For parents who have endured a miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss, the journey to try again for a child can be filled with as much anxiety as hope. Children’s Hospital of Michigan is aiming to ease that burden.
The hospital’s Rainbow Pregnancy Clinic, modeled after some of the world’s pioneering programs of its kind, offers specialized care to families navigating pregnancy after loss.
“A rainbow baby is typically a healthy pregnancy that happens to a family who’s had a previous loss,” said Dr. Kara Patek, a maternal-fetal medicine physician at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. That loss, she explained, can stem from a miscarriage, a stillbirth, a neonatal death, or a termination for fetal abnormalities.
Despite the grief that often precedes them, Patek said rainbow babies carry deep symbolic meaning for the families who welcome them. “Most women who have a rainbow baby see it as a sign of hope or beauty even that occurs after the dark and stormy loss,” she said, during an appearance on Live in the D.
But getting to that point is rarely simple. Patek said there is no set timeline for when a family should try again, and subsequent pregnancies often bring a complicated mix of emotions. “It’s important to realize that both physical as well as mental healing have to take place,” she said.
That is where the clinic comes in. It serves two main functions: giving grieving families a space to debrief about a previous loss and understand contributing factors, and providing enhanced monitoring - including extra ultrasounds, additional testing and specialist referrals - for those who are pregnant again.
The program also includes robust mental health screenings not typically offered at standard prenatal visits, and connects patients with a peer support network of other families who have experienced loss.
Patek said the clinic marks a first for the region. “This is the first clinic of its kind in the state of Michigan,” she said, adding that the hospital has also joined a national support network: “We’re also the first to join the U.S. Pregnancy After Loss Network.”
Families can self-refer through the hospital’s website or be referred by an OB-GYN, midwife or primary care doctor. Patek encouraged patients not to wait. “We recommend coming as early as possible,” she said, noting the clinic often performs ultrasounds sooner than a typical doctor’s office to help ease early anxiety.
More information on the Fetal Care Center and Rainbow Pregnancy Clinic is available at ChildrensDMC.org/baby.