The phrase “rainbow baby” carries weight far beyond typical parenting jargon — it names a painful reality many families face and offers language for the hope that can follow. A rainbow baby is a child born after a miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death, brought into a family that already knows how deeply loss can hurt. The article below breaks down what this term means, how it relates to other symbolic labels like sunshine baby and angel baby, and where the boundaries of these parent-coined phrases actually lie.

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Definition: Baby born after pregnancy or infant loss · Origin: Symbol of hope like a rainbow after a storm · Common losses: Miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death · Related terms: Sunshine baby, sunset baby, angel baby · Awareness month: October

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
  • A rainbow baby is a baby born after pregnancy loss such as miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death (The Bump)
  • The term is non-clinical, coined by families rather than medical professionals (The Bump)
  • Miscarriage is typically defined as loss before 28 weeks gestation (Illume Fertility)
  • Stillbirth occurs at 24 or more weeks gestation (WebMD)
2What’s unclear
  • No confirmed first-use date or documented origin point for “rainbow baby” as a coined term
  • Whether the term applies uniformly across different cultural or regional contexts
  • Whether the term is appropriate or comforting in all loss scenarios, including termination for medical reasons
3Timeline signal
4What’s next
  • These symbolic terms continue to gain visibility in online parenting communities
  • Awareness efforts during October may further normalize conversations about pregnancy loss

The table below summarizes the core terms and their relationships to one another.

Label Value
Core Meaning Baby after miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death
Etymology Rainbow follows storm
Not Official Term Symbolic, parent-coined
Adoption Included Yes, after loss
Double Rainbow Baby Born after two prior losses
Triple Rainbow Baby Born after three prior losses
Golden Baby Born after a rainbow baby

Why do they call it a rainbow baby?

The metaphor is straightforward: a rainbow appears after a storm, and a rainbow baby arrives after the “storm” of pregnancy loss. According to WebMD, the rainbow baby symbolizes hope and renewal — the light that returns after the dark period of grief. “The rainbow is after the storm. They never take the place of the child that you lost, but it does return a sense of joy and calm and peace,” said Gur, a mental health professional quoted by The Bump.

Origin of the term

These terms are non-clinical, coined by families rather than assigned by medical professionals. The Bump notes that the language emerged organically within the pregnancy loss community to help parents articulate experiences that clinical terminology alone cannot capture. No single inventor or exact date of first use has been documented in the sources reviewed.

Symbolism after loss

The symbolism carries weight: a rainbow baby does not replace a lost child. As Bunnies by the Bay puts it, “Rainbow babies do not replace angel babies — should the bereaved family have a healthy delivery of a rainbow baby, this will not erase the grief from the loss of the prior child.” The term acknowledges both the joy of new life and the persistence of prior grief.

Bottom line: Rainbow babies symbolize renewal after loss, not replacement. Parents use this language to hold both grief and hope simultaneously.

What’s the difference between a sunshine baby and a rainbow baby?

The timing relative to loss is the key distinction: a sunshine baby arrives before any loss, while a rainbow baby arrives after. According to The Bump, psychologist Dr. Jessica Zucker put it plainly: “A sunshine baby precedes a loss, while a rainbow baby follows it.” Both terms use weather metaphors — sunshine for the calm before the storm, rainbow for hope after it.

Sunshine baby definition

A sunshine baby is a child born before a family experienced pregnancy loss. WebMD explains that this child represents light and calm before the storm of loss hit. For grieving parents, the sunshine baby can be a reminder that healthy pregnancy and delivery are possible, offering a degree of hope even amid grief.

Key distinctions

Sunshine babies are already living siblings who existed before loss occurred. Rainbow babies, by contrast, are born or adopted after loss has already shaped the family. The emotional arc runs opposite: sunshine represents pre-loss hope, while rainbow represents post-loss healing.

Why this matters

Some parents find these terms deeply helpful; others do not connect with them at all. The terminology is entirely optional, not medically endorsed.

What is a sunshine baby?

A sunshine baby is a non-clinical term used by some families to describe a child born before a pregnancy loss, as noted by The Bump. The label captures the idea that this child arrived during a period of relative calm — before the family knew what loss could feel like. Dr. Jessica Zucker, a psychologist specializing in reproductive mental health, told The Bump: “A sunshine baby is a non-clinical term used by some families to describe a child born before a pregnancy loss.”

Context in family

For families who have experienced loss, the sunshine baby occupies a bittersweet position — a living child who also represents the time before grief entered the picture. Kidderbug Kreations notes that sunshine babies remind parents of a prior successful delivery, which can be a source of hope even when that hope was later tested.

Relation to rainbow

The sunshine baby and rainbow baby relationship runs in chronological order: first the sunshine, then the storm of loss, then the rainbow. Together, they form a narrative arc many families recognize in their own history. The implication is that both children hold distinct places in the family’s emotional timeline, with neither erasing the other’s significance.

Bottom line: A sunshine baby is a child born before loss. The term contrasts with rainbow baby — which follows loss — and together they mark the emotional timeline a family has navigated.

What is a sunset baby?

