Julia Powers
photography
Rainbow Photoshoot
October 15, 2021
Since 1988, October has been recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, a month of remembrance that honors parents and families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and other types of infant death. October 15 is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.
“When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn’t a word to describe them. This month recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States and around the world. It is also meant to inform and provide resources for parents who have lost children due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirths, birth defects, SIDS, and other causes.”
– U.S. President Ronald Reagan, 1988
What started out as a photoshoot to help me heal after the loss of my daughter Genevieve has turned into a healing event for myself and many others. For the last two years, I have hosted this photoshoot in September with other bereaved mothers. We spend a day getting dressed up, talking about our children, and our past, present, and future as mothers. Each family that participates is featured in the photoshoot. I never knew how healing a photo could be. Making it okay to talk about our children and losses has been unbelievably healing for me.
Bringing awareness to this topic has helped me heal by advocating for myself and others. By sharing my experience, I hope to bring information about resources to grieving families and provide information to others on how to support them through their grief.
This year I was joined by Brie, her wife Brie, and their daughter Piper. Danielle, her two sunflower daughters, and her mother. Mary and her daughter, Sloane. Anna-Lisa, her husband, and twin rainbows. Erin and her son Waylon, and Melinda honoring her son Leon-Michael. All of their stories are so different, but each and everyone has felt the same unique pain. Sharing our stories has brought us together and helped us all heal in ways I never expected.
Brie
Hennah’s Story. This year, September 11, 2021, we celebrate Hennah’s 3rd birthday. The day we met her feels so vivid yet so far away. It was the most heartbreaking and beautiful moment of them all.
View the rest of Brie’s story and her gallery here.
Danielle and Susan
I had 2 healthy pregnancies with my girls. We got pregnant with our 3rd girl, Piper, in 2019. We had her gender reveal, and 2 days later, at 14 weeks, went into preterm labor.
View the rest of Danielle’s story, her mother Susan’s story, and their gallery here.
Mary
Dean Michael Collins was born on May 2nd, 2019. He was so perfect in every way. After a difficult pregnancy & 36-hour labor that ended up in a c-section, he was here and so worth it all.
View the rest of Mary’s story and her gallery here.
Anna-Lisa
We struggled with unexplained infertility for 5 years. After what seems like countless tests, IVF cycles, chemical pregnancies, and a miscarriage we finally have our rainbow twins.
View the rest of Anna-Lisa’s story and her gallery here.
Erin
I had my daughter Charlotte, on December 9, 2019. She lived for a week and passed on the 16th.
View the rest of Erin’s Story and her gallery here.
Melinda
On February 12th of this year, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first child after a decently long time of trying. We were both ecstatic. My pregnancy was going great, both the baby and I were completely healthy, and the baby was measuring exactly to the day at every ultrasound.
View the rest of Melinda’s story and her gallery here.
Julia
My story is a long one so I will keep it short. It began in October 2015. My husband and I are carriers of an autosomal recessive gene that, when passed on by both of us causes severe defects to our babies. We did not find this out until March 2019.
View the rest of my story and our group session here.
Talking about my story has helped me and I will continue to talk, remember, and share about my babies. They have made me who I am today. If you are looking for support, The TEARS Foundation of Massachusetts has excellent local resources. The TEARS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to compassionately lift a financial burden from bereaved families who have experienced a pregnancy or infant loss by providing funds to assist with the cost of burial or cremation services. They also offer parents comprehensive bereavement care in the form of grief support groups and peer companions. They believe that every child’s life deserves to be honored and memorialized per the grieving parents’ wishes. Some of those resources are remembrance events and virtual ceremonies, support groups, closed Facebook groups, peer companions, comfort kits, volunteer opportunities, Angel of Hope Monument, Rock & Walk for Babies, infant funeral assistance, Jesse’s Grant Marker Program, and The Charlie and Braden Project.
You can find out more and learn about all the resources they offer by visiting the link provided here.
Events hosted by The TEARS Foundation can be found here.
The TEARS Foundation has expanded with numerous state and international chapters. Please visit http://www.thetearsfoundation.org for more information for additional chapters.
