Jax’s mama Ricki contacted me when she was 23 weeks as part of my Rainbow Baby Initiative. When I read her story I was heartbroken.
Within only 10 months Ricki and her finance Corey lost two babes, both around 6-7 weeks. There was no reason. They did everything right and it was just one of those things. Absolutely devastating is to put it lightly.
Ricki and Corey then discovered they were pregnant for the third time. This time they hit every milestone. Jax was born 9 months later into such a loving family.
Ricki and Corey’s journey is unfortunately the story of so many, a story that is often not shared. This is something I want to change. It is why I started the Rainbow Baby Initiative.
A Rainbow Baby is a baby welcomed into a family after there has been a loss experienced due to miscarriage, still birth or premature birth. A Rainbow Baby is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When the rainbow appears it does not mean the storm never happened, or the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds.
Not only does this Rainbow Baby Initiative celebrate and capture photographs for a family to cherish, it also allows us to open the topic of infant loss. To change this important moment in life from a ‘taboo subject’, a carefully concealed pain, and a feeling of guilt, failure and embarrassment… to a supportive community that is there for parents, who recognises and honours lives including those lost during pregnancy and birth, and allows parents and families to grieve without hiding.
Thank you Ricki and Corey for allowing me to capture Jax and to initiate the discussion of infant loss, for sharing your journey.
If you are expecting a Rainbow Baby, please see my Initiative here.
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