A sunset baby is a term specifically tied to twin pregnancies. Illume Fertility defines it as a twin who dies in the womb. The companion term, sunrise baby, refers to the surviving twin of that pair. Both terms belong to a subset of loss language specific to multiple gestation situations.

Meaning

The sunset metaphor evokes the end of day — the loss of one twin while the other continues. This terminology helps parents who have lost a twin articulate their experience in language that feels meaningful to them.

Comparison to rainbow

Unlike sunset and sunrise, which are specific to twin losses in womb, rainbow applies more broadly to any pregnancy or infant loss. A family that loses one twin and later welcomes a surviving twin may also eventually welcome a rainbow baby — if another loss occurs and is followed by a successful pregnancy. What this means is that the sunset/sunrise terms fill a gap that rainbow cannot address on its own.

The catch

Sunset and sunrise are niche terms that only apply when twins are involved. Most families experiencing singleton pregnancy loss will not encounter these labels, but they matter deeply to the parents who do.

What is an angel baby and a rainbow baby?

An angel baby refers to a lost pregnancy or infant — the child who is no longer physically present, according to Bunnies by the Bay. A rainbow baby, by contrast, arrives after that loss. The relationship is sequential: angel comes first in the story, rainbow follows. One is gone; one is present.

Angel baby definition

Angel baby is the term many parents use for a child they lost through miscarriage, stillbirth, early infant death, or other means. The label frames the lost child as still present in a spiritual or symbolic sense — hence “angel.”

Rainbow follows angel

The phrase “rainbow baby follows angel baby” captures the emotional sequence: first the grief and loss, then the hope and new life. A family may identify their angel baby and later recognize their rainbow baby, using both labels to hold their full family story.

The upshot

Not every parent uses or connects with these symbolic terms. The language is optional and personal — its value depends entirely on whether it feels meaningful to the family using it.

Five terms, five positions along a family’s loss-and-hope timeline: the sunshine baby before the storm, the angel baby who was lost, the sunset and sunrise babies for twin-specific losses, and the rainbow baby who arrives after. Variants like double rainbow (after two losses) and golden (after a rainbow) extend the metaphor further.

The comparison table below maps each term to its position in the loss-and-hope framework.

Term Meaning Relationship to Loss
Sunshine baby Baby born before loss Before the storm
Sunset baby Twin who dies in womb Loss specific to multiples
Sunrise baby Surviving twin after womb loss Survivor of twin loss
Angel baby Lost pregnancy or infant The loss itself
Rainbow baby Baby born or adopted after loss After the storm
Golden baby Baby born after a rainbow baby Pot of gold at rainbow’s end
Double rainbow baby Born after two losses Two storms, then hope
Triple rainbow baby Born after three losses Three storms, then hope

“A sunshine baby is a non-clinical term used by some families to describe a child born before a pregnancy loss.”

— Dr. Jessica Zucker, PhD, psychologist specializing in reproductive mental health, The Bump

“The rainbow is after the storm. They never take the place of the child that you lost, but it does return a sense of joy and calm and peace.”

— Gur, mental health professional, The Bump

Related reading: Québec Health Booklet · Carnet de Santé Québec

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Frequently asked questions

What is a golden baby?

A golden baby is born after a rainbow baby — representing the “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” Illume Fertility notes that this term marks a second subsequent pregnancy that also ends in a healthy birth or adoption.

What is a daisy baby?

Daisy baby is a less common term sometimes used in loss communities. It is not widely documented in major sources reviewed, and its meaning may vary by community or region.

What is a butterfly baby?

Butterfly baby is an informal term used in some loss communities, though it is not widely covered in mainstream parenting or medical sources. Its meaning tends to vary by context.

What is a rainbow baby called?

A rainbow baby is simply called a rainbow baby. The term is descriptive of the child’s arrival order in the family — specifically after a prior loss — rather than a formal clinical classification. The Bump confirms the term is non-clinical and coined by families.

Is it a rainbow baby after an abortion?

The term rainbow baby is most commonly associated with miscarriage or stillbirth, though some families who have experienced termination for medical reasons also use the label. There is no universal consensus, and not all parents find the term applies to their situation.

What is a rainbow baby in pregnancy?

In pregnancy context, a rainbow baby is a child conceived, carried, and born — or adopted — after a prior pregnancy ended in loss. Illume Fertility notes that these pregnancies often carry heightened anxiety due to fear of repeat loss.

What does unicorn baby mean?

Unicorn baby is an informal term used in some parenting communities to describe a baby who is exceptionally easy or rarely fussy. It is unrelated to pregnancy loss terminology and is not covered in the loss-focused sources reviewed for this article.

Parents after miscarriage often embrace the hopeful symbol of a rainbow baby, drawing from its meaning origin and support in trusted communities.

For families navigating pregnancy after loss, the symbolic terminology offers language for something that often feels wordless. Whether a parent finds comfort in calling their child a rainbow baby or prefers to leave these labels aside, the underlying need is the same: to be seen, to be heard, and to have loss acknowledged alongside hope. October’s Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month keeps that conversation visible all year round.