When a woman gets pregnant after experiencing loss, that new life is considered a rainbow baby. This sweet phrase not only honors the parents' difficult journey, but also represents the bright sunshine that follows even the worst of storms.
To illustrate this powerful message of hope despite the darkness, Alex Bolen created a stunning photo shoot. The Missouri photographer gathered Heather, Hillary, Kaila, Sara, Ashley, and Hannah, clad in dramatic gowns from Sew Trendy Accessories along with their most prized accessory: their rainbow baby or growing bump. To make this stand out from a typical maternity shoot, rainbow smoke bombs filled the backdrop for a dramatic image that captured the intense joy these moms were experiencing together after their individual pain and tragedy.
"With all this darkness and hate going on in the world, we truly needed a little lifting up," Alex told The Huffington Post. "The rainbow term has brought together thousands across the globe and I feel pretty darn blessed to be part of that."
These brave moms shared their difficult journeys to motherhood on Facebook, and as devastating as each experience was, their happy endings are an inspiration to all.
“The night before my first ultrasound, I started bleeding. The doctor in the ER wasn't very graceful in breaking the news and that left me confused, hurt, and dumbfounded. He quickly discharged us from the ER, didn't answer our questions, and sent us on our way with some medicine to take to ‘finish the deal’ at home. We were completely heartbroken.”
“The day I found out I was pregnant with our second baby is a day I will never forget. A few weeks later, we were at a Saturday soccer game and I started bleeding. I tried to give myself hope. A miscarriage couldn't happen to me. My first pregnancy was perfect. I just prayed and cried waiting to find out what was going on. In my head I knew what was happening, but my heart was holding on to the hope. Finally my doctor called and told me my progesterone levels were too low and that I had lost the baby.
We got pregnant with our Rainbow baby Zealand two months after. I was so scared. I was so grateful but it always seemed over shadowed by fear. He is our blessing after the storm. Our beauty after the pain. He will never replace the baby we lost, but he has helped to heal the hole in our hearts.”
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Kaila
Image Source: Shutter Darling Photography
“We started having complications that came with bleeding, and I knew what that meant but honestly didn't want to believe it. The pain was unbelievable, physically and mentally. I felt dead inside honestly, like I lost a part of me. . . . I kept all my emotions bottled up and cried myself to sleep at night. I wondered what would it have been, how they would look and sound, what activities it would like, and what they would grow up to be. I couldn't be sad for long because I had five other kids to worry about which was hard. I had to be that strong mother and hold everything in.”
"I didn't talk about out the baby I lost. I chose to bear the burden alone and stay silent. But here I am, three years and two months since I lost my baby. And I'm finally ready to talk about it. I want other women to know that it's OKAY to talk about your loss. Miscarriage needs to stop being such a taboo subject. I never would have opened up and talked about my loss if it weren't for another woman in my life talking about hers. I urge other moms to share their story. It could give the strength another mom needs."
"I have gone through thousands of shots, pills, supplements, transfusions, tears, and six losses total. I have been given an amazing gift of being these babies' mommy. I've been blessed beyond measure, even in the storms. I spent years isolated with our losses but began to speak out because that was the only way I knew how to heal."
"I was 33 weeks pregnant, that morning . . . my doctor came in with an ultrasound machine. And there, there was my everything, my baby, my hopes, my dreams, my world, gone, lifeless. He showed me how there was no blood flow and that my baby passed away, and how terribly sorry he was. Giving birth is hard enough, in normal circumstances, but knowing you have to deliver your child that has already passed away was absolutely the most terrifying thing I ever have or ever will do in my life. Being pregnant again after loss is probably the second scariest thing on this planet. Everyday was a constant worry that it was all going to be ripped from us again. It was such a surreal experience having my baby placed in my arms, hearing her cry, and seeing her eyes open. Having a rainbow does not mean the baby that is gone is being replaced because I feel Floras presence with us all the time.”
