Jessica Mahoney wanted a second baby, but her journey in getting there was one full of difficulty that few of us can imagine.
Mahoney miscarried not just once, which would be devastating enough, but a total of six times. Needless to say, it was devastating for her, her husband Kevin, and their older son, Corbin, who himself is a rainbow baby born after two other miscarriages.
But then, a miracle happened, and Mahoney is going to have her second rainbow baby!
A rainbow baby is a baby born after a mother has suffered a miscarriage. The term refers to the beauty of a rainbow that comes after the destruction of a storm. It's beautiful and hopeful, but doesn't negate the darkness of the past.
Mahoney wanted to celebrate her new baby, but also wanted to honor what she'd been through — and she wanted to let other women who have experienced miscarriages to know that they aren't alone.
She enlisted the help of photographers Mary Maloney of Pebbles and Polka Dots Photography and JoAnn Marrero of From Labor to Love to create a stunning, rainbow-hued photo that would both celebrate the joy and beauty of her pregnancy, as well as her strength and perseverance through the hard times.
The photo used a natural setting and a lot of colorful smoke bombs to create a dreamy scene where Mahoney looks just magical.
Check it out below, and see some behind-the-scenes action, too!
[H/T: BoredPanda, Scary Mommy]
When she learned she was pregnant after six miscarriages, Jessica Mahoney wanted to celebrate it in a big way, while still honoring the six babies she'd lost. So she decided to use the rainbow as inspiration.
As photographer Mary Maloney puts it, "A rainbow baby is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravage of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it does not mean the storm never happened or the family is still not 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."
They even shared some behind-the-scenes photos so we can see how they achieved this.
All of the colored smoke you see was actually done on site. Maloney set off the smoke bombs while Marrero photographed, and Mahoney stood and posed.
Mahoney was also positioned upwind of the smoke bombs, so she didn't have to breathe too much in.
"Through our rainbow haze, Jess stood with composure and her pregnancy glow came shining through like the sun," Marrero says.
Both Maloney and Marrero specialize in wedding, maternity, and newborn photo shoots, crafting their shots to capture the unique personalities and beauty of moms, babies, and families.
To create Mahoney's powerful photo, they pooled their talents.
This wasn't the first time they'd worked together, and so when Marrero came up with the idea to use smoke bombs, she knew she could trust Maloney's expertise to pull off the shoot.
All photos are deeply meaningful for families, but Mahoney also wanted her photo to reach other women struggling with miscarriages and infertility.
"Six babies lost to have the honor to carry this rainbow baby," she says. "I hope my story helps someone else to know they are not alone, as the journey of loss and infertility is dark and lonely."
To see more behind-the-scenes secrets, check out the video below and see how beautiful the colored smoke looks in motion, too!
