Rachel Accurso — better known to babies, toddlers, and parents alike as online superstar Ms Rachel — has had a busy summer.
She’s gearing up to release her first children’s book “Ms. Rachel and the Special Surprise,” at the end of September. She released a “Speak & Sing” babydoll in her likeness. And her Youtube show just featured her most famous guest star yet: Elmo.
Even with a busy schedule, Accurso still finds time to connect with the parents of her “littles.”
In the last year she’s used her TikTok account to go beyond phonics and toddler milestones to speak — and sing — frankly about the more difficult aspects of parenthood: stress, discrimination, and the anguish of raising a child in safety while war rages on around the world.
On September 8, Accurso highlighted another poignant topic when she posted a TikTok video that was captioned: “You’re not a baby anymore, but you’ll always be my rainbow baby.”
“Rainbow baby, dream come true,” Accurso sang, playing a new original song on her piano. “Rainbow baby if you knew, every prayer we said for you. Rainbow baby, dream come true.”
In the video itself, the text reads: “[Trigger warning]: miscarriage.”
According to Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, the term “rainbow baby” refers to something “beautiful after a dark time — a rainbow after the storm” and describes a baby born after an event such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, neonatal death, or termination due to medical complications.
While the term is comforting to many parents, it is worth noting that some parents who have experienced infant loss actively avoid it.
In an interview with The Today Show, Meg Konig — a parent from Colorado — said that she views the loss of her daughter Hope and the birth of her son Everett as “two separate events.”
“We want to remember [Hope], herself, as the rainbow,” Konig explained.
Dr. Kern-Goldberger, a OB/GYN and high-risk pregnancy specialist, told the Cleveland Clinic that the discussion surrounding the topic is “emotionally charged.”
“There’s no right answer for everyone,” Kern-Goldberger said. “The term is meant to be helpful to those who connect with it, but disregard it if it causes stress or grief.”
In the case of Accurso’s latest video, the comment section was flooded with words of support, praising how “calming” and “beautiful” her song was.
The comments were also filled with stories that mirrored Accurso’s own experience, including infant loss, stillbirths, miscarriages and D&C — or dilation and curettage — procedures (which are performed after a first-trimester miscarriage).
“I have a sunshine baby, a baby girl in heaven who was stillborn, and a rainbow baby who was born on the same day my baby girl passed away,” read a top comment. “I do believe she sent our son to us.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Accurso replied, with heart emojis sprinkled throughout her message. “That is beautiful.”
“Just went through a D&C, and needed to hear this,” another user commented.
“I had one, too — years ago,” Accurso responded. “So sorry!”
“I lost triplets back in February and now my rainbow baby is due in February,” another comment read.
“So sorry for your losses,” Accurso said. “So glad to hear about your sweet rainbow baby.”
Accurso previously opened up about her past miscarriage in August 2023 with another original song.
“It wasn’t something small that you lost,” she sang, as her fingers carried the melody on her piano. “It was a world that you lost. You tried not to imagine and hope too much, you tried to catch it ‘cause it has a cost, but love can’t be stopped… Love doesn’t stop.”
In the video caption, Accurso tells fellow moms, “I’m sorry if you’ve gone through this or are going through this. You’re not alone.”
Header image via Ms Rachel / YouTube
