The term "rainbow baby" has come to limelight again after the birth of second child of Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Johnson. Carrie announced her pregnancy this year in July through her Instagram post wherein she also mentioned the disappointment she had to face earlier at the beginning of the year on loss of their child due to miscarriage.
Boris and Carrie Johnson welcomed their "rainbow baby" yesterday on December 9, 2021 at the London hospital.
What Is Rainbow Baby?
Rainbow baby is a term given to the child born after a failed pregnancy to the parents, in which they would have lost their last child. It may be due to miscarriage, still birth, neonatal death or other complexities.
Rainbow occurs in the sky only after a period of darkness and thunders have passed away. Similarly, the rainbow baby signifies that all the bad times of a parent has passed away and good times have begun. The colors of rainbow represents the happiness when seen in togetherness, so does a rainbow kid who brings joy to the sour memories of the expectant parents.
Suggested Reading: What Disease Did Your Father Have? Why is HIV still such a taboo?
Coining of the term "Rainbow Baby":
The term has been brought to use by many parents who have used online mediums of chatting, blogging to give more information on the emotions of loss or simply sharing the stories of their lost kid.
The number of miscarriages and death of a child is not exactly reported or sometimes left untold.
When a parent loses the child after a miscarriage, they cannot easily cope up with the loss of their unborn love. This leads to anger, frustration, grief and at times also leads to depression among parents. Many health experts have said that it is necessary for such parents to contact mental health professionals and the gynecologist in this regard.