#HonorAllMoms | Sarah Philpott

Are you ready to #HonorAllMoms this Mother’s Day?

Help show love to ALL women- those with babies to hold in their arms, bereaved mothers, and women who battle infertility.

Dear Friend,

I invite you to join as we #HonorAllMoms this Mother’s Day. We want to use this day to encourage all types of women!

Mother‘s Day, and all its homemade breakfast in bed goodness, is a perfect way to celebrate all the women who truly make the world a better place. In honor of Mother͛s Day & the #HonorAllMoms movement, which seeks to support women who’ve faced miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy loss, child loss, and infertility, I want us all to lavish love on all sorts of women.

You see, Mother’s Day brings with it a sunburst of jubilant images on social media. Smiling kids serving breakfast in bed. Cute babies dressed in their Sunday frills. Women heralding, “I’m so happy to be a Mom. It’s the best gift ever.”

And these moms have every single right to be proud. To post pictures. To devour that breakfast in bed and accept those heartfelt gifts. We love and celebrate all moms.

But to some ladies, Mother’s Day is a stark reminder of what doesn’t exist. Many profess that it is one of the most dreaded days of the year. Many moms don’t have a baby to hold. They don’t have a child to cover with kisses. And on Mother’s Day, these women are sometimes accidentally ignored. Let’s change that. Let’s bring these women out of the shadows and into the light of love.

On this Mother’s Day let’s choose to love on all moms: the moms who have a precious baby they can hold in their arms, the moms whose sweet babies are in Heaven, and the women whose heart desire was to be a mom.

Let’s also love on foster moms, adoptive moms, single moms, widowed moms, and women whose mom is no longer on this earth. The list goes on as well!

Will you join? Keep reading to find out simple ways individuals and organizations can help.

All the best,

Sarah Philpott, PhD
author of Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss

Who Are Some of the Moms Who Need Extra Love & Support?

The invisible moms- the women who experience pregnancy loss.
1 in 4 women experience pregnancy loss. Their babies died in the womb but reside in heaven. The terminology used to describe that trauma, miscarriage | ectopic pregnancy |stillbirth, are deceptively simple terms that imply a slight medical procedure. But it’s not a medical procedure and it’s not slight; it’s the loss of a precious life that a woman cradled in her womb. Those babies now bloom in heaven.

For some parents, this tragedy happens multiple times. And many of these women have no living children. All their babies were born straight into the arms of God.

The dear moms who have outlived one or more of their children.
They put in the sleepless nights, tackled the pile of never-ending laundry, and miss- more than anything- the sweet, sweet embrace of their precious child. Other sweet women experienced the devastating death of an infant.

The hopeful women- those who yearn for nothing more than to be a mother.
But they battle infertility. Some have lost that fight. Now people constantly question, “Why didn’t you ever have kids?” or “Are you really going to just one an only-child?” Let’s pour some love on them as we grow to realize not everyone is childless or has a certain number of children by choice.

The women who made a choice for abortion. Many of these sweet women mourn the decision they once made, but know their child is in heaven. We need to establish a culture to help these women realize their child is in heaven and that forgiveness is central to our faith.

On Mother’s Day these fearless females might put on a brave, happy face or they might avoid any and all social settings. But Mother’s Day doesn’t disappear. And you know what?

We don’t want Mother’s Day to disappear either; motherhood should be celebrated. Life should be cherished.

On this Mother’s Day let’s choose to love on all moms: the moms who have a precious baby they can hold in their arms, the moms whose sweet babies are in Heaven, and the women whose heart desire was to be a mom.

How Can Places of Worship Can Honor All Moms?

Offer a discrete, but extremely meaningful gesture, by lighting a candle or displaying a beautiful flower arrangement in honor of all the women whose babies are in heaven and those women who battle infertility.
Perhaps write in the bulletin or announce, “The flowers in the sanctuary are placed in honor of all the moms whose babies are in heaven and all the women whose heart desire was to be a mother. We love you.” You might also include special wording for families that are missing their mom on Mother’s Day.
Begin a Loved Baby ministry. Purchase copies of Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss in honor of women who’ve faced pregnancy loss. Then make a special donation of the books to a hospital or OB clinic. Or, keep the books on hand to distribute to grieving women when the need arises. Perhaps you might even begin a pregnancy loss support group or seek one out in your area and offer support.
Pray. Lead a spirit-led prayer asking to give the bereaved mama’s and the sweet women desiring a baby for peace that passes all understanding. Pray that joy can enter their hearts when anxiety seeks to steal the present.

How Can We Provide Extra Love and Support?

If you know a woman whose baby died in the womb, a woman who has lost a living child, or a woman battling infertility recognize her this Mother’s Day. Send a text or greeting card, make a phone call, send flowers, or envelope her in a hug. Use the name of her child in your conversation. It brings women comfort when you recognize her little one. If you are at a loss for words simply write, “I want you to know I’m thinking of you this Mother’s Day. I love and cherish you.” She might not want a grand gesture, but might appreciate a loving token that shows you see her.
Commit to praying alongside a family who has experienced loss or who is facing infertility.
If you know a family who might be missing their mom on Mother’s Day let them know you are thinking of them. Perhaps offer a sweet memory you share of their mother.
Start praying now for all types of moms: single moms, adoptive moms, foster moms, moms in prison, moms separated from their children, refugee moms, grandparents raising their grandchildren, exhausted moms, moms who’ve had abortions, and the list goes on! Praying will help in so many ways…including helping soften your heart to notice tangible ways you can offer your assistance.

Support is the Best Gift

The statistics are startling. 1 in 160 deliveries end in stillbirth. I in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. 3.500 babies under the age of 1 die each year. Unfortunately, this is a silent grief. Let’s begin a societal shift to show love. ‘Cause after all, the best gift is support and love.