A rainbow baby is one that is born after a miscarriage or stillbirth. It’s perceived to be a symbol of hope and joy following a dark, stormy time….just like a rainbow after a storm.
The appearance of a rainbow doesn’t necessarily mean the storm is over. The rain may linger behind the clouds, sprinkling down when you least expect it…or even pounding you with its harsh intensity, reminding you of its presence.
Yet, despite the storm that precedes it, the beauty of a rainbow brings about a feeling of calm and a promise that days of sunshine await us.
In the same way, the birth of a rainbow baby after the heartbreak of loss, does not erase the memory of our babies lost. It does not make us ‘better’ or take the place in our hearts of the little ones we will never hold in our arms.
It does however, give us something beautiful to behold and a promise that while our hearts may have been broken and bruised, there is a space for healing, a space for hope and a space for love.