Top

A rainbow in the Johnsons household

The Brits are celebrating the news of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s wife announcing their rainbow baby. But what is a rainbow baby?

Carrie Johnson has sent half the world scouring through their dictionaries after she announced in an Instagram post that she and her husband were hoping for their “rainbow baby this Christmas”. Carrie, who is expected to deliver in December this year, is already a mum to little Wilfred, who was born to her and Boris last May. In the caption for her post, she also revealed that she’d gone through a miscarriage earlier this year, and said she feels “incredibly blessed” to be pregnant again. For those wondering what a rainbow baby is, here you go: A rainbow baby is a child born to parents who’ve previously lost a child to miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal. The new baby, waiting to arrive, is called a rainbow baby because it’s akin to a rainbow appearing as the grey skies clear up after a pouring rain. Figuratively, the rainbow stands for something beautiful in the wake of something hurtful or dark. Especially in the case of having a baby, which in itself is an extremely emotional experience, losing it can be devastating for the parents. Having a baby after such a loss is almost like a miracle for parents, symbolising colour and cheer. Experts point out that pregnancies after losing a child can come with a baggage of anxiety.

Next Story