English Reference
Idiom idiom

rainbow baby


A baby that is conceived after a miscarriage or other loss of a baby.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

They are so happy to welcome their healthy rainbow baby.

He holds his rainbow baby and feels a sense of peace at last.

Many families share photos of their rainbow baby to give others hope.

CONTEXTUAL

After the heartbreak of losing their first child, the couple celebrated the arrival of their rainbow baby.

She decided to decorate the nursery with bright colors to celebrate the birth of her long-awaited rainbow baby.

The support group helps parents navigate the complicated mix of joy and anxiety when expecting a rainbow baby.

COMPLEX

The arrival of their rainbow baby brought a profound sense of healing and renewed hope to a family that had endured such deep sorrow.


The term originates from the appearance of a rainbow following a period of inclement weather. It is a modern construction based upon the meteorological sequence of a storm followed by the emergence of a spectrum, serving as a metaphorical parallel for a birth occurring after a previous loss.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    babies in the eyes

    The minute reflection which one sees of oneself in the eyes of another.

  2. 02

    baby and bathwater

    Used in reference to an error in which something valuable is discarded in the process of removing or rejecting something unwanted.

  3. 03

    baby elephant in the room

    An obvious but mostly inconsequential issue.

  4. 04

    baby step

    A small effort made towards the completion of a much larger task.

  5. 05

    baby up

    To treat as a baby.

  6. 06

    basin of gravy

    [Cockney slang]baby

  7. 07

    be left holding the baby

    To be left with the responsibility of resolving a problem.

  8. 08

    black babies

    Third-world charities, the missions.

Last updated August 10, 2026