Only women who have gone through the devastating loss of a miscarriage or stillbirth fully understand that pain. When these grieving women get pregnant again and experience the birth of their rainbow baby, that happiness is also unparalleled. To help raise awareness for not only the depth of their pain but also the pure joy that can come out of it, seven moms gathered for a mesmerizing photo shoot.
A rainbow baby is a term parents use to lovingly refer to a little one conceived after a loss; it represents the light after a horrible storm.
Despite enduring the darkest time of their lives after a miscarriage or stillbirth, these moms and dads are shown that brightness can come from a terrible time, thanks to their beautiful rainbow babies.
Lindsey Worthington is a photographer in Tennessee and couldn't believe it when she learned just how common miscarriages are.
Although she isn't a mom herself yet, she was shocked as she was skimming a magazine to read that one in three women endures this heartache. "The silence about this topic is deafening, so many women experience such a traumatic and painful event, but it's taboo to talk about it," she tells CafeMom.
Lindsey staged a photo shoot to combat the stigma surrounding miscarriage and celebrate real moms who've survived it.
"If you have just experienced a miscarriage, you are not alone," she writes on Facebook. "We are sisters that are spreading hope & joy together to those who need it most."
Some of the moms had special messages they shared with Lindsey that they hope will inspire other women.
"It is not your fault. Even though it feels like something is wrong with you, nothing is!"
"It will get better, and do something special to remember your baby." — Katie Mason
"There is no foot too small that cannot leave an imprint on this world."
"I know a lot of moms feel the need to hide early pregnancy loss. Losing a baby is never easy, and no matter the length of their life, they were loved, they existed, and they are always with us. Time doesn't defy that." — Joyce Arnold
"We grieve with hope." -- Meaghan Ownby
"You will find happiness again."
"Such simple words, but when hope seems lost and despair is great, nothing rings truer because I have found happiness again." — Katherine Paige Ward
