Orange mum Jessica Crawford says March 25 honours bereaved families and breaks 'miscarriage taboo'

Run by the joined forces of the Sands and Red Nose organisations, 'Say Their Name Day' is held on March 25, raising funds and recognition for pregnancy, child and infant loss to support bereaved families.

The unique day also encourages those who have lost their unborn children, to support each other and keep their babies' memory unbridled which bereaved yet bold Orange mother, Jessica Crawford says is essentially the key to untangling some unhelpful 'societal customs' around the subject.

"We have things like Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day which is in October, but there's all these other beautiful little events throughout the year as well, which shines the light [on miscarriage] and makes it a little less taboo," Mrs Crawford explained.

"No matter when or how someone lost their child, it's still all valid and I think knowing that when I'm going into this event today - knowing that women have lost their babies at all different stages - we can never fully understand their personal pain or their grief journey they've been on, but we can empathise and say, 'I see you, I hear you and I'm here to support you."

Congregating in Orange's Cook Park for a picnic on Friday morning, close to 30 mums united to do exactly that, where women were able to feel a little less alone with their grief, even just for two very special and dedicated hours.

"The whole premise around wanting to meet up today is to build a village for each other," Mrs Crawford said.

"There's people in the community who are really struggling with their grief, so the purpose for it is if one person is not feeling okay - there's someone there to back you."

Parents to a three-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter, couple Jessica and Hayden Crawford experienced the loss of their first child around five years ago.

Their baby, Lilly Crawford, made it bravely to just over the halfway point during her mum's pregnancy, just prior to the couple's devastating loss.

"We had a pre-term labour in 2017 and we lost our little girl at 22 weeks," Mrs Crawford said.

"But it shouldn't be taboo for us to talk about our babies. We should always be saying their name, it's important to keep saying their name and supporting those mums, no matter how long ago their grief was - because their memory will always live on and it's something that sticks with us for the rest of our lives.

"We have not forgotten them, we will never forget them ... so, by you saying their name - even if it brings tears to some of our eyes - it's not a bad thing, because we will always remember them."

Mrs Crawford also launched an online business Made to Bloom in June of 2021, assembling care packages for parents who have lost a child - with items such as a Still a Mum book, aromatherapy 'mummy bath soaks' and 'self-love' titled essential oils, to name only a few.

"I'm just trying to support these parents by finding where those gaps are and trying to fill them."

For more information on how you can best support or be supported surrounding the impacts of miscarriage, head to the Red Nose or Sands websites.

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