Here’s the story behind the term “rainbow baby,” often used in emojis and hashtags and emblazoned on onesies, along with expert and real-parent thoughts on the increasingly popular turn-of-phrase.<\/p>
What does rainbow baby mean?<\/h2>
According to the support organization Pregnancy After Loss Support (PALS), the term rainbow baby<\/a> stems from a quote from author Shannon L. Adler, “After every storm, there is a rainbow.” The metaphorical storm being perinatal loss, which could be a miscarriage, ectopic or molar pregnancy, stillbirth, neonatal death or other type of loss; and the rainbow being the baby, which, in many ways, is a tangible harbinger of hope for families. While commonly associated with babies that are born via pregnancy from the parents who experienced the loss, a rainbow baby can also be a child who’s adopted or born via surrogate after a loss. (Some women on social media refer to a baby after two subsequent losses as a double rainbow baby<\/a>.)<\/p> Other terms parents who have experienced loss may use for children are “sunshine baby” and “pot of gold baby,” according to PALS. The former refers to a child who came before loss, signifying a sort of naiveté that’s impossible for parents to ever revert to, and the latter indicates a child that comes after a rainbow baby — the pot of gold at the end.<\/p> Thanks to the destigmatization of pregnancy and child loss<\/a>, the term rainbow baby is pervasive on social media (at the time of writing, the hashtag #rainbowbaby has over 2.5 million posts on Instagram — and this excludes similar hashtags like #rainbowbabyshower, etc.), but the term dates back over a decade.<\/p> In 2008, the phrase was used in author Christie Brooks’ book “Our Heartbreaking Choices: Forty-Six Women Share Their Stories of Interrupting a Much-Wanted Pregnancy.” “I have since gone on to have another healthy baby (yes, a girl),” Brooks wrote in her essay, “Even the Darkest Cloud Has a Silver Lining<\/a>.” “She is my rainbow baby.”<\/p> Each year, National Rainbow Baby Day is August 22. According to the organization, Pregnancy After Loss Support<\/a>, National Rainbow Baby Day was founded in 2018 by Alexis Delchiaro<\/a> and What The Fertility<\/a>. Delchiaro founded the day after experiencing fertility struggles and recurrent pregnancy losses. She choose the date, as it’s the day her daughter, Gianna, was born.<\/p> While popular on social media and in community forums online, the term rainbow baby is not an official medical term, so ultimately, the decision when — if at all — to use it is completely personal. Some women refer to their unborn child during a pregnancy following loss as a rainbow baby while others, more cautiously, refer to it as a rainbow pregnancy.<\/p> It’s also worth noting that not everyone is on board with the term<\/a>. Some women, despite having healthy babies after loss, refrain from using the phrase at all, out of the belief that a rainbow connotes an overall happiness and closure that they don’t wholeheartedly feel. The grief is still there, even if there’s joy.<\/p> While pregnancies and babies are hopeful events after a loss, they’re also often fraught with anxiety and fear. “Most families have complex emotions associated with their rainbow baby,” says Arbit. “They remain haunted by memories of their prior losses and grapple with intense anxiety and worry around their rainbow baby pregnancy, delivery or postpartum period<\/a>.”<\/p> Meghan A., a mom of two in Albany, New York, reveals that after getting pregnant following a miscarriage at 12 weeks, she could barely sleep. “I was constantly plagued with anxiety,” she says. “I dreaded every checkup because I was sure my doctor was going to tell me something was wrong. My husband and I didn’t even pick out a name until after I gave birth.”<\/p> In addition to fear, there’s also sorrow and guilt. Arbit explains that many families describe living with a “hole” or void that can never be filled — even after a subsequent pregnancies or birth. “There can be tremendous guilt over having these mixed emotions and guilt over why the rainbow baby survived and prior pregnancies did not,” she notes. “Additionally, some wonder if they’re to fault in some way over the loss.”<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/nicolef455-202152292152338621.jpg\")
When did the term “rainbow baby” start?<\/h2>
When is National Rainbow Baby Day 2024?<\/h2>
How long after a miscarriage is a rainbow baby?<\/h2>
What complex emotions surround rainbow pregnancies and rainbow babies<\/strong><\/h2>
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