Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day
1 in 4 pregnancies ends in loss. India tells women to "move on quickly." We don't.
Miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss carry a load Indian women are routinely told to put down quickly. The medical conversation is clinical, the family conversation is silent, and the platform conversation doesn't exist. This campaign is deliberately small, slow, and not viral. The point is to be present, not loud.
What the week ships
Grief-aware care path
In-Care: the moment a user logs a loss, the standard "next period" / "ovulation" notifications go silent; a 90-day gentler track replaces them, opt-in, ungated.
Partner guide
Inside One — short cards for the partner / mother / mother-in-law about what helps, what doesn't, what to ask before saying anything.
Counsellor directory
Verified mental-health professionals trained in perinatal loss — most are not. Filterable by city + language.
Candle ritual
On Oct 15 from 7–8 PM IST, a candle appears on the Care home for any user who chooses to light one. Private — no leaderboard, no share, no counter. Just present.
The five days
- Oct 13Open quietly
Grief-aware care path turns on for the back-cohort of users who logged a loss in the last 2 years.
- Oct 14Partner guide
One app — partner guide pushes; opt-in for any household that has flagged perinatal loss.
- Oct 15Loss Day · candle ritual
7–8 PM IST candle on Care home. No notifications go out. Sakhi takes a single thread: "What helped, in your own words."
- Oct 16Counsellor directory
Released. Tele-consult booking inline.
- Oct 17Quiet close
Sakhi AMA with a perinatal-loss counsellor + a clinician. Recap is private to the user, not broadcast.
Common questions
What helps someone who is grieving a loss?
Presence over advice. Use her baby's name if she chose one. Listen more than you speak. Ask "what would help today?" instead of suggesting. Don't put a timeline on it. Many find a counsellor trained in perinatal loss invaluable — see /care/care-team.
When is it safe to try again?
There is no single answer — physical readiness varies (often 1–3 months after a first-trimester loss, longer after later loss), and emotional readiness is its own clock. Talk to your obstetrician and, if helpful, a perinatal-loss counsellor before deciding.
What is normal grief versus something more?
Sadness, numbness, anger, bargaining, anxiety about future pregnancies — all normal. If symptoms last beyond 6 months, prevent daily functioning, or include hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm, it is time to talk to a clinician. The EPDS in Care can help.
How do I support a friend who has lost a pregnancy?
Show up small and often. Drop food, send a message that does not need a reply, sit with her quietly. Avoid "at least" sentences ("at least it was early," "at least you can try again"). The One partner guide has scripts for many awkward moments.
After my loss at 19 weeks the WhatsApp reminders kept coming for ovulation, due date, baby weight. The grief-aware path silenced them quietly without me having to explain anything. That mattered more than I can say.
Keep going
This campaign is one nudge. Here's where it leads on SHELY.
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