Celebrating a new life by announcing your pregnancy is an exciting time. But for those who are creating a rainbow baby announcement (a pregnancy announcement after miscarriage), it can be bitter-sweet and even cause some anxiety. In this post, we will talk about rainbow baby pregnancy announcements. We will discuss what that means, why they evoke so many feelings, why you may choose to create a pregnancy announcement acknowledging your rainbow baby, and many ideas for creating your rainbow baby pregnancy announcement.
A rainbow baby is the most common name used to refer to a baby born after the loss of another baby. An angel baby is another term that is used. A rainbow baby most often refers to a baby born after a miscarriage but can be applied to a baby born after any type of loss such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, termination (most often for medical reasons), stillbirth, or neonatal death. (source)
Whether you have lost one baby or more just prior to your pregnancy now, you are pregnant with a rainbow baby. The term rainbow babies comes from acknowledging the beauty after the storm. Losing a baby, for whatever reason, can cause both emotional and physical upheaval for the family and especially the mother. This dark and sad period as well as the loss of life itself is the symbolic storm.
The beautiful rainbow can only come after weathering a storm. The new life of the baby you have after a loss, is symbolically the rainbow.
For those familiar with God’s promise to the world that the rainbow symbolizes, reference to a rainbow baby can hold an even deeper meaning.
Common Feelings About Pregnancy Announcements After Miscarriage
Miscarriage and infant loss are extremely common but for many not ever spoken about. As years pass and social media grows women are slowly becoming more comfortable speaking about their losses. So much so that many are choosing to be bold and let others know through their pregnancy announcement that they suffered a loss recently before this.
A miscarriage is never easy to endure. From the moment pregnancy begins most women feel an immediate connection to the life growing inside them. It’s tough not to with all the changes that begin in your body almost immediately upon conception.
The life growing inside of you is tied to you and you are tied to it. No matter how early a miscarriage takes place, an overwhelming sense of loss is a completely normal feeling.
Many women feel horribly sad or depressed after experiencing a miscarriage. It may cause even deeper negative feelings such as failure, worthlessness, incompetence, guilt, and any number of other negative feelings as well. There is no right or wrong way to feel after a miscarriage and a single woman may feel different after each one.
Similarly, becoming pregnant again after a miscarriage can bring in a new swell of emotions and they aren’t always all positive.
For those who have not experienced becoming pregnant with a rainbow baby this may sound confusing as seeing a positive pregnancy test after a miscarriage is seemingly good news. But it can also cause a lot of anxiety. The new pregnancy will bring up thoughts and memories of the baby that was lost. It will also bring out fear and anxiety that this pregnancy will also end in a miscarriage. These are normal and justified feelings and it’s ok to be both happy and sad when you find out that you are pregnant with your rainbow baby.
Rainbow Baby Announcement: A Good or Bad Idea?
Whenever you are pregnant, you become excited to share the special news with close family, big siblings, and friends. But because of the fears I mentioned above or others, you may have a hard time knowing when to share the big news with the whole family because of the past loss. Your head may be swirling with questions like:
When is it ok to announce this pregnancy to family members after a previous miscarriage?
Should I wait until after 12 weeks to make the announcement just to be safe?
Will my baby bump show before it’s “safe” to send out a rainbow pregnancy announcement?
Should I tell my older kids before 12 weeks?
Should I commemorate my previous pregnancy loss with a rainbow in my pregnancy announcement?
Please know that all these feelings and questions are normal to have swirling through your body and mind. Everyone handles pregnancy after loss in different ways. If after taking in all this information you’ve decided that celebrating the fact that this new life is a rainbow baby fits your desires, read on for precious rainbow baby announcement ideas to celebrate your little miracle.
Rainbow Baby Announcement Ideas to Personalize or Recreate
You may want to wait a bit closer to your due date to announce a rainbow baby than you would otherwise. The chance of miscarriage drastically reduces after 12 weeks of pregnancy, which is why most women choose to announce their pregnancies then. If you are still hesitant to announce your rainbow baby at 12 weeks, some women wait until 20-22 weeks to announce their rainbow baby.
Some rainbow baby announcements give a subtle nod to the fact that you are expecting a rainbow baby while others make the miracle of a new life after a lost one center stage. I’m including both types of pregnancy announcements after miscarriage so that you can find the perfect one to order or recreate at home that you are most comfortable with.
You can of course recreate these examples at home or just use them for inspiration but you can also personalize and order most of these beautiful announcements on Etsy as well through the link under each photo.
One time that is perfect to share a Rainbow Baby pregnancy announcement is St. Patrick’s Day. Blending together ideas from one of the rainbow baby announcements below and some from these St. Patrick’s Day pregnancy announcement ideas can blend together perfectly.
