Each year, thousands of Canadian families experience the devastating loss of a baby during pregnancy, birth, or infancy. On October 15th, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, we pause to honour those lives—brief but deeply meaningful—and to acknowledge the invisible grief carried by parents, partners, and families.

The Scope of Loss

As many as 1 in 5 pregnancies end in miscarriage, and in Canada, approximately six stillbirths occur for every 1,000 total births. Behind every statistic is a story—a nursery that was never filled, a name whispered in love but not in life, and a parent whose world shifted in an instant.

Pregnancy and infant loss are often accompanied by a profound and complex grief. For some, the loss occurs before others even knew they were expecting, making it an invisible grief—one that society doesn’t always recognize or know how to hold space for.

The Emotional and Psychological Impact

Perinatal loss can evoke intense emotions—sadness, guilt, anger, anxiety, and isolation. Many parents describe feeling detached from their bodies, partners, or sense of identity. This form of grief is unique because it exists at the intersection of attachment and anticipation—mourning a child already loved but not fully known.

Research shows that the emotional toll of pregnancy and infant loss can increase the risk for postpartum depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (Cacciatore, 2013). These emotional responses are not signs of weakness; they are the mind and body’s natural reaction to an unbearable rupture.

The Role of Community and Awareness

Since Ontario’s official declaration of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day in 2015 (Bill 141: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness, Research, and Care Act), more communities have begun to recognize the need for accessible bereavement support and perinatal mental health services.

Awareness days like today are not just symbolic—they are vital acts of collective care. Through remembrance ceremonies, candle-lighting vigils, and the International Wave of Light, families across the country gather to say the names that deserve to be spoken and to remind one another: you are not alone.

At VOX Mental Health, we recognize that grief following pregnancy or infant loss is not linear. Healing takes time, validation, and compassionate support.

The Path Toward Healing

“Healing” after loss does not mean forgetting—it means integrating grief into the story of your life in a way that honours love and loss together.

Therapy can help create a safe, supportive space to:

• Process complex grief and guilt
• Reconnect with your body and sense of identity
• Explore how loss impacts relationships and future pregnancies
• Build meaning and memory around your baby’s life

At VOX Mental Health, our team of therapists in Barrie, Ontario, provides trauma-informed, person-centred care to support parents navigating the grief of pregnancy and infant loss. You don’t have to walk through it alone.

📞 CMHA Simcoe County – (705) 726-5033
💻 pailnetwork.sunnybrook.ca (Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network)
🌐 211Ontario.ca for local mental health and bereavement supports

🕯️ On October 15th, as part of the International Wave of Light, candles will be lit around the world at 7 p.m. local time. Each flame represents a life loved and remembered.