For those of you that might not know, today is National Rainbow Baby Day.  

You might have heard me use this term ‘Rainbow Baby’ a few times and not know what it means.  This blog post will explain all about rainbow babies.

The term ‘Rainbow Baby’ is used when a child is born to a family who have previously lost a child due to miscarraige, stillbirth or death during infancy.  For many parents who do get pregnant after losing a baby, there can be a huge bag of mixed emotions – worry, reflection, fear, overjoyed, anxiety, happiness …

Many parents can actually feel guilty for being excited about their new pregnancy whereas others are terrified to celebrate anything just in case.  These rainbow babies really are that light after the storm.

For those families who have been through such a dark time, having that baby really can feel like the most amazing mircale ever.  And of course it is.

Many people are now a lot more open about struggles and complexities with pregnancy and conception.  It used to be such a taboo subject.  I, for one, am so pleased that many more people are so open about their journey.  It really does help those who are at the beginning (or the middle) of their own journey – to know that someone else is going through something similar to you. 

I love that my families often talk about their pregnancy journeys with me. 

Our rainbow babies are to be celebrated just like the angel babies that were too perfect to be here.  And that is why, for many people, it is important to have that rainbow.  To show that there is light, there is hope.  But that the journey to get to this beautiful miracle hasn’t been forgotten.

So what can I do for your rainbow baby?

Firstly, you need to decide if you want to honour your angel baby in this way.  Some parents do and some don’t.  It’s 100% your personal choice – everyone deals with things in very different ways.

Then, when I’m planning your session I can include as much or as little ‘rainbow’ as you like.  Like all my sessions, the set ups are designed and tailored to you.  For example, in this set of images accompanying my blog post here, Mom and I discussed incorporating rainbows a lot.  Mom herself loves colour and wanted to celebrate her miracle whilst remembering her angel.  

For me personally, it is a huge honour to be able to capture your newborn pictures especially when they can mean so much.  If you are booking in with me and would like your session to include anything special like this, please discuss it with me before the session so I can prepare my set ups accordingly.

People work through their situations in different ways and there is no right and wrong.  But if you are needing someone to talk to there are many different charities out there who can help including those at Sands, Tommy’s and The Miscarriage Association.