Prematurity Awareness Month | November 2025
November is Prematurity Awareness Month.
A time for increased visibility, awareness, and support.
Families with premature infants experience a lot of the same things with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum and yet also, to an entirely different dimension. Often times, there are layers of complexity that not everyone sees or even asks about.
There are often complications and a state of hyper-vigilance in pregnancy.
Navigating “bed rest” and how fragile it feels to do any of your usual activities and interests.
Hospital stays to monitor the health status of the birthing person and/or baby.
Feeling comforted and simultaneously increased anxiety by continuous fetal monitoring.
Health status and plans can shift so quickly- creating a true roller coaster of emotions.
Grief and/or trauma related to a complicated pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and all things related to baby requiring NICU care.
Having to return to work sooner to save their parental leave (if they even have one) for when baby comes home.
The list goes on.
As a community, we can support these families by:
Continuing to check in and hold space for how parents are managing physically and emotionally.
Bring over prepared meals, snacks, postpartum supplies.
Offer to do household duties.
Fight for better laws and parental leave for parents.
Listen to and ask families how we can support them.
xo, Britt + the rest of the Gather Birth team
Doula support and Birth Photography: Britt, Gather Birth
