A rainbow baby is a child born after a miscarriage, stillbirth, or death in the first weeks of infancy. Although rainbow babies represent joy after a devastating storm, many people expecting a rainbow baby still struggle with mixed emotions including anxiety, excitement, fear, worry, and hope. August 22 is National Rainbow Baby Day and offers families a chance to share their experiences, grieve, reflect, and celebrate the joy for their rainbow babies.

Pregnancy loss is defined differently around the world, but in general a baby who dies before 28 weeks of pregnancy is referred to as a miscarriage, and babies who die at or after 28 weeks are stillbirths. Miscarriage is the most common reason for losing a baby during pregnancy. Estimates vary, although estimates are as high as 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. Every year, nearly 2 million babies are stillborn. However, miscarriages and stillbirths are not systematically recorded, even in developed countries, suggesting that the numbers could be higher.

Peach is my rainbow baby. After two miscarriages within 4 months of each other in 2018, I found out I was pregnant with Peach the day before my mom was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Peach is the rainbow that kept me going through the hardest storm of my life.

Miscarriage and infant loss is something that is not talked about enough even though it occurs often. It can be healing to acknowledge the loss and know you’re not alone as you grieve your loss. Feel free to share your rainbow baby stories here.