Each year 1 in 4 pregnancies end with loss of the child and 1 in 6 births results in a still birth. This means that each year over 250,000 babies pass away. This is an issue that touches every family in Australia.
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October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day and this year for the first time Australia will be it from coast to coast. The regional event for ACT and Southern NSW will be held on the Kings Avenue Bridge in Canberra.
After the loss of seven babies during pregnancy, John and Kate De’Laney have dedicated themselves to raising awareness of pregnancy and Infant Loss. In 2013 they successfully petitioned the Western Australian Parliament to formally recognise October 15 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in Western Australia.
New South Wales officially recognised the day in 2011 and have since been followed by Tasmania who recognised the day in 2016. These states join the United State, Canada, there United Kingdom, and Italy who also recognise October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
In 2013 owners of prominent buildings and landmarks in Perth began lighting them up lit in pink and blue as part of the remembrance. This made Perth the only capital city in the Southern Hemisphere that was lit in pink and blue to support all those that had lost a baby.
This year buildings and landmarks will be lit in Pink and Blue in every capital city in Australia. This is significant because it makes Australia the only country in the world that will be lit from coast to coast.
The lighting of buildings and landmarks will also form part of the International Wave of Light. Parents who have lost a baby are encouraged to light a candle or turn on their porch lights for 10 minutes at 7:00 pm wherever they are.
Sands Australia invites all Australian’s to join us and be part of the International Wave of Light either by lighting a candle or to join a digital Wave of Light at 7pm on October 15. To be part of this take a photo of your candle and post it to Facebook or Twitter using #WaveOfLight at 7pm.
This year for the first time, members of the Federal Parliament of Australia will wear the pink and blue Remembrance Ribbon to acknowledge the losses and grief suffered by Australian parents.
For more information please contact Sands Australia online:
