Rainbow Clinic

At Liverpool Women’s Hospital, we provide specialist care for women and families facing complex pregnancies, including those experiencing pregnancy after stillbirth or neonatal loss. The Rainbow Clinic offers continuity of care, emotional support, and expert monitoring to families in this difficult journey. 

The Rainbow Clinic is a specialist service dedicated to supporting women and their families during pregnancies following late miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death.

Experiencing a subsequent pregnancy after such a profound loss is an incredibly daunting journey for families.

There are significant risk factors during subsequent pregnancies after baby loss. Subsequent stillbirth and other adverse pregnancy outcomes are often a concern.

Women experiencing pregnancy after baby loss experience high levels of anxiety, fear and depression.

Many parents feel powerless and uncertain about how to reduce the risk of another loss, a concern intensified by the reality that approximately half of all stillbirths remain unexplained. This can be further complicated by a lack of continuity in care, requiring parents to repeatedly share their previous experiences with multiple health professionals.

The Rainbow Clinic addresses these challenges by offering continuity of care, including regular scans from 23 weeks of pregnancy and collaboratively devising informed care plans for the timing and method of delivery.

Led by consultant obstetricians Alice Bird and Jenna Frizelle, alongside The Honeysuckle Team’s specialist midwives, the clinic is committed to providing compassionate, expert care and comprehensive support at every step of the journey.

The next steps for LWH Rainbow Clinic

Currently, this vital service operates in a busy general maternity clinic, where families frequently face distressing questions like “Is this your first baby?”—a painful reminder of their loss. We are fundraising to create a dedicated space for the Rainbow Clinic, ensuring that families receive the compassionate, tailored care they need in an environment that truly understands their experience. 

A dedicated Rainbow Clinic will: 

– Offer a safe space designed specifically for families who have suffered pregnancy loss. 

– The safe space provides families with opportunities to meet other families who’ve experienced the same heartbreak.

– Ensure continuity of care with the same healthcare team, reducing the distress of having to repeatedly explain their loss. 

– Improve mental health outcomes by providing emotional support alongside medical care. Including specialist-led counselling and education sessions to help parents understand their pregnancy risks and available interventions. 

– Provide one-to-one care planning, empowering families to make informed decisions. 

Patient Story: Emma’s Journey to Her Rainbow Baby

When Emma and her partner lost their baby girl, Lily, at 38 weeks, their world fell apart. There was no explanation—just heartbreak, silence, and a nursery that would never be used. 

“The hardest part was the quiet. After Lily was born, the silence was deafening. You expect to hear a cry, to hold your baby and feel that rush of joy. Instead, I held her in silence, knowing I had to say goodbye before I’d even said hello.” 

Months later, Emma became pregnant again. What should have been a joyful time was instead filled with anxiety and fear. 

“I was terrified every day. Every kick I didn’t feel sent me into panic. I couldn’t walk into the hospital without crying. I didn’t feel safe, and I didn’t know how I was going to get through it.” 

Emma was referred to the Rainbow Clinic at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. There, for the first time since her loss, she began to feel seen—and safe. 

“I didn’t have to explain what had happened. They already knew. They knew Lily’s name. They knew how much I was hurting. They didn’t treat me like I was just another appointment—they treated me like a grieving mother trying to be brave again.” 

Emma received continuity of care from a small, specialist team who guided her through every step of her pregnancy. But every appointment still took place in the general maternity clinic, surrounded by expectant parents sharing very different experiences. 

“It was so hard. Sitting in a room full of glowing mums-to-be, answering the question ‘Is this your first?’ when all I wanted to do was scream Lily’s name. I needed this care—but I needed a space where I didn’t feel like I had to hold it all together.” 

Thanks to the Rainbow Clinic, Emma welcomed her second daughter, Rosie, into the world—a much longed-for Rainbow Baby. But she knows how different the experience could have been with a dedicated space. 

“No family should have to face pregnancy after loss surrounded by the very reminders of what they’ve lost. A separate space for the Rainbow Clinic isn’t a luxury—it’s a must.”