No matter the reasons or type of pregnancy loss — neonatal death, fetal death, or stillbirth — the emotional effects can be devastating. According to the March of Dimes, about 10 to 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage.
But there is hope. At least 85% of people who become pregnant and experience pregnancy loss go on to have a rainbow baby, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Others may choose to adopt their rainbow baby. But, what is a rainbow baby, exactly?
Rainbow baby meaning and origin
What is Rainbow Baby Day?
Alexis Delchiaro and her husband struggled with infertility for years. The couple now has two children, Grant and Gianna, but they wanted to let others know that they were not alone.
Delchiaro founded What the Fertility to help parents navigate the ups and downs of fertility. Rainbow Baby Day began in August 2018 to honor the birth of their daughter, Gianna.
However, not everyone is comfortable with the term, “rainbow baby.” Waters explained that she and her husband respect those who use the term, but that it just doesn’t resonate with them. The grief of their miscarriage didn’t just go away when they got a positive pregnancy test result.
“If you’re going to call that a storm, we’re still in our storm, we’re still dealing with losing Beckett and we will be our entire lives. It doesn’t really resonate with us because we’re still in it, and I really don’t want this child to be tied to Beckett that way,” Waters explained in her video. “I want this child to be its own unique child; it’s Beckett’s younger sibling. That’s the only tie I want, I don’t want one to be the after flow of the other.”
