Stillbirth Remembrance Day
Encyclopedia
In the United States and Canada, Stillbirth Remembrance Day is a day set aside each year to honor and remember
babies that have been stillborn
. In many cases, this definition
is expanded to include babies lost to miscarriage
, SIDS
, and complications
of pregnancy
, including ectopic pregnancies
, among others. In light of this latter definition, Stillbirth Remembrance Day is sometimes known as Stillbirth and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, or something similar.
s of Canadian province
s to issue official proclamations for a particular day to be Stillbirth Remembrance Day in their state or province. This is in line with similar lobbies for the so-called "MISSing Angels" bills promoted by the MISS Foundation beginning in 1998 that would mandate the issuance upon a parent's request and payment of a Certificate of Birth resulting in Stillbirth certificates
recognizing a stillborn baby's name and vital statistics, lending official recognition to the stillborn baby's albeit brief existence and hence ensuring that a stillborn baby is seen in the same light as her living siblings. As of September 2005, the legislatures of 28 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces had passed or were considering laws mandating such certificates, which are interestingly already available in the United Kingdom and other European countries. A baby who died in 1994 during birth at fullterm named Cheyenne Cacciatore was the first stillborn baby in the United States to receive a Certificate of Birth resulting in Stillbirth. Her mother, Dr. Joanne Cacciatore, started the movement several years after her baby's death. In addition, a few more U.S. states have legislated a day of remembrance of the stillborn.
, widespread media coverage following her stillbirth sparked an unprecedented public awareness of the seemingly random and largely unknown killer of more than 26,000 babies each year in the United States alone. In response to public lobbying, the state legislature of Arkansas passed a law proclaiming Breanna Lynn's birthday, September 6, to be Arkansas Stillbirth Remembrance Day; the day was first observed on what would have been Breanna Lynn's first birthday, September 6, 2001. This proclamation was warmly welcomed by most Arkansans, even if they had no personal connection to a stillborn baby. On this day, the noon news in Little Rock
showed motorists on Interstate 30
traveling with their lights on in memory of the stillborn.
Following Arkansas' example, several other Southeastern
U.S. states passed laws enacting September 6 to be Stillbirth Remembrance Day in time for Breanna Lynn's second birthday in 2002. With each passing year, more U. S. states issued similar proclamations; on September 6, 2005, Breanna Lynn Bartlett-Stewart's fifth birthday, 39 U.S. states officially paused to remember babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. The eleven other U.S. states that had not yet proclaimed September 6 as Stillbirth Remembrance Day were
Significant lobbies exist in each of these remaining states to proclaim an official day of stillbirth remembrance.
as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
in the United States. Many U. S. state governor
s have made similar proclamations in the last two years, effectively creating two annual days for the remembrance of infant loss. In general, October 15 is set aside by many states as a day to honor babies who were miscarried, lost as the result of pregnancy complications, or lost as the result of SIDS
. In this way, the special case of a stillbirth, the cause of which is quite often unknown, is differentiated from infant losses that have more specifically understood causes.
, Manitoba
, Nova Scotia
Canada. Other Canadian provinces, however, have yet to make such a declaration.
The Canadian foundation for October 15 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is leading the Campaign to proclaim October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day across Canada.
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
babies that have been stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
. In many cases, this definition
Definition
A definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term , or a type of thing. The term to be defined is the definiendum. A term may have many different senses or meanings...
is expanded to include babies lost to miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
, SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes...
, and complications
Complication (medicine)
Complication, in medicine, is an unfavorable evolution of a disease, a health condition or a medical treatment. The disease can become worse in its severity or show a higher number of signs, symptoms or new pathological changes, become widespread throughout the body or affect other organ systems. A...
of pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, including ectopic pregnancies
Ectopic pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy, or eccysis , is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo implants outside the uterine cavity. With rare exceptions, ectopic pregnancies are not viable. Furthermore, they are dangerous for the parent, since internal haemorrhage is a life threatening complication...
