The miracle of Charlie Joe, Part 1 | Rainbow Baby Maternity session

Early in her pregnancy, Susanne contacted me to discuss booking maternity photos for a very special child she was carrying.

She and her husband Jamie had experienced the heart wrenching loss of a child in July five years previously. After this very difficult journey, she was now expecting and anticipating the arrival of a sweet baby boy.

She was really hoping to have some special snow maternity photos, but the weather in Indianapolis is not very predictable in the winter time, and you never know if you are going to be able to enjoy a beautiful snowfall or just have to deal with ugly dismal gray days all winter.

We planned for a maternity session as the holidays were approaching, but because of some family emergencies, we had to postpone. This was all in God’s design, because when we were able to reschedule, God gave us a beautiful snowfall and also allowed the temps to be agreeable for the duration of our session!

We started the maternity session showing how beautiful Susanne is in this colorful rainbow gown.

When she saw this gown in my client closet, she was sure she wanted some photos in this maternity gown to celebrate this beautiful rainbow after a difficult storm of loss.

Normally, you don’t think of rainbows and snow going together, but Jamie and Susanne made the rainbow look absolutely stunning in the snow!

We found some of the most unique spots as we walked around at the park on the east side of Indianapolis. Natural elements look quite different in the snow than they do in warmer seasons. And this provided us with some beautiful, unique photos for this sweet couple to cherish for always!

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We switched to this beautiful red gown after getting several sweet shots in the rainbow maternity gown.

Susanne looked absolutely stunning in this gown. The contrast of the red maternity gown against the snow really highlighted how beautiful this momma is.

This unique tree not only gave us some gorgeous shots of Susanne, but it gave us the ability to get some sweet shots of Jamie with her.

We walked on a bit further to the creek

and captured some beautiful shots with this unique background. The reflection of the snow and trees in the water created a beautiful backdrop.

It was a blessing to provide these heirlooms for Jamie and Susanne. They will always have these photos to treasure the time they anticipated the arrival of their sweet Charlie Joe.

Check out the next blog post for highlights from his newborn session!

Celebrating your rainbow baby

What is a rainbow baby?

A rainbow baby is a child born after a loss of a previous child.

It does not negate the ravages of any storm.

When a rainbow appears, it does not mean that the storm never happened or that we are not still dealing with its aftermath.

It means that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and the clouds. Storm clouds may still hover, but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy, and hope.

Loss of a child takes on many forms. Miscarriage, infant loss, stillbirth, or neonatal death all take on a horrifying nature of their own that leaves much pain and devastation - particularly to a momma’s heart.

When a momma is able to experience her rainbow in the midst and after a storm, there is something extra sweet about the light and beauty of this child that brings comfort and joy. Carrying this child is an extra special celebration of the blessing of this rainbow.

After all that you have been through, momma, investing in a special maternity session to beautifully document the time you carried this special child is a treasure you will take with you the rest of your life. You want a vivid memory of how you felt.

How beautiful you were.

The new light that was shining from within and radiating from you.

You want to look back and remember when you started feeling hope again.

As he grows, you want to have something tangible to show this child.

You want him to khow how he made you feel and how special he was to you from the very start before you ever met him.

One special story of a sweet rainbow baby who was recently in my studio is Luciano’s story . . .

His momma shared, “We had a miscarriage and then a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that almost ended my life! They took my right Fallopian tube and I had a blood transfusion it was unreal. I thought we’d never be able to have kids. But then he happened and he is literally the strongest guy! We are over the moon how healthy he is right now.”

I personally have been through the pain of miscarriage, and my son Luke is my rainbow baby.

I know the pain. I know the devastation. But I also know the joy and comfort that comes in the gift of a rainbow baby.

It is an extra special honor to me to beautifully document YOUR rainbow baby and provide heirloom photos for you to treasure for always!

Check out the newborn packages available to you at my Indianapolis studio here!