Rainbow Babies Are One of Many Miracles

Rainbow Baby, Maternity Session in Parkwood Estates, Oshawa Ontario

In July I met up with Leslie and her family to get a few special portraits taken in a special maternity gown I recently purchased. I put out a model call and Leslie was one of the many people who contacted me to share her story. Although in Oshawa it was storming when we planned on getting together we took a chance and waiting out the rain in order to go get a few images with this beautiful setting. Everything was wet, and it was lightly spitting on us still while taking these but this family were troopers and didn’t complain at all. After getting to know Leslie more I found out she also has a blog and shares many of her life experiences as well as struggle with fertility. If you’d like to read Leslie’s blog here it it:

https://appleteamemoirs.wordpress.com/

If you are wondering what in the world I am talking about then let me share a few points with you. 🙂

What is a Rainbow Baby?

A rainbow baby is a baby born shortly after the loss of a previous baby due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or death in infancy. This term is given to these special rainbow babies because a rainbow typically follows a storm, giving us hope of what’s to come.

What Makes A Rainbow Baby So Special?

Having a baby soon after losing one brings a slew of emotions, and many rainbow moms will tell you that not all are positive emotions. Many mothers who have weathered the loss and gone on to have another baby feel a tremendous sense of self-doubt and guilt at times. They fear that others will think they have gotten over their previous loss, or that they have moved on or replaced their baby. They fear that having a rainbow baby after stillbirth in some way dishonors their baby who has passed, and that the joy of the next baby will prevent the mother from properly grieving.

But a rainbow baby does not mean that your loss should be forgotten; such a devastating loss can never be forgotten. Rather, your rainbow baby will carry the torch of the love you will always have for the child you lost, and when you hold that precious baby in your arms, you will fully understand the meaning of the term. The beautiful rainbow baby stories told by rainbow moms are triumphant tales of renewal and healing; the underlying emotions ranging from bittersweet happiness to overwhelming joy.

Pregnancy Loss

Very few miscarriages that are preventable, even if you know in advance that there is a problem. Well over half of all miscarriages are caused by random genetic problems in the baby that could not be avoided. The estimated figure is that miscarriage happens in around 1 in 4 recognized pregnancies, with 85% of those happening in the first trimester (weeks 1 to 12). A ‘late’ miscarriage, which is much less common, may occur between weeks 13 to 24 of pregnancy. With pregnancy lost much more common then we’d like to admit it is nice to know we have women around us who have also gone through the same struggles. If you are in need of some support or would like to learn more please visit:

https://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/pregnancy-loss

My Personal Story

My husband I had the perfect little family with one daughter who was growing up so quickly on us. We knew we wanted another baby close in age with our daughter. We conceived fairly soon after deciding it was the right time to expand our family. Little did I know I would end up in the hospital with bleeding that wouldn’t stop and found out I was having a miscarriage. I am blessed to have a supportive family who helped with my daughter and help me when I needed again. The darkness lifted and we were happy to conceive again only weeks after the miscarriage. This wasn’t planned to happen so quickly after the fact but we were blessed with a baby boy 9 months later. Our son Lucas now is 3 and a half years old, and I wouldn’t have this sweet little man in my life if it weren’t for having a miscarriage. I give credit to all those who have lost during their pregnancy, mine was early and I know it isn’t easy all the same.

Photographers

For any other photographers reading this and curious about my settings or this dark evening. I am often using my bigger lens 70mm-200mm which means it is hard to get a clear photo unless I am very still, with this lens the slightest movement can ruin a photograph. With that in mind I often keep my shutter at 250 but had to lower it to 160ish, and my iso was anywhere between 800-1200. And as you can see at the bottom of the blog it was still very dark! Thankfully I shoot in Raw and can save these images for a keepsake for this sweet family to remember and honour their rainbow baby. 🙂

-Vicki

Straight Out of Camera Shots