Rainbow Baby

The expression "Rainbow Baby" refers to a baby born (who lives) after (a) child/ren dies/die. I've seen it used a lot on various support sites by loss moms but personally, I've never liked the term and I never use it in reference to either of my living children.

About a year-year and half after Hannah, Ryan and Abby were born, I was reading through my local, small town newspaper when an obit caught my eye. It was for a baby who died shortly after her birth. Although I don't know the Mom, I went to school with the Dad for years. I was deeply saddened for this family and for the pain I knew they now feel.

A year ago, I saw in the birth announcements of the very same paper that this couple had gone on to have another child-another girl. I was very happy for them because I know that having a another child doesn't replace the baby who died, but it can soften the pain significantly.

Today, I read in the paper that their baby girl died on June 20 of a rare form of pediatric brain cancer. She was one year old. There was a big article and it ended with "Olivia Rose is predeceased by her sister, Elizabeth Hope..." I feel sick with sadness for this family. Babies aren't supposed to die and certainly this isn't supposed to happen to a "Rainbow Baby". But it does.

Perhaps that's why I dislike the expression...