Each October, we pause to remember and embrace families walking through one of life’s deepest sorrows: the loss of a pregnancy or infant. In 1988, October was officially designated as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month to raise awareness, honor lives lost, and support grieving families. This year, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has proclaimed October 2025 as the state’s official recognition of the month, with October 15, 2025, designated as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

The Weight of Loss

The statistics are heartbreaking, yet they reflect real grief:

Between 10–20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage
Stillbirth affects roughly one in 175 births in the U.S. each year
In 2022, more than 20,500 infants died in the U.S. alone, per CDC data

These numbers translate into countless families navigating profound loss. The emotional journey after such loss is both deeply personal and collective—and for many, the pain lingers beyond what can be seen.

Moreover, disparities in healthcare access mean that certain communities, especially mothers and infants of color, often face greater risks and fewer resources for prenatal, postpartum, and pediatric care. Recognizing this underscores the importance of advocacy, equity, and compassionate support.

Grief, Healing & Resources

Grief after pregnancy or infant loss does not follow a linear path. It can come in waves, unexpected reminders, and quiet spaces. While no two experiences are the same, many families find comfort in connecting with others, receiving counseling, or accessing professional mental health support.

One vital resource is the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which provides free, 24/7, confidential access to trained counselors. Families may reach it by calling 1-833-TLC-MAMA.

Bereavement Milk Donation: Giving Love After Loss

At Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes, we honor not only babies and their families through memory, but also through intentional, healing acts such as bereavement milk donation. Many mothers find purpose and solace in donating their milk after loss, transforming grief into life-giving support for fragile infants in NICUs and other medical settings.

How the Program Works

The Donate Milk After Loss program provides a gentle, supportive pathway for bereaved mothers to donate breast milk if they choose:

Express interest via an online donor form.
Complete a brief phone screening with our team.
Fill out the full donor application.
If you have stored milk at home (or at a hospital), we will guide you on how to transport it to a milk depot or coordinate with hospital staff.
- Any amount of milk is welcome, there is no minimum donation.

We fully respect and honor whatever decision a mother makes, whether to donate, to cease pumping, or to step away, and provide support through each pathway. milkbankwgl.org

Supporting Your Journey – Whether You Continue or Stop

If you wish to continue pumping:

Aim for 6–8 pumping sessions per day (or a frequency that reflects your goals).
Pump about 15 minutes or until the flow slows significantly.
Keep all pump parts clean (wash with warm, soapy water) and dry thoroughly.
We will provide specific instructions for milk collection and storage. milkbankwgl.org

If you wish to taper or stop milk production:

Gradually reduce pumping sessions (supply will adjust).
Express just enough milk to relieve discomfort, not to build supply.
Warm showers and gentle massage may help with milk let-down.
Use cold compresses (20 minutes) and over-the-counter pain relief (acetaminophen or ibuprofen, as appropriate) to reduce swelling. milkbankwgl.org

We want you to feel safe and supported regardless of your choice.

Poppy’s Dream Memorial Program

One of the most meaningful features of our bereavement program is Poppy’s Dream Memorial—a way to honor baby lives and integrate remembrance into our milk bank community:

In our milk bank lobby, a mural with glass mosaic artwork spans an entire wall.
Custom stars are hand-painted with the names and birthdays of babies being remembered.
Donor families are invited to place their child’s star in the “night sky” on the mural in a private event. You may bring friends and family.
If desired, we’ll place the star on your behalf and send you a photo.
A digital picture frame beside the memorial can display a photo of your baby, if you’d like to share that.
Each year, we host an open house and candle lighting ceremony for our “Star families.” In March 2023, we honored nearly 500 babies. milkbankwgl.org

This program provides a tangible, tender way to remember, to hold space, and to mark the lives of babies who left too soon.

Partnering with Healthcare Providers

Often, hospitals or care teams may not present bereaved families with the option of milk donation—they may not even know it’s possible. At the Mothers’ Milk Bank WGL, we aim to shift that:

We offer in-service presentations to hospitals and healthcare partners to raise awareness of bereavement milk donation.
Our goal is that every bereaved family hears of this option early enough to meaningfully consider it.
For more information about Poppy’s Dream or bereavement donation, our Program Manager, Susan, may be reached at programs@milkbankwgl.org

Why This Matters

Bereavement milk donation is more than a gesture. It is:

Empowering: allowing grieving parents to choose a meaningful legacy
Life-affirming: helping the most vulnerable babies with human milk
Healing: integrating remembrance, ritual, and community into grief
Visible: offering hope and raising awareness of perinatal loss and its ripple effects

By bringing attention to this program during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we hope more families will know they have options—and more partners in the healthcare system will offer compassionate pathways.