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Sharing about Jizo here so he has a permanent spot on my blog! I shared about Jizo on my Instagram after losing Liam and I know it helped countless moms going through the nightmare of pregnancy loss. The pain and heartache of miscarriage, stillbirth and termination for medical reasons is unique and profound and I want to help these fellow loss moms in any way I can.

For us, Jizo has been a beautiful and meaningful way to remember and honor Liam. I know everyone may not feel this way but it’s important to us to acknowledge his existence and the deep love we have for our son. We openly speak about Liam and losing him, he is a big part of our family and if I’m being honest has taught us SO MUCH in his mere 18 weeks in my belly and in the aftermath of his loss.

I am so sorry if you or someone you know has experienced pregnancy loss; I hope you find Jizo and his story as comforting as we have <3

JIZO & THE JAPANESE ART OF GRIEVING MISCARRIAGE

Giving “happy baby” a permanent feed post🥰 I can’t tell you how much comfort and peace this tiny cement figurine brings to me daily. And how fitting for Luca to have nicknamed him happy baby, I think he intuitively understands.

I first learned about Jizo (a Japanese Bodhisattva) from a NY Times article my friend sent me just after losing Liam. The story of how he “smuggles” unborn babies into heaven stopped me in my tracks. Alex and I immediately knew we needed a Jizo statue of our own to honor Liam and our two early miscarriages.

Jizo helps all travelers but I thought it was really cool how the Japanese culture outwardly honors lost babies in this way. I’m acutely aware of how our culture is a stark contrast – during pregnancy the baby is almost overly celebrated but if it dies the topic becomes one of the most taboo things you can talk about. It’s sad, especially to the grieving mother.

We bought our Jizo on Amazon (linked HERE) and it was the best $28 I’ve ever spent in my life. This little 4″ tall statue has brought our family comfort beyond measure. My mom even crocheted him a red cap and cape for the colder months. Some families like to put their Jizo outside in a garden and maybe we will too eventually but for now we like him where we can see him with his happy little smile. Sometimes I like to pat his head or give him a kiss and every so often Luca wants to play with “happy baby” so we let him.

Kudos to Japan for celebrating and honoring any and all baby loss. There is a sort of garden cemetery in Japan I’d love to visit one day, it’s home to thousands of Jizo statues honoring lost babies. What a beautiful thing✨

See more in my JIZO highlight on Instagram❤️