Across Connecticut and beyond, the voices of grieving mothers and families are finally being heard in new and tangible ways. As Baby Loss Awareness Week approaches, running from October 9 to October 15, 2025, a wave of initiatives is sweeping through hospitals, communities, and faith organizations, all aiming to honor the lives of babies lost and support those left behind. At the heart of these efforts is a strikingly simple, yet powerful, tool: a bright orange silicone bracelet stamped with the words “I Gave Birth.”
Connecticut’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, in a sobering report, revealed that between 2015 and 2020, nine out of ten pregnancy-related deaths in the state were preventable. The average maternal mortality rate during this period stood at 15.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, with more than half occurring after delivery. Mental health conditions—including depression, anxiety, substance use, and perinatal psychosis—emerged as the leading cause of maternal death, echoing national trends. According to U.S. data from 2023, the maternal mortality rate was 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, but for Black women, the rate soared to 50.3—nearly three times that of white women. Connecticut’s review committee found similar disparities, with Black mothers consistently overrepresented in these tragic statistics.
It’s against this backdrop that the new bracelet initiative was born. Distributed to postpartum patients at the time of hospital discharge, the orange bracelets are meant to be worn for 12 weeks—the period identified as the highest risk window for complications. The bracelets serve a dual purpose: they empower mothers to advocate for themselves and alert clinicians and first responders to the unique medical needs of recent mothers. As Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani explained, “A woman’s body undergoes tremendous changes during pregnancy and childbirth, and proper healing takes time. Complications like infections, excessive bleeding, blood clots, or problems with cesarean section wounds can be serious. Wearing these bracelets will tell emergency responders and healthcare workers to look out for urgent maternal warning signs.”
The idea isn’t entirely new. Pilot programs at Hartford HealthCare and Trinity Health of New England had already begun testing similar bracelet systems, and states like Alabama and Illinois have launched their own versions. In Alabama, a 2024 pilot distributed bracelets reading “I Just Delivered,” aiming to reduce hospital readmissions. Illinois paired orange bracelets with emergency medical services and emergency department training. But in Connecticut, the initiative took on a broader scope. The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) and the Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative decided to unify the model, not just statewide, but with an eye toward national adoption. Now, every birthing hospital in the state offers the same color and message, ensuring consistency and recognition wherever a mother might seek care.
Kelly Reddington of Hartford HealthCare, who helped launch the pilot, emphasized the advocacy aspect: “It empowers patients to say, ‘I just gave birth, take this seriously.’” This sense of empowerment is woven into the state’s wider maternal health strategy, adopted by the CHA. The strategy focuses on four key areas: addressing social drivers such as racism and economic inequality, expanding access to perinatal mental health services, ensuring that patients have a voice in their care, and improving data collection to monitor whether interventions are reducing deaths and disparities.
The state’s commitment to maternal health extends beyond hospital walls. In 2022, Connecticut expanded HUSKY Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum, ensuring mothers retain insurance well beyond the traditional six-week checkup. Hospital leaders see the bracelet program as a natural extension of this policy, providing continuity of care during the most vulnerable period. The focus on mental health is especially urgent, given that psychiatric conditions are now the leading cause of maternal death in Connecticut. Nationally, suicide and overdose account for up to 20 percent of pregnancy-associated deaths—a statistic that underscores the need for timely intervention and support.
Yet, as advocates and CHA leaders point out, the bracelet program’s success hinges on more than just hospital protocols. “When a postpartum patient wearing (a bracelet) shows up in the emergency department or even experiences a medical event in the grocery store, responders know to ask the right questions,” said one hospital official. “Recognizing urgent maternal warning signs quickly means the patient gets help faster.” The hope is that the bracelets will become universally recognized, not just in emergency rooms, but in community settings, pharmacies, and even everyday encounters. To track progress, hospitals are committed to collecting data by race, geography, and insurance status, ensuring that the most at-risk populations are not left behind.
Meanwhile, Baby Loss Awareness Week offers a poignant reminder of the silent grief carried by so many families. According to a statement released by Archbishop John Sherrington and Bishop Bosco MacDonald, the week provides “an opportunity to pause and acknowledge the deep sorrow suffered by parents who have experienced the loss of a baby, especially through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or stillbirth and infant loss.” Around one in five pregnancies in England and Wales end in miscarriage, a statistic that hints at the scale of silent suffering. The Church encourages parents to mark their loss in meaningful ways—through prayer, memorials, liturgical remembrance, and Mass. Funeral Masses are offered for babies lost at any stage of pregnancy, including those not baptized, and parishes are encouraged to make this support known to grieving families.
“Let us encourage parents to seek strength in the motherly gaze of the Blessed Virgin Mary who watched her beloved Son die on the cross and who now beholds Him in eternal glory,” Archbishop Sherrington urged. “May they find comfort in the hope of eternal life and in the tender mercy of God, who knows each child by name and holds them in His embrace.” The Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well, based at St Mary’s University, has also contributed by producing podcasts to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week, offering another avenue for solace and understanding.
Despite these efforts, many parents still suffer in isolation. The Church and healthcare leaders alike stress the importance of community support. Parents are invited to pray in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament, light candles, or participate in memorials. These acts, while simple, affirm the dignity and innocence of each lost child and provide a pathway for healing. The opportunity for parents to hold, name, and mourn their baby is described as a sacred moment—one that, sadly, isn’t always possible, compounding the pain of loss.
As Connecticut’s orange bracelets become a symbol of both advocacy and remembrance, and as communities gather for Baby Loss Awareness Week, a new chapter is opening in the journey toward safer motherhood and compassionate bereavement care. The message is clear: no mother, and no family, should navigate the aftermath of birth or loss alone.
