Kayleigh & Michael: A Rainbow After a Storm
Our latest maternity session not only shows a couple's strength but the light at the end of a tunnel. Meet Kayleigh & Michael! When Kayleigh contacted me for a maternity session, she was a little concerned. At 34 weeks pregnant, she was worried she was running out of time for a maternity session. We quickly picked a date and started planning her session. She chose to do her session in the same field she and Michael were married (a few feet away from her house!). Her session was made even more special when she shared that this is her rainbow baby. Many women experience a miscarriage and it is not something women should go through alone. I invited Kayleigh to share her story and she was more than happy to do so. The following are her words. We both hope this brings comfort and hope to those who experience a loss.
Here is Kayleigh:
"Last year in January 2018 we got a positive. We had only been trying for a couple of months so we were ecstatic! When we went to our first appointment in February they told us that there was no baby, just an empty sac, nothing had developed and we were pretty devastated. Fast forward to December 18 and we got another positive. We tried not to get our hopes up but still felt the excitement of getting that positive. Four days later we ended up in the ER. The doctor told us we had experienced what is called a chemical pregnancy. After the initial shock, we just knew in our hearts that it wasn’t the right time, we had just gone through a rough patch with having to replace my husband’s car and some house items. We decided to take a four-day staycation over New Year’s Eve weekend and just celebrate the two of us. Fast forward to the end of January and I was about five days late, so I took a test and it was positive! Thank goodness Mike was home that morning, getting a home repair done because I screamed with both fear and excitement & jumped on him while he was still sleeping! This time we knew it was the real deal. The timing just seemed to be too perfect, but in February we suffered a scare when we ended up back in the ER with a subchorionic hematoma. We sat at the ER for six hours and when the doctor finally came in at 2 am and uttered the words “we found a heartbeat, you’re about six and a half weeks along," I had to ask them to repeat themselves because I was shocked. When we went back for our 12-week appointment, they said that the hematoma was no longer there! It’s been a long journey but we are super excited to have made it this far and celebrate our strong, vibrant rainbow baby boy. I hope our story helps other families out there. We know how hard it is to experience miscarriages, but ultimately it only made our relationship and faith stronger."
I asked Kayleigh if she had any unusual cravings and this was her response:
"All my cravings have been either salty foods, meat, or apples. What’s really funny is that my husband has developed a super-strong sweet tooth since discovering we were expecting! He can’t stop eating ice cream and candy and blames it all on me and the baby!"
I also asked her how they picked their new baby's name and the theme for his nursery:
"The baby’s name is actually my husband’s family name, he will be the third in line, Michael Ray Workman III! And we’ve chosen a safari theme for his room since we refer to him as our little lion for being so strong through the hematoma."
Kayleigh and Michael were so much fun to photograph. You can see the love they have for each other and the excitement this pregnancy brings them. Michael loves to make Kayleigh smile and he had us both laughing throughout the session. Thank you Kayleigh and Michael for allowing me to capture this special time and share your story. We cannot wait to meet this little lion!
*A special thanks to @erinroserentals for the yellow gown rental and rainbow skirt.