Matt and Abby Howard Rainbow Baby: Full Story Behind Their Journey

Matt and Abby Howard, the TikTok and YouTube couple with a combined following of over 13 million across platforms, are expecting their rainbow baby.

The announcement came on March 24, 2026, roughly six months after the couple publicly shared one of the hardest moments of their lives: the loss of their baby girl, Emerson Nicole, at 17 weeks’ gestation due to a genetic condition. The new pregnancy, their fourth (and their third child they will raise), was revealed through a family photoshoot. Matt, Abby, and their two sons sat on a checkered blanket with flowers and sonogram images, captioned simply: “Baby #4 🌈 Grateful beyond measure.”

In April, they revealed the baby’s gender. It’s a boy. He will join older brothers Griffin, born in July 2022, and August Jacob, born in August 2023.

The baby is expected in late summer 2026.

For the millions of followers who watched Matt and Abby grieve publicly, and for parents who have experienced pregnancy loss themselves, this pregnancy carries meaning that goes beyond a typical influencer family update.

What Is a Rainbow Baby?

A rainbow baby is a child born after a pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of an infant. The term comes from the idea that a rainbow appears after a storm. It does not replace the child who was lost. It represents hope and new life following grief.

The Howards have used the term themselves. Their March 2026 announcement included a rainbow emoji, and their podcast episode on March 25 was titled “We’re Pregnant with Our Rainbow Baby.”

For parents who have experienced loss, the concept carries emotional weight. A rainbow pregnancy is often marked by a specific kind of anxiety: the joy of expecting a new child sits alongside the fear that history could repeat itself. This tension has been visible in how Matt and Abby have spoken about the pregnancy publicly.

The Loss: Emerson Nicole

In August 2025, Matt and Abby announced their third pregnancy. They were openly excited. “Going for our third baby is almost more exciting than ever because now we truly know just how good it is,” they told People magazine at the time.

One month later, that excitement was shattered.

On September 27, 2025, the couple posted a joint statement on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of Abby in a hospital gown holding Matt’s hand.

“It is with very heavy hearts that we share about the loss of our baby girl born far too soon,” they wrote. “At a routine pregnancy appointment, our doctor could not find a heartbeat. Shortly after they sent us in for an ultrasound where the technician said words we will never forget, ‘I am so sorry I do not have good news.'”

What They Shared About the Cause

The Howards revealed that their baby had a genetic condition that ended the pregnancy at approximately 17 weeks. They chose not to publicly disclose the specific condition.

They also shared their baby’s name: Emerson Nicole.

The Story Behind Her Name

The name “Nicole” carried a meaning the couple had not planned for. On their Unplanned Podcast, Abby explained that the nurse who helped deliver Emerson was named Nicole.

“Our nurse, that was literally an angel to us when we delivered her, her name was Nicole,” Abby said. “So it also just felt so appropriate at that time and like meaningful to our family.”

The couple also disclosed that they had experienced a prior loss: a stillborn baby girl who was born before Emerson. That earlier daughter also carried the middle name Nicole, in honor of the same nurse.

How They Grieved

The Howards told their audience they would be stepping offline to grieve. Their Instagram post ended with: “The news felt unimaginable. The grief is absolutely devastating. But we feel so much gratitude for the time that we did get to have with her. And we still have hope.”

They later marked what would have been Emerson’s due date with a post titled “Today We Are Grieving.”

The Rainbow Pregnancy Announcement

On March 24, 2026, Matt and Abby revealed the new pregnancy. The Instagram carousel showed the couple at a backyard picnic, holding sonogram photos and kissing. Griffin and August played on the grass.

The caption was four words and a rainbow: “Baby #4 🌈 Grateful beyond measure.”

The pregnancy announcement came approximately six months after the loss. On their podcast the following day, Abby spoke about the tension of going public again.

“There’s just so much,” she said. “We were so public with our miscarriage, and gosh, I’m just a human, right? It just feels like we were so candid about everything and authentic, and just like certain pressures with being public-facing with something that’s so fragile.”

She acknowledged that part of her was relieved to share the news, while another part did not want to. The vulnerability of announcing a pregnancy after loss, especially to an audience of millions, added a layer of pressure that most parents do not face.

 

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Gender Reveal: It’s a Boy

On April 19, 2026, Matt and Abby shared their gender reveal on YouTube. Abby’s mother organized the surprise: she prepared a bouquet of either blue or pink flowers for Griffin and August to bring to their parents.

Matt and Abby sat with their eyes closed. Their sons walked over carrying blue flowers. Matt opened his eyes and said, “It’s a boy!”

Abby leaned her head back and laughed before clapping. The family later celebrated with a larger group, popping blue confetti as friends and family cheered.

