SALEM, Va. – Candles outside of LewisGale were lit all night Sunday in honor of the Global Wave of Light, remembering parents who have suffered from infant or pregnancy loss.
“Everybody wants you to have a baby and extend your family. It’s like a wonderful time, but no one ever talks about what if that doesn’t happen,” LewisGale lactation consultant Dominique Gallo said.
Staff at LewisGale are working to make sure parents who have lost a baby know their child is not forgotten.
Laura Smith is a labor and delivery nurse and helped host Global Wave of Light on Sunday.
“All across the nation, people will light a candle and leave it lit for 24 hours, just in honor of all of the babies that have been lost,” Smith said.
Smith wants parents to know their baby matters, no matter how long they had with them.
“We just want them to know that their babies haven’t been forgotten and take away the stigma where people feel like they can’t talk about their loss,” Smith said.
Dominique Gallo is a lactation consultant in the maternity unit. She said while they don’t see losses as often as you may think, each one hits hard.
“We don’t have any stake in it, you know. It’s not our particular baby; it’s not our family. But we are all very saddened about it,” Gallo said.
Smith also heads up the bereavement committee, helping parents find resources after loss.
“It’s so important to me that those families get the care and love that they deserve, that their babies are treated with the love and respect that they may not get the opportunity to do after those few moments and just providing a safe spot for them to grieve,” Smith said.
LewisGale Hospital Montgomery also commemorated the Global Wave of Light on Saturday.