It’s a subject with which many people are uncomfortable, but that doesn’t change the fact that it happens.
Whether the result of a miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or infant loss, the death of a baby leaves a profound emotional impact on parents. But as a reminder that rainbows follow most storms, St. Tammany Health System’s New Family Center recently instituted a program to celebrate “rainbow babies” – or those babies born following the loss of another baby.
The concept is simple but meaningful: Mothers of rainbow babies are offered rainbow-colored footprints of their newborn on a keepsake card.
The intention is to acknowledge – but not negate – a family’s sorrow over their earlier loss while also celebrating the joy of their new arrival.
“After the first set of prints that we did, the mother was so excited about this new offering,” said New Family Center nurse Keri Skeins, RN.
According to the Mayo Clinic, an estimated 10 to 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, although, because many miscarriages happen even before a woman knows she’s pregnant, it is believed the real number is likely higher.
At the same time, according to a recent NOLA.com story about the rainbow journey of New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson and wife Chanen Johnson, data suggests women are more fertile after a miscarriage – meaning it’s OK to keep trying.
In addition to the footprint keepsake, mothers of rainbow babies born at St. Tammany Health System’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital are also given a specially designed card featuring a rainbow, the STHS logo and the following words:
“Rainbows remind us that even after the darkest clouds, and the fiercest winds, there is still beauty.”