October, close to the Feast of the Guardian Angels.