miscarriage

Mom’s Stunning Photo Celebrates Rainbow Baby Pregnancy After 6 Miscarriages

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The birth of a child is always an exciting moment. But, rainbow babies are a little extra special. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a rainbow baby is one born after the loss of a infant or after a miscarriage.

For Jessica Mahoney, the road to having her second child was not easy. She went through six miscarriages before getting pregnant for the seventh time. When it came time for a maternity photo shoot, she and her husband, Kevin, knew this had to be “extra special.”

According to Huffington Post, Kevin reached out to photographer JoAnn Marrero to capture this special moment for the family. Marrero emailed Jessica back and forth, and they decided that the photo shoot needed to be fun.

And fun it was, indeed. They decided to add a literal rainbow effect to the photos using colored smoke bombs.

“It was quite the explosive surprise and really funny!” Marrero told HuffPost. “One by one each smoke bomb was set (and not without some duds too), with each burst of color we watched this portrait coming to life.”

As one could imagine, working with these smoke bombs was also quite messy, covering everyone with colorful residue. But it was well worth it, as the results are truly stunning.

It’s no wonder this beautiful photo has gone viral. This picture represents such a momentous moment in this mom’s life and reminds anyone struggling with fertility issues that at the end of a storm comes a rainbow. And that rainbow can change your life.

In a photo caption, Jessica spread a message of hope. “Six babies lost to have the honor to carry this rainbow baby,” she wrote. “I hope my story helps someone else to know they are not alone, as the journey of loss and infertility is dark and lonely.”

Meet The Couple Who Had Two Babies Five Weeks Apart

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When college-sweethearts Nancy and Justin Rohde decided to get married, they anticipated a life full of love and children. Three years later they realized their dream of starting a family together was going to be difficult, even hopeless.

They tried multiple rounds of IVF, but each one failed. They hired a surrogate who sadly miscarried. They tried IVF again, but to no avail.

Then, in August 2015 the couple found a new surrogate—Ashley Brown, a 30-year-old stay-at-home mom from Salt Lake City, Utah. As Ashley prepared for surrogacy, the Rohdes also decided to try one more round of IVF to double their odds—assuming deep down that they would have the same failed results.

Two weeks later, Nancy got a positive pregnancy test. But because doctors feared her body might not be able to carry a baby to term, they went ahead with the surrogacy. Five weeks later, Ashley got her own positive pregnancy test.

Despite their fears, Nancy’s pregnancy was indeed viable. Over the next nine months the two women shared weekly updates as they each prepared to welcome the Rohdes’ “twinbling” daughters.

Nancy gave birth to Lillian Quinn, on May 2 in Chicago, Illinois. Her delivery was not without complications; Nancy suffered from a torn placenta, anemia and preeclampsia. Thankfully, a month later she was healthy enough to travel with Justin and Lily to Utah for the delivery of baby number two.

After a difficult labor for Ashley, the Rohdes welcomed Audrey Eleanor on June 7. And, it was love at first sight for the newly minted family of four.

Now, at home in Chicago, the Rohdes can’t wait to tell the sisters their story someday.

“We’re going to be extremely open with [the twinblings] about their unique entry into the world. I mean, it’s going to be obvious something weird happened. They’re five weeks apart,” Nancy told Cosmopolitan.