OKEECHOBEE – October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in Okeechobee.

In 1988, President Ronald Regan proclaimed October Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Each year, approximately a million pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of the newborn child. This national observance offers communities the opportunity to increase understanding of the great tragedy involved in the deaths of unborn and newborn babies. In the United States, one out of every four pregnancies ends in miscarriage and one in every 160 pregnancies end in stillbirth. These numbers do not include infant death from preterm labor, diagnosis of life-limiting conditions, or SIDS.

“Some of these losses are preventable,” said Andrea Medellin, executive director of Okeechobee Healthy Start, at the Oct. 6 meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission. She said Healthy Start provides educational resources as well as other support to pregnant women. She said they also help those who suffer miscarriages find the support services they need.