, among others. In light of this latter definition, Stillbirth Remembrance Day is sometimes known as Stillbirth and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, or something similar.
Official recognition of the stillborn
In recent years, there has been a lobby by parents who have lost babies to stillbirth in particular, for governors of U.S. states and premierPremier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
s of Canadian province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s to issue official proclamations for a particular day to be Stillbirth Remembrance Day in their state or province. This is in line with similar lobbies for the so-called "MISSing Angels" bills promoted by the MISS Foundation beginning in 1998 that would mandate the issuance upon a parent's request and payment of a Certificate of Birth resulting in Stillbirth certificates
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
recognizing a stillborn baby's name and vital statistics, lending official recognition to the stillborn baby's albeit brief existence and hence ensuring that a stillborn baby is seen in the same light as her living siblings. As of September 2005, the legislatures of 28 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces had passed or were considering laws mandating such certificates, which are interestingly already available in the United Kingdom and other European countries. A baby who died in 1994 during birth at fullterm named Cheyenne Cacciatore was the first stillborn baby in the United States to receive a Certificate of Birth resulting in Stillbirth. Her mother, Dr. Joanne Cacciatore, started the movement several years after her baby's death. In addition, a few more U.S. states have legislated a day of remembrance of the stillborn.
History of Stillbirth Remembrance Day
The idea of an annual day to remember stillborns followed perhaps the most notable stillbirth in recent years, that of Breanna Lynn Bartlett-Stewart in September 2000. In Breanna Lynn's home state of ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, widespread media coverage following her stillbirth sparked an unprecedented public awareness of the seemingly random and largely unknown killer of more than 26,000 babies each year in the United States alone. In response to public lobbying, the state legislature of Arkansas passed a law proclaiming Breanna Lynn's birthday, September 6, to be Arkansas Stillbirth Remembrance Day; the day was first observed on what would have been Breanna Lynn's first birthday, September 6, 2001. This proclamation was warmly welcomed by most Arkansans, even if they had no personal connection to a stillborn baby. On this day, the noon news in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
showed motorists on Interstate 30
Interstate 30
Interstate 30 is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. I-30 runs from Interstate 20 west of Fort Worth, Texas, northeast via Dallas, Texas, and Texarkana, Texas, to Interstate 40 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The route parallels U.S. Route 67 except for the portion west of...
traveling with their lights on in memory of the stillborn.
Following Arkansas' example, several other Southeastern
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
U.S. states passed laws enacting September 6 to be Stillbirth Remembrance Day in time for Breanna Lynn's second birthday in 2002. With each passing year, more U. S. states issued similar proclamations; on September 6, 2005, Breanna Lynn Bartlett-Stewart's fifth birthday, 39 U.S. states officially paused to remember babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. The eleven other U.S. states that had not yet proclaimed September 6 as Stillbirth Remembrance Day were
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- ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
- HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
- MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
- MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
- NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
- New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
- New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
- New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
- North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
- South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
Significant lobbies exist in each of these remaining states to proclaim an official day of stillbirth remembrance.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
October 15 has been proclaimed by the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is a day of remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant death which includes but is not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or the death of a newborn...
in the United States. Many U. S. state governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
s have made similar proclamations in the last two years, effectively creating two annual days for the remembrance of infant loss. In general, October 15 is set aside by many states as a day to honor babies who were miscarried, lost as the result of pregnancy complications, or lost as the result of SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes...
. In this way, the special case of a stillbirth, the cause of which is quite often unknown, is differentiated from infant losses that have more specifically understood causes.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day Canada
A similar national day of remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant death has also been proclaimed in New BrunswickNew Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
Canada. Other Canadian provinces, however, have yet to make such a declaration.
The Canadian foundation for October 15 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is leading the Campaign to proclaim October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day across Canada.
External links
- Support for grieving parents who have lost their child from pregnancy through childhood (infant loss, stillbirth, child loss). Resources: songs, grief poems, quotes, and a community.
- The July 27, 2005 Congressional proclamation of October 15 as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.