Bereaved Mother's Day
The Sunday before Mother’s Day, each year.
A day of recognition for mothers whose children have died, honouring their love, their grief, and the motherhood that never ends.
ABOUT THIS DAY
A space held just for you
Bereaved Mother’s Day was founded in 2010 by Australian mother Carly Marie Dudley, who experienced pregnancy and infant loss, and wanted to create a dedicated day of recognition for mothers whose children are no longer living.
Observed on the Sunday before Mother’s Day each year, it offers a vital space — a moment to be seen, honoured, and surrounded by those who understand. Because motherhood, in all its forms, deserves recognition.
For some, it is the only day that truly feels like theirs.
THEIR WORDS
Motherhood in all its forms
Two Australian mothers share what Bereaved Mother’s Day means to them, and how they hold both love and loss.
Mother’s Day can be really tough for me, so I often avoid it. Everywhere I go, I see mothers, daughters, and babies sharing moments together. But Bereaved Mother’s Day is for us… for the women who mother through grief, through love, and through loss. Our motherhood still matters.
Fotini
Mother of Bruce & Blake
I like to celebrate both Bereaved Mother’s Day and also Mother’s Day with our four living children. It allows me to still feel like a parent to my angel baby, and to grieve her in my own way — separately from the joy of my children’s day.
Lynnel
Mother of Chloe Tayla Craig
Two days, two kinds of love.
Why both days matter
Sunday before Mother’s Day
Bereaved Mother’s Day
Sunday, May 3, 2026
A day to be seen — for mothers whose children have died, for those without living children, for those who carry their babies only in their hearts. This is your day, without expectation, without flowers in shops, without the weight of a day designed for others.
Second Sunday in May
Mother’s Day
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Some bereaved mothers celebrate both. Some step back from one. There is no right way to hold grief and love at the same time — only the way that feels true to you and the children you carry with you, always.
We are here for you.
You don’t have to carry this alone.
Our team is here around the clock.
By phone, by chat, and through our online support library.
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