GREENSBORO, N.C. — Having a baby is a blessing and a miracle, especially considering the number of women who do not get to bring a baby home from the hospital.
Miscarriages, stillbirth and SIDS are common but rarely talked about.
That's why Oct. 15 became National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. It's a day to raise awareness, but also remember the little ones lost.
"We wanted to give our baby Kyle a fighting chance," said Greensboro mom, Lauren Kyzer.
On Nov.1, Kyzer and her family will light a candle on a cake for what would've been their son Kyle's first birthday.
"We got pregnant again in July 2020 and you know, COVID is going on and it's crazy, but we were so excited," Kyzer said.
After experiencing a miscarriage in April 2020, this was an answered prayer.
"The second you get a positive pregnancy test you start kind of dreaming, I guess, and thinking about that child that is about to come," Kyzer said.
Kyle was born at 21 weeks, three days, but didn't make it.
"The hardest day of my life probably and I could get teary-eyed talking about it now," Kyzer said.
One in four women will lose a baby during pregnancy, delivery or infancy. According to countthekicks.org, there are about 830 stillbirths a year in North Carolina.
"We see it all the time. It happens more often than people realize," Katy Claussen, chaplain at Cone Health Women's & Children's Center at Moses Cone said.
This day is to remember those babies and support their families.
Claussen said days like this can really help the grieving process.
"The loss of a child, any kind of loss, it's not something you get over. It's something you learn to carry differently in time," Claussen said.
For Kyzer, it's looking to the future and knowing she'll see her babies again one day.
"It's still hard," Kyzer said. "It will never get easier. But you do kind of get over the hump and a year later and I'm still standing which is amazing because I didn't think I would be."
If you're struggling through something similar there are many resources out there for you. Cone Health has support groups that meet virtually.