Abby’s Honest Reaction

Three days later, on the April 22 episode of the Unplanned Podcast, Abby opened up about experiencing what she called “gender disappointment,” a term used to describe the feelings some parents have when the sex of their baby differs from what they hoped for.

“I would say for me, I did feel gender disappointment,” she said. “For about 30 seconds. Maybe less.”

She explained that before losing Emerson, she had never had a strong preference for a girl. The loss changed that. “I always pictured having all boys, and then we lost her and that kind of opened a preference in my heart that I’ve never had before. Getting pregnant again, I was nervously hoping, ‘I hope we have a daughter.'”

Through tears, she continued: “I didn’t have a girl-sized hole in my heart, I had an Emerson-sized hole in my heart. Having another baby girl wasn’t going to fix that. I think this was sweet grace, in a way. It’s very obvious now that this baby is not going to fill that gap.”

Matt said he felt excited from the start to welcome another boy. “I could totally see this boy joining our squad,” Abby added. “It being a whole lot of rowdy fun in the house.”

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Who Are Matt and Abby Howard?

For readers unfamiliar with the Howards, here is their background.

Early Life and Relationship

Matt Howard and Abby Howard (née Botti) are both from Quincy, Illinois. They met in middle school and began dating in high school.

They married in July 2019, the summer after their sophomore year of college. Both were 20 and 21 at the time.

Building a Social Media Following

The Howards launched their YouTube channel as newlyweds in 2019. Early content focused on their relationship, faith, and daily life. Their audience grew steadily, and they later expanded to TikTok, where short-form videos about marriage and parenting found a wider reach.

As of 2026, they have approximately 5.3 million TikTok followers and over 8 million YouTube subscribers. They also host the Unplanned Podcast, where they discuss relationships, parenthood, and personal topics.

Their Children

The couple has two living children: Griffin Howard, born in July 2022, and August Jacob Howard, born in August 2023. Both boys appear in content, though the Howards stopped showing their faces publicly once they grew out of infancy.

“We don’t want them to be a central part of our content or to be recognizable individually,” Abby explained in an interview. “We chose for our lives to be public-facing. We want to give them the autonomy to make that choice for themselves.”

Content Approach and Values

The Howards have spoken openly about maintaining boundaries between their public and private lives. They have designated evenings as “us time” with no phones. They say they do not post any content without both signing off first.

“Privacy for our family is very important, so that’s an area that we run by each other,” Abby told People in November 2024.

Their audience skews toward young families, parents, and faith-based communities. They are known for sharing both the highlights and the difficult realities of their lives, which is why their pregnancy loss and subsequent rainbow baby announcement resonated as strongly as they did.

Timeline: Matt and Abby Howard’s Journey

Why Sharing Pregnancy Loss Publicly Matters

The Howards are far from the first public figures to share a pregnancy loss. But their decision to do so with an audience of over 13 million followers added visibility to a topic that remains deeply stigmatized.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, miscarriage occurs in roughly 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies, with the actual number likely higher because many losses happen before a pregnancy is even recognized. Despite how common it is, many parents grieve in isolation. Social pressure to keep early pregnancies private means that when a loss occurs, few people in a parent’s life may even know about it.

The Howards’ willingness to share their experience, including the name they chose for their daughter, the grief they felt on her due date, and the complicated emotions of becoming pregnant again, offered a form of public acknowledgment that many parents found meaningful.

“We were so candid about everything and authentic,” Abby said on their podcast. That candor came at a cost. But it also created a connection with followers who had experienced similar losses and felt unseen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Matt and Abby Howard having a rainbow baby?

Yes. The couple announced on March 24, 2026, that they are expecting a baby after the loss of their daughter Emerson Nicole in September 2025. The baby is expected in late summer 2026.

What is the gender of Matt and Abby Howard’s rainbow baby?

It’s a boy. They revealed the baby’s sex on April 19, 2026, during a family celebration where their sons carried blue flowers to them.

What happened to Matt and Abby Howard’s baby?

In September 2025, the Howards shared that their baby girl, Emerson Nicole, was lost at approximately 17 weeks’ gestation due to a genetic condition detected during a routine appointment.

How many kids do Matt and Abby Howard have?

They have two living sons: Griffin (born July 2022) and August Jacob (born August 2023). They lost their daughter Emerson Nicole in September 2025, and are expecting their rainbow baby in 2026.

When did Matt and Abby Howard get married?

They married in July 2019 in their hometown area. They were high school sweethearts from Quincy, Illinois.

What is the Unplanned Podcast?

The Unplanned Podcast is Matt and Abby Howard’s show where they discuss relationships, parenthood, faith, and personal topics. The podcast is where they announced their rainbow pregnancy and later discussed gender disappointment.

What is a rainbow baby?

A rainbow baby is a child born after a pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. The term symbolizes hope and new life following a period of grief.

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Last Updated on August 18, 2026 by 247 News Around The World