I stared at the pregnancy test in disbelief. It was a digital one, so there wasn’t even a need to figure out if there was a second line or not. Just one word that I thought I would never again describe me.
Pregnant.
At that point in time, we had a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and had experienced three pregnancy losses since she was a year old – our daughter Naomi at 18 weeks, baby Kyria at 8 weeks, and baby Jordan at 4 weeks, followed by a whole year of nothing. I had finally accepted that I would forever be the mother of an only child – and now I was staring at my future.
Maybe.
Or maybe not. Because I had no guarantee that this pregnancy would turn out any differently than my previous three.
That knowledge haunted me for the next nine months – some of the most anxious, joyful, exciting, terrifying, confusing months of my life, until my son was born, alive and well. During that time, I met a lot of other PAL (pregnant after loss) moms who were experiencing the same wild mix of emotions and discovered to my relief that in spite of feeling like I was going crazy, I was actually quite normal.
Emotions Babyloss Parents Feel After Finding Out They Are Pregnant Again
If you have ever been pregnant after a loss, perhaps you can relate to this list of things babyloss parents do when they get pregnant:
- Cry. Because you have another chance. Because you’re scared. Because you’re happy. Because you still miss your other baby. Because you’re hormonal. Because you’re normal.
- Pray. Because you realize you have no more control over this pregnancy than you did over the one where your baby died, but God does, and you desperately want this baby to live.
- Worry. About if this baby will live. About if your sudden lack of morning sickness is bad news. About whether or not the baby has moved enough. About what you ate or drank before you knew you were pregnant. About the one-in-four statistics for pregnancy loss and you know at least three other pregnant women, so what if you’re the one, again?
- Count the days to the next milestone, the next appointment, the next time you get to hear the heartbeat so that you can relax, at least for a moment.
- Consider, in some situations, that if your first baby had lived, this rainbow baby might not be here. And then stop thinking about that because it is just too hard to wrap your mind around.
- Decide whether to tell people early (to have support in case the baby dies, to celebrate every minute that you have, etc.) or to hide from the world so you can avoid all of the questions and advice givers.
- Think carefully about how to answer the question, “Is this your first?”, especially if you don’t have other living children yet.
- Grieve, because you haven’t forgotten your child in Heaven, but it seems like everyone else has. Because joy feels like a betrayal of your child in Heaven. Because you miss your other baby but want this one, too.
- Feel guilty for any negative, complaining thought whatsoever, whether it is an achy back or trouble sleeping or swollen feet or disappointment with your baby’s gender because you said that all you wanted was a healthy baby so why are you complaining?
- Hesitate to decorate the nursery or buy anything but the most minimal of baby gear until you know that he or she is coming home with you. And what you do buy, you make sure you can return it, just in case. Same for maternity clothes.
- Feel proud of yourself if you actually removed the tags and washed a few sets of clothes before your due date.
- Remember what season it was in your first pregnancy when you were at the stage that you are now.
- Wonder what kind of older sibling your baby in Heaven would have been.
- Have two birth plans in your head, one if the baby lives and one if he doesn’t. Because if you plan for it this time, maybe it won’t happen.
- Exhale when your living baby is born and cries for the first time. Go ahead. You’ve been holding your breath for the last nine months at least.
Resources Available to Help You Through Pregnancy After Loss of Baby
If you are pregnant after loss, or have been, does any of this resonate in your heart? The journey of pregnancy after loss can feel like a long and lonely one, fraught with worry and tension. But it doesn’t have to be. There are some wonderful resources designed for those who are expecting after loss, both in print and online. There is also local support here in the greater Columbia area, both for loss and for the journey of PAL, through Naomi’s Circle, a ministry that my husband and I began to reach out to parents of babies in Heaven.
The list above? Totally normal. But with the support of others, you can go beyond normal and learn to enjoy this time of preparing to meet your new baby, even while you remember the one you are still missing and will never forget.
Books
Expecting with Hope by Teske Drake
Celebrating Pregnancy Again by Franchesca Cox
Expecting a Rainbow Journal by Stephanie Dyer with Beyond Words Designs
Rainbows and Redemption, edited by Melissa Cummings and Kristi Bothur – free e-book devotional written by ten PAL women who understand the journey
Online
Pregnancy After Loss Support – website and blog for pregnancy after loss
Hannah’s Prayer PAL forum – one of many forums in the Hannah’s Prayer ministry for women dealing with fertility issues
Naomi’s Circle – PAL resources – list of resources, both in print and online
Local
Naomi’s Circle – monthly support (online and in-person) for both loss and PAL
Similar Articles of Interest
20 Things That Babyloss Moms Do That Feel Crazy But Aren’t
10 More Things Babyloss Parents Do That Feel Impossible But Aren’t
What helped you when you were pregnant after a loss?
Thank you so much for sharing this, Kristi! Both of our children are also rainbow babies and every word of your story resonated with me. The work you do with Naomi’s Circle helps so many. <3
We lost our child at 2 years old but since becoming pregnant with our rainbow, it does feel like I’m holding my breath. Oh, how I want him OUT!!! I experienced so many of the thoughts you listed, as have so many of my friends who are on this road, too. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Another book that was helpful for me was What Was Lost – A Christian Journey through Miscarriage. I’m 8 months pregnant now after a loss and so looking forward to #15!
Thank you for this. I always have trouble when people ask me, “Is this your first?” because I had two miscarriages prior to my son’s arrival and a miscarriage after as well. Now expecting for the 5th time, I hope and pray daily and have the same fears as you shared. I’m expecting a baby girl and although I’ve gone through my son’s baby clothes from 0 to 3 months, I’m hanging onto them until I feel more confident to sell them to purchase pink ones. And then of course worry how long to hold onto those before cutting the tags and washing them.
Yes to all of this. Thank you for sharing and articulating the common feelings of those of us who have walked this path
Thank you for this. I just suffered a miscarraige at almost 12 weeks, my first. My water broke at 30 weeks with my son and now I’m terrified but still desperate to be pregnant again. Some of these things you’ve mentioned I’ve thought of and some not, but the things I didn’t think of are a good way to prepare for if I am ever blessed with another pregnancy. Thank you.
good read not all true for me. Having a hard time today thinking about my Stormy, lost at 1 year 10 days, I miss my baby so much it breaks me sometimes, she would be three next month, and I’m so scared for my new girl what if it happens again?
This is absolutely spot on. I’m expecting my fifth rainbow and it’s never gotten easier.
I haven’t even gotten pregnant yet after my first pregnancy miscarried, but I can already relate to many of these emotions. I’ve been researching and mentally preparing myself for what it might be like to get pregnant again. Thank you for this. It’s always better knowing there are people out there going through the same things you are. It’s terrible to feel alone.
Hi, another great book is Finding the Rainbow by Rachel McGrath
All so true