There is no right way to cope with the loss of a baby. Some women are able to recover from the loss quickly, while others become lost in their grief, which can seem incomparable to any other kind of sadness. After all, when you had waited and hoped for months to welcome this baby into your life, the death of an infant is a blow that can seem impossible to recover from.
Kevin and Jessica Mahoney had suffered through two miscarriages when they were trying for their first child. While they were trying for another baby, they had to endure six pregnancy losses—a heartbreaking number.
The couple had maternity photos taken during her first pregnancy with their son Corbin, but they never got the pictures back from the photographer, BabyCenter reports. This time around, Kevin was particularly determined to find a great maternity photographer. A few months ago, Kevin approached photographer JoAnn Marrero to take photos of his wife Jessica, who is now pregnant with their second child.
The resulting image was jaw-droppingly beautiful.
“Six babies lost to have the honor to carry this rainbow baby"
“Six babies lost to have the honor to carry this rainbow baby,” Jessica wrote in her own caption. “I hope my story helps someone else to know they are not alone, as the journey of loss and infertility is dark and lonely.”
Find out how JoAnn took this amazing photo on the next page.
“Jess wanted something rainbow-inspired because of the many fertility struggles she and Kevin had encountered, and so I knew I had to do something extra special for her family,” JoAnn explained to BabyCenter. “My vision for part of their session was to create our own rainbow with colorful smoke bombs.”
The shoot itself wasn’t as idyllic as the photo, however. Joann told The Huffington Post that the shoot was pretty messy, with lots of coughing, smoke bombs that turned out to be duds, stained clothes, and residue that ended up in everyone's hair and nostrils.
“This was definitely her moment―such a proud mother-to-be for the second time”
“Through it all, Jess stood with composure and her pregnancy glow came shining through, along with a whole lot of laughter,” she recalled. “This was definitely her moment―such a proud mother-to-be for the second time.”
October is Pregnancy and Infant Awareness Month, which aims to shine a light on the millions of pregnancies all over the world that end in miscarriages, stillbirths, or newborn deaths. When Jessica described the loss following her miscarriages as "dark and lonely," she echoed the sentiments of many women who have struggled to become mothers. So many families grieve in silence, losing all hope. By sharing this beautiful photo with the world, the Mahoneys have shown that it is possible to find joy after so much loss.
"A rainbow baby is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravage of the storm," wrote JoAnn in her caption. "When a rainbow appears, it does not mean the storm never happened or the family is still not dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds."
READ: “How do you comfort someone who had a miscarriage?”
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