Pregnancy is a challenging phase for women. Every step a mother takes with her baby is memorable. That is why when parents lose their baby during pregnancy, it becomes traumatizing and challenging to deal with, sometimes.
After parents lose a baby due to miscarriage or stillbirth, the baby born after that is called a rainbow baby.
Parents who are expecting a rainbow baby often experience fear and anxiety. Most of the time, what they worry about is that another miscarriage might happen, or something wrong will happen to the baby.
Other mothers often keep their pregnancy for a rainbow baby. They do this to avoid difficult conversations. There are those, on the other hand, who tell their pregnancy early for emotional support.
Being a parent of a rainbow baby makes pregnancy more challenging. Here are some of the ways parents may be able to cope with the loss and the coming of the rainbow baby:
Expect the worries, but share these worries
Understandably, parents will become worried about what might happen to the rainbow baby. No matter how normal it is to worry about the coming of the rainbow baby, it would be best if this is addressed to the right person. Worries should be shared with medical experts since they are the ones who could provide answers to the worries.
If a mom becomes too worried about their pregnancy, they might experience a lack of sleep or losing appetite in eating. When these are observed, a medical professional should be called.
Ready yourself with the insensitive comments
No matter how much one would not want to hear negativity, there will be people who would say something that could hurt your feeling. If someone throws an insensitive comment about child loss or miscarriage, remember this: "It is not directed at you, and it has nothing to do with you."
There is nothing wrong with grieving.
One bad thing about forcing moving on is also forcing one to stop grieving. Every parent who lost a child knows that no other children can replace the lost baby, not even a rainbow baby. However, it must be noted that it is okay to feel all sorts of emotions. Being pregnant with a rainbow baby can be bittersweet. It can be full of excitement, sadness, gratitude, and anger - all at the same time.
Welcome the new challenges and moments
Although grieving a parent of a rainbow baby can also cope with the loss by focusing on the new things that would come your way.
Not all the days will be the same; some days will be a happy one while other days can be full of sadness and regrets. Learn to accept both these scenarios.