This Mom's Photo of Her "2 Children Together" Will Rip Your Heart Out

Published on Aug 31, 2017 at 1:22 PM

When Aimee Waters found out she was pregnant in 2016 after five years of countless negative pregnancy tests, she was overjoyed that she wasn't destined to be childless. However, at 26 weeks pregnant, her son, Beckett Grant, unfortunately passed away. Although Aimee says losing Beckett "broke her," the mom is working through new and bittersweet feelings having welcomed a healthy daughter, Mallory Tegan, on Aug. 10, 2017. The mom highlighted her heart being both broken and full through an emotional photo featuring baby Mallory laying next to Beckett's urn.

"Too long for something so desperately and to be given it and then it taken away just as quickly. Losing Beckett broke me," Aimee wrote in the caption to the photo, which was taken by photographer Stephanie Sloan. "Sure, months later, I found a way to put on a face and function again. But if you only knew how genuinely broke I was and still am. In the last twist of fate, our daughter appeared. For 37 weeks, I was terrified of losing her also, but she somehow has made it here and has soothed our souls. I've said before, our family will never be complete or whole. We will always be missing our Beckett. But Mallory is the final little piece to our messy puzzle. She brought contentment and peace."

When asked how Aimee would share Beckett's memory with her daughter, the mom shared with POPSUGAR that she's had "a million thoughts" about this exact thing since finding out she was pregnant with Mallory.

"I knew that if this baby made it alive to us, I'd want her to know all about her big brother. I knew that I would have to find the balance between honoring his memory but also letting Mallory have her own identity. When it came time to take Mallory's newborn photos, I was eager to include her brother's urn for a few shots. This was the first time I had placed his urn in front of her and she just curled right up to it. My two babies were together — as much as they could be. My heart felt full. It's bittersweet to see them and wish they could cuddle in real life."

Along with Aimee's vulnerable words of grief and heartbreak, the mom is sharing her story openly in the hopes that other parents going through a similar situation know that they're not alone and that they shouldn't give up.

"If you are lost or struggling — please don't give up," she wrote. "Things probably won't turn out how you'd like or want. But things will work out. There is no 'reason' that things are hard right now. But know that we are strong. Hope is a b*tch, but it's all we have sometimes. And although we all walk different paths, we walk together. Strength in numbers. Brave the waves together. Be kind to others, but also your own soul. Life is a beautiful mess."