What is A Rainbow Baby?
Have you lost a baby to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death? Are you holding out hope for a rainbow baby?
What is a Rainbow Baby? A rainbow baby is born after a significant loss!
According to the American Pregnancy Association, 85% of women are likely to have a healthy baby after a miscarriage This healthy baby is your rainbow baby. Stay strong, mama! A rainbow baby can bring hope back into your life that you can love and raise another. It will not replace what you have lost but will help ease some of the pain.
In this article, we cover the many facets and blessings of a rainbow baby and how riding the waves of your grief can help you find joy again in your life and new child.
What Is A Rainbow Baby?
A “rainbow baby” is a title given to a healthy infant born after a miscarriage, stillborn, death in infancy, or other kinds of baby loss. It’s called a rainbow baby because it’s a beautiful end to a dreary and frightening event.
“Rainbow” is a symbolic word that indicates hope after a storm of child loss. That is, your rainbow baby came to wipe your tears and put smiles on your faces after the loss of your previous child (the Angel baby).
The loss of a pregnancy or a baby is a heartbreaking and traumatic experience. Therefore, it is fantastic for these parents to create a life or to have a child after losing so much.
This experience is often fraught with anxiety, guilt, and even fear, yet it is also accompanied by great joy, reflection, healing, and mixed emotions.
Parents never forget their lost baby, regardless of how happy they are about the rainbow baby-to-be. When they announce rainbow babies, they mention their angel babies.
What is an Angel baby and a Rainbow Baby? An Angel baby is a baby that is lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or shortly after delivery while a rainbow baby is born after an angel baby.
What is a Double Rainbow Baby
Though having a recurrent pregnancy loss is not common, the loss of a baby can come from different circumstances. In a situation where a woman loses her babies on two different occasions, a double rainbow baby is any child that successfully survives through the 9-months and born alive.
A double rainbow baby is simply a term for a healthy child born to parents that have experienced two previous infant losses.
Why Do They Call It Rainbow Baby?
There is symbolism associated with the term because a rainbow appears only after a stormy, rainy sky, much like babies born after loss. Grieving parents first coined the term on blogs and chat rooms, but it has grown in popularity thanks to social media. People now use it to convey hope and healing in pregnancy announcements and baby photos that feature rainbow-themed themes.
However, being pregnant with a rainbow baby is about more than just taking beautiful pictures. The process of coping with the loss of a child while celebrating the birth of a new one often brings mixed emotions to expectant parents during their pregnancy and afterward.
Why Rainbow Babies Are Special
Rainbow babies symbolize hope and healing after a challenging time.
In addition, they are treasured reminders to parents who have lost a child.
A previous pregnancy can leave you feeling overwhelmed with sadness. It is okay to carry that grief with you – but don’t let others impose their grieving standards on you. Allow yourself time to grieve.
Despite the safe delivery of your rainbow baby, you can remember the child you lost in many ways. As your baby grows, you may find that sharing your story with him will be soothing.
You can create a healing space with friends and family by planting trees together, creating a rock garden, doing a tattoo, getting custom-made jewellery or an angelic sculpture.
Try to share your story with your rainbow baby as he grows to let him know how special he is to you and the family.
Grieving loss and Appreciating a Rainbow Baby
The average miscarriage rate among known pregnancies is between 10 to 20 percent, and stillbirth rates are around 1 percent. Despite this, many parents who lose an infant feel alone and discouraged. Supporting, healing, and expressing hope can be cathartic.
We grieve differently, the loss of a child is very painful. It is important to grieve your angel baby so you can accept your rainbow baby. We deal with loss differently either it is through miscarriage, medical loss or stillbirth. Here are some steps that can help you through the grieving process:
- Understand that having a Rainbow Baby does not mean you should not mourn your Angel Baby.
- While I do not know what may have caused the loss of your child, you need to come to terms with the fact that it is not your fault and nothing can change what has happened.
- You can use the National Rainbow Day celebrated every August 22 to commemorate either by sharing your story in a support group, on social media or in a small gathering of frienda and families.
- Create something to help you keep the memory of the child. Trying to forget or ignore it may not help you as you can not truly forget the loss of a child. Pictures, footprints, handprints or christening of the baby can help you and if it is a miscarriage then you can create a card with the intended name of your child.
- Talk to your partner. Having someone around you during this period is a blessing, communicate ow you feel with your partner, be open about your worries and hopes.
- Writing a letter to your baby can help you express your feelings better.
- Seek Support from friends, families, a support group or a medical professional.
- Don’t rush the process. It may take time but ensure you give yourself time to heal.
Stories of Parents About Rainbow Babies
I felt so bad after the loss of our baby. I pushed everyone away and blamed myself constantly for the loss. My husband wanted to help but I was not ready to accept anyone’s help. After much persuasion, I joined a support group and hearing other parents talk about their grieving process helped me. A year later, i became pregnant and it all started coming back again but my husband and friends were there for me. My Doctor listened to my worries and alleviated my fears…. Holding my Rainbow baby in my hands on the day of delivery made me cry uncontrollably, it was then I realised I had not mourned my Angel Baby. I am really grateful for my baby tho’ I wish my Angel was here but my rainbow baby gives me joy and makes us happy. – Anonymous
You can’t always get what you want… this was the song I had on repeat that year. After two miscarriages, I just wanted to give up and live. It was beyond heartbreaking for me, I had great friends who were there for me but the pain in my heart everytime I remember that I could ave been celebrating a birthday or christmas with my babies was unexplainable. Going through the process of seeing the doctors, different diagnosis and all… We were blessed with a rainbow. All through the pregnancy journey, I had no believe in the baby. I went to the hospital in the 7th month and kept asking the doctor “am I going to lose this baby or is he dead inside me?”. I was not sure of anything till he came out to the world. I love my little rainbow. – Anonymous
Pregnancy Announcement for Rainbow Baby Announcements
You can announce a new baby in different ways according to how you and your spouse wish. Some parents-to-be prefer traditional means, like sending a handwritten note on bright-coloured paper through the mail. Others use their family dog to share the news on Instagram.
If you’re expecting a rainbow baby, it is entirely normal for you to be cautious. You may have probably told others about the baby you lost – and later had to explain life’s heartbreaking realities to them. In terms of sharing this happy news, you may want to do it quietly rather than sharing it with the public.
Mama, don’t feel pressured to announce your rainbow baby pregnancy. Instead, do it when you feel comfortable enough to share. Nevertheless, some mothers wait until their second trimester to avoid unwanted calls, texts, emails, and congratulatory notes until their baby is healthy and safe.
Whether you choose to share your news via a rainbow baby card, poster, emoji, gif, or even cookies, there’s a world of rainbow-themed goodies to choose from.
Rainbow baby announcements can be pretty creative and fun.
We have also listed 20 sweet Rainbow baby announcement ideas for your family, friends, and even social media.
In a Nutshell
The loss of an expecting parent’s pregnancy or an infant is traumatic. After such a loss, the emotions you feel won’t go away overnight – even when you’re expecting a new baby. Even as you celebrate a new beginning, allow yourself some time to grieve. Additionally, you can surround yourself with supportive and understanding people – whether they are your family members, friends, or a therapist. You can also find support through groups of parents who are also grieving.
If you want to purchase a gift for a parent expecting a rainbow baby then you can check out our amazing list of gifts.
