Did you know that one in four pregnancies in the U.S. ends in a miscarriage or stillbirth? This heartbreaking experience happens far too often to so many families. Here at Aultman, we are proud to offer a perinatal bereavement program to help our patients and their families deal with the stigma, isolation and grief surrounding these tragic losses.

This month, we observe National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, which holds a special place in the hearts of many. In honor of the observance, we wanted to recognize a few organizations that generously give back to our Aultman patients and their family members who have experienced a loss, at any stage of pregnancy.

We are pleased to work with former Aultman patient Leslie Burman in support of her #BeLikeTheWillow movement. You can learn more about her story by visiting the #BeLikeTheWillow website by clicking here.

Leslie continues to celebrate the movement each October and provides a kindness calendar for the month. The calendar is filled with amazing ideas of things to do or donate each day during month of October. There are suggestions for various acts of kindness, from leaving a larger than normal tip at a restaurant, to bringing flowers to a nursing home. The calendar serves as an outlet for people to provide kind gestures for others and to pay it forward.

Many of the initiatives in the #BeLikeTheWillow calendar benefit the organizations that blessed Leslie and her family during their grieving process with Willow. One of those organizations is Forget-Me-Not Baskets®, a non-profit organization based in Wooster that has also worked with Aultman for years.

Forget-Me-Not provides items of comfort, peace and remembrance to families who have experienced a loss during pregnancy, birth or soon after. The baskets contain items for moms, dads, siblings and grandparents. Back in 2017, Leslie asked for movement participants to purchase nine plush elephants for these baskets. Since then, the #BeLikeTheWillow movement has donated more than 1,345 plush elephants to the company.

And, in the last two years alone, Forget-Me-Not has donated 487 early and late loss baskets and 539 additional items to Aultman Hospital. We are so grateful to work with such caring and compassionate groups and individuals to help bring small comforts to our patients and their families.

The Aultman Birth Center here at the main campus observes the month by holding a special fundraiser for their perinatal bereavement program. For just $25, you can donate a memory album to a family who has recently experienced an infant loss. This small gift can make a huge impact during such a difficult time. Donations can be made through The Aultman Foundation website. For additional details on the fundraiser, click here.

“When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn’t a word to describe them. This month recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States and around the world. It is also meant to inform and provide resources for parents who have lost children due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirths, birth defects, SIDS and other causes.” - President Ronald Reagan, who first declared Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month back on Oct. 15, 1988.

Submitted by: Corporate Communications