Baby Loss in the Workplace: creating a safe space for life after loss.
How do you show up for Baby Loss Mums and families as a business owner, employer or industry leader during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month??
Backtrack: Every day in Australia, 6 babies are stillborn, 3 babies die before their 1st birthday, and a miscarriage occurs every 3.5 minutes. 1 in 4 pregnancies will end in loss. These statistics are even higher in rural areas and among Indigenous mothers. 100,000+ families are impacted by baby loss each year.
As business owners, community leaders, and industry representatives, you can make a significant impact on the lives of these women. By supporting them, we can improve their quality of life, reduce absenteeism, and create emotional security.
Those impacted by baby loss face the challenge of finding understanding within their work circles, in places where "How are you?" isn't just a question but a sentiment that matters. How do they re-integrate into society feeling safe, understood, heard and most importantly able to grieve in a way they need to?
Before my first miscarriage and the death of my first born son, Edward, I had been a Pharmacist for nearly 20 years. I also owned a small Pharmacy in a leafy part of Dubbo in Regional NSW. I was dedicated to my community and my clients were invested in me and my life journey. It is just the norm in a tight knit community, where everyone knows everyone else's business. The same hands that clap for your success also reach out with curiosity about your personal life. I soon found that the silent anguish of a pregnancy that didn't reach full term and the heartache of an infant taken too soon was too much. No one in my work environment seemed to understand me at all.
Baby loss (any loss) is a heart-wrenching experience that leaves people feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and uncertain about how to navigate their grief while pursuing their careers. For those in rural, regional, and remote areas, the geographical isolation compounds the emotional isolation.
I want to shed light on how important investing in awareness education is for creating a safe and understanding space for healing and hope after baby loss.
Here are a few ways in which you can show up for your employees, clients, volunteers and community during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.
Did you know I consult businesses and provide a comprehensive BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAM?
If you would like to work with me and implement tailored solutions into your business, organisation or service environment please contact me HERE and we can chat and make it happen.