Of course, a lot of the St. Patrick’s Day pregnancy announcements already have rainbows in them, so you can simply use one of those if the timing is right. This is a great way to give a more subtle acknowledgment to your loss if that’s your preference.
Belly Painting
If your rainbow baby has an older sibling one of the most creative ways to celebrate your new arrival is through letting your older child bond with both yourself and the new baby by painting your belly with rainbow colors.
This is one of the more colorful ways to announce your pregnancy. Depending on how straightforward you want your announcement to be that you are carrying a rainbow baby you can choose to just let your child use rainbow colors or instruct them to paint an actual rainbow.
Religious Twist
If you are religious, you may want to celebrate the gift that the Lord has given you by giving you a chance with another child after your loss.
While once almost taboo to discuss miscarriage, it is becoming more and more common to share our experiences with one another, in person but mostly online. More and more women are becoming comfortable sharing their loss with family, friends, and even followers.
If you are completely comfortable sharing boldly that you are pregnant with a rainbow baby, this is the announcement section for you. By sharing your loss, people will be able to share even more deeply in the joy and excitement you have about this new life that you’re carrying and it will help them feel more comfortable and less alone if they experience or have experienced a similar loss.
There is nothing more straightforward than saying that your new baby is handpicked by their lost sibling. Those who have lost a baby later in pregnancy or even experienced a still-birth may prefer an announcement like this.
This is one of my favorites because it has such bold rainbow colors that take center stage. You can personalize this with your ultrasound image and celebrate your new baby’s life while honoring the life of their sibling that was lost.
A rainbow baby announcement can be a meaningful way to celebrate a new beginning. You can use your letter board to say, “Expecting a rainbow after the storm,” “Blessed with our rainbow but will never forget the storm,” or “After every storm there is a rainbow.”
If you prefer more neutral color schemes but still want the message of your rainbow baby announcement front and center you may want a design more like this. You don’t have to use bright bold rainbow colors to make a rainbow baby announcement if that’s not your thing.
I love when the ultrasound picture is a bit larger and takes center stage. There is something so magical about ultrasound pictures that makes the pregnancy feel so much more real.
Some bright bold rainbow baby items can be a perfect way to pull together an after miscarriage pregnancy announcement. You can set up a simple scene like this at home or get this design customized too.
This design is super subtle and gives off major boho and earthy vibes. Just because you are putting together a rainbow baby announcement doesn’t mean you need to make it “rainbow.” Even more than a regular babay announcement, one after a loss should represent you and feel just perfect.
A cute way to keep your pregnancy announcement more simple is by using just a letterboard. There are so many sweet ideas that are less bold and bright that can still make a perfect rainbow baby announcement.
When you celebrate your new addition you can set up a design as simple as a letterboard or as detailed as a baby-item filled display like this. Remember, this pregnancy announcement is about doing what feels right in your heart.
You can blend together your rainbow baby pregnancy announcement with any holiday that is either near when you choose to announce your pregnancy or that is around when your baby is due. You can customize a digital pregnancy announcement that is perfect for social media and to print to give to family and friends as well.
You can keep with the black an gold traditional New Year’s theme or switch them to rainbow balloons to lay heavier into the rainbow baby theme. Check out more New Years Pregnancy Announcement ideas.
Valentine’s day makes a sweet theme because it’s the holiday of love. If you want to keep with a holiday theme but still announce your rainbow baby, consider adding a message to the letterboard like, “after every storm there is a rainbow.” Check out more Valentine’s pregnancy announcements.
Perhaps you want to honor your rainbow baby in your pregnancy announcement, but also don’t want to blunty share with all the world that you suffered a miscarriage. These are examples of pregnancy announcements with more subtle rainbow references while those you just looked through are much more straightforward.
If you are planning on sharing a social media announcement, you might want just a subtle rainbow instead of a phrase that clearly makes note of your previous loss. Then those who already know about your struggles will understand, but others may not infer what the rainbow symbolizes to you.
Wrapping Up Pregnancy Announcement After Miscarriage
I truly hope you found this post helpful. There is no right or wrong way to announce a pregnancy after a loss of another. You may be overwhelmed with a multitude of feelings, and not all of them will be positive. This is a blessing, but also can be a tough time. I hope in this post you found the perfect announcement to customize or recreate to celebrate your very own rainbow baby.
AllNaturalMothering.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Disclaimer
All material provided on this website is for your information only and should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Please consult with a medical professional regarding any matters related to the health and well-being of yourself or others. The information and opinions expressed here are believed to be accurate based on my best judgement. Readers who fail to consult with a medical professional assume the risk of any injuries.
