October shines light on pregnancy and infant loss awareness
When Stephanie and Paul Aitken found out in October 2019 they were going to be parents, they shared the news right away with family and friends.
“We didn’t hold back telling people we were pretty excited,” said Stephanie Aitken.
Stephanie said the whole pregnancy was healthy and she went into natural labour at full term.
But there were complications during labour.
Their daughter Leia died one day after she was born.
“It was the worst imaginable thing you could experience. It was devastating beyond belief," Stephanie said. "Coming home and seeing the nursery or seeing her cradle, things like that were excruciating.”
“Nothing prepares you for that sort of event,” said Paul Aitken.
“Even myself working as a funeral director, I had no preparation for that actually being a reality even though I work every day in the death profession,” said Paul.
The Strathmore couple is sharing their story as part of pregnancy and infant loss awareness month.
“This month is so important because it starts to have this conversation that pregnancy and infant loss happens. It’s far more common than anyone realizes and the impact of these losses are profound,” said Aditi Loveridge, founder and CEO of the pregnancy and infant loss support centre.
Approximately one in four pregnancies end in loss.
According to the government of Alberta, in 2020, 418 stillbirths were recorded.
There were 394 stillbirths in 2019, 412 in 2018.
Loveridge said while there’s no direct link between an increase in stillbirths and COVID-19, she said one reason may be because pregnant women may be holding off some doctors appointments and feel nervous about going into health care clinics.
Loveridge said the reality is many families grieve in silence because so many don’t reveal they are pregnant before the 12 week mark.
“It’s such a stigmatized and quiet issue.”
But Loveridge says that needs to change.
Loveridge has gone through her own pregnancy loss journey and now lends her support to other families.
The pregnancy and infant loss support centre offers a helpline that immediately connects someone to peer volunteers. There are also support groups and counselling.
“People are not talking about the actual impacts that often has on a person’s mental, spiritual, emotional well-being and it’s deeply impactful,” said Loveridge.
Stephanie Aitken said she reached out because she needed help finding a way to cope.
“I knew I needed help because it’s just your whole world has exploded. You don’t know who you are anymore. You don’t know how to function. You don’t know how to move on,” she said.
“It’s important for guys to talk about their loss journey or even their fatherhood journey as well because their input and their part of the process is important…their loss is real as well,” said Paul.
Stephanie said it’s been beneficial for her to have access to support after learning she was pregnant again to help process the grief and anxiety.
The couple welcomed a baby girl three months ago.
You can find more information about the Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.