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The story of our precious little girl's 17 months of life with Trisomy 18 (July 4, 2010 - December 15, 2011) and of us, re-learning to live "after Lilly."
"I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made ...." Psalm 139:14

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

"Rainbow babies"


I saw this dress at Kohls a few days ago and it reminded me of our Lilly - our Independence Day girl! (Not sure why the picture turned out so small - I took it on my cell phone at the store.) I had the idea of hanging up a bunch of Lilly's red, white, and blue clothes across the fireplace mantel (on the Christmas stockings nails) in July for the memories and decor. :)

I learned a new term last week - "rainbow baby." It seems that is a term for a baby born after a sibling that has died. So the baby I am pregnant with is referred to as a "rainbow baby." I had also heard the term "therapy baby" but I think I prefer "rainbow baby." It's so colorful and cheerful!

In our Trisomy 18 circle, there are a number of mama's that are pregnant with rainbow babies. One mama posted this picture which has this explanation on it:

"Rainbow Babies" is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with the aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope."

I think that's beautiful. My emotions are all jumbled up about losing Lilly and being pregnant and these words just help some of that fall into place in my mind.

[God speaking after the flood] "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." - Genesis 9:13

7 comments:

  1. Rainbow Baby....that is so beautiful. Perfectly describes our new little bundle of boundless Love. Love to you all!

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  2. That IS a beautiful explanation. xxoo

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  3. so happy for you!! God has blessed your family once again!!

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  4. I really am thrilled that there is a rainbow baby on the way! Congratulations! Those of us who believe in more than this life know that Lilly's life was purposeful and this next one is too! May God bless you all abundantly and hold you all in His loving care. Cheryl

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  5. I love the explanation of rainbow babies- Rainbows remind us of God's promises and how there can be beauty after a storm! I am sure you have so many overwhelming emotions at this time, but like a rainbow formed by God, who puts a mixture of colors together to form something beautiful,he will help you use these emotions to make something beautiful too!
    May He continue to provide you with..."color,energy,and Hope!''
    love - holly

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  6. Thank you for this blog. I just lost my daughter Angel on may 16th 2013. I was 31 weeks and when I delivered her she never took a breath of life. I miss her so much...I should still be pregnant with her and it hurts so bad to see so many other people go through this..but there is a rainbow after the storm and I look forward to that rainbow one day. Hugs to all going through or that have gone through any Trisomy situation.

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    1. Thank you for leaving a comment. I am so sorry you lost your Angel. I know she was beautiful! And Angel is a glorious angel now. It absolutely is heartbreaking how many people this happens to. But I think the majority of us are thankful for every moment we were allowed to have. I pray you will have a rainbow baby one day - I have found that mine has helped me heal so much! Hugs to you. - Lisa

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