Teresa Mendoza was thrilled when she found out that she and her husband, Carlos, were expecting.
They'd been married for a few months, and they couldn't wait to welcome a baby to the family. The child was due just before their first anniversary.
Teresa and Carlos truly embraced every aspect of the pregnancy, and like other young women, Teresa documented the entire thing on social media.
Every doctor's appointment went perfectly; their baby girl was growing well, and the parents-to-be couldn't wait to meet her.
Just days before her due date, Teresa and Carlos went in for an ultrasound and got the worst news expecting parents could hear: There was no heartbeat.
Later that day, Teresa delivered baby Sylvia Paloma Mendoza, who had already passed away.
Eight months later, while still dealing with the grief of losing their first child, Teresa and Carlos announced that they were expecting again.
Now, they have a perfect baby boy, but Teresa recently opened up about why she struggled with the term "rainbow baby."
[H/T: Huffington Post]
After welcoming their baby, Leo, to the world, people started congratulating Teresa and Carlos on their "rainbow baby."
The term, which is used to describe a baby born after miscarriage, stillbirth, or death, made Teresa feel uncomfortable — until Carlos helped change her way of thinking.
Teresa shared her thoughts on Instagram, where she's kept people updated throughout the course of both her pregnancies.
She wrote:
A rainbow baby is a child born after miscarriages, still birth or an infant or child’s death. It signifies the rainbow that comes after a storm.
For a long time I rejected the title, feeling protective of Sylvia and hurt by the idea that anything surrounding her was a storm.
She is perfect, not a storm, we are heartbroken, but she is not a storm, it was a great tragedy, yes, but she is not a storm.
Somewhere along the pregnancy with Leo, Carlos told me that his interpretation equates to both Sylvia and Leo as rainbows that were shining above the storm and that the storm had nothing to do with Sylvia except to bring the rainbow of her and now her brother into our lives.
She is the rainbow as much as he is…and the two rainbows that showed up in this photo make me think he’s absolutely right.
Now, Teresa is able to embrace the term, since she knows it can mean a different thing for each parent.
A few weeks later, Teresa shared the above image and wrote:
I used to be able to dedicate a lot of my time to Sylvia. I would be able to think about her, daydream and place my energy towards her and the love that exists there.
With Leo here, my time is divided. I know this is how all parents feel with the arrival of a second child, guilty about focusing on the new baby and concerns about the older one feeling jealous or temporarily forgotten.
I think that because Sylvia exists in our thoughts and hearts only, these emotions are magnified. She isn’t physically here to put energy into so if I don’t have the time I used to, to mentally include her, then where is she? Ugh. Hard stuff.
Fifteen months without her and she still will always be my first and last thought of the day. Missing you and loving you so much my little angel.
Thank you for the lessons and love you continue to teach me, your daddy and everyone who’s life you have touched. We are so proud.
If you or someone you know has dealt with the loss of a child, you know how devastating it can be.
For many, though, reflecting on the time they were blessed to share together can also be a source of happiness.
Please SHARE this article with anyone you know who has struggled with grief.
