Why Lyra Wears Rainbows

This blog is a little more personal than usual. If you’ve read my children’s books, you might have noticed that Lyra - the bright, curious little girl at the centre of the stories - often wears rainbow outfits. That choice wasn’t accidental. It’s a very special symbol for me and my family.

🌈 What is a Rainbow Baby?

A rainbow baby is a child born after a miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. The name is full of meaning. Just as a rainbow appears after a storm, a rainbow baby represents beauty, light, and hope after a time of darkness and grief.

🌧️ My Storm and My Rainbow

The year before Lyra was born, I experienced a missed miscarriage. It was heartbreaking and absolutely awful. Like so many parents who go through this, I felt sadness, confusion, and a sense of silence around something that affects far more people than we realise.

In fact, miscarriage is thought to affect around 1 in 4 pregnancies in the UK. Yet it’s still something that isn’t talked about enough. Behind those numbers are real families, real women, carrying quiet grief.

I believe that talking about miscarriage is incredibly important and should happen a lot more often. Perhaps even within school education. So many people go through it, and yet when it happens, most of us know nothing about what’s happening to our bodies or how to process it emotionally. Breaking the silence helps lessen the isolation.

Later that same year, I found out I was pregnant again. That pregnancy brought me both anxiety and hope, but ultimately, it gave us our rainbow baby, and she has been lighting up our lives ever since.

✨ Why Rainbows in My Books

When I started writing stories about my little one, I wanted her character to carry that joy and hope. That’s why you’ll often see her in rainbow outfits. For children, they’re bright, fun, and colourful. For me, and perhaps for some parents reading, they are also a quiet tribute to resilience, to love, and to the beauty that can come after loss.

💜 October: A Time for Awareness

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, with 15th October marked as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. On that evening, people around the world take part in the Wave of Light, lighting candles at 7pm to honour babies gone too soon.

It’s a moment to remember, to connect, and to know we are not alone. Whether you’ve been through loss yourself, or you know someone who has, awareness helps break the silence and bring compassion.

🌈 Holding On to Hope

For me, rainbows will always symbolise the light that returns after the storm. Lyra’s rainbow clothes are a celebration of joy, playfulness, and the reminder that hope is always possible.