separateurCreated with Sketch.

Powerful short film ‘Every Baby Matters’ helps parents deal with pregnancy loss

whatsappfacebooktwitter-xemailnative
Sarah Robsdottir - published on 08/23/21
whatsappfacebooktwitter-xemailnative
"I watched it on replay," she said. "He explained my grief ..." 

Help Aleteia continue its mission by making a tax-deductible donation. In this way, Aleteia's future will be yours as well.

Donate with just 3 clicks

*Your donation is tax deductible!


Last month a dear friend of mine lost her sweet baby Alberta at 17 weeks gestation. Amber delivered the tiny girl whose heart had stopped beating for no known reason a few days earlier. She held Alberta in her arms, marveling at her perfectly formed body -- this precious child whose family had celebrated with pink at a recent gender reveal party. The loss was crushing.  

I could mostly only listen on the phone as Amber grieved, assuming a "big sister" role in this narrative, one where meaningful words of comfort run short. Just check out the sympathy card section at the drugstore -- "Words cannot express" is a very common sentiment on cards, and for good reason. Words generally can't articulate a parent's grief at the loss of a child. 

So when Amber sent me this clip, A Saying Goodbye Film/ Every Baby Matters, I was captivated. She described watching it on repeat, which I ended up doing as well. The poet articulated a few painful losses in my own life in a manner no one else had before -- as "conversations cut short" -- one loss being a miscarriage I hadn't contemplated enough myself. I guess I wasn't the "big sister" in this narrative after all; I too had perspective to gain.

The almost 5-minute film features the spoken word poetry of Dai Woolrige and is sponsored by Saying Goodbye, a non-profit organization based in the UK that provides support for parents who are grieving the loss of a child. With almost 100,000 views it's safe to say the message that Every Baby Matters is certainly being heard: "You can celebrate the life lived, though far too short; you can continue the conversation; you can say 'I never regret the time when we talked.'"   

Did you enjoy this article? Would you like to read more like this?

Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. It’s free!

Aleteia exists thanks to your donations

Help us to continue our mission of sharing Christian news and inspiring stories. Please make a donation today! Take advantage of the end of the year to get a tax deduction for 2024.