This Rainbow Baby Maternity Shoot Beautifully Captures Hope After Loss

There is no right way to react after experiencing a pregnancy loss, as some prefer to discuss it openly while others prefer to keep things private. And there are plenty of parents out there who pay tribute to their loss through art, especially after becoming pregnant with a rainbow baby. As for one incredible example? This rainbow baby maternity shoot is a breathtaking example of a mom finding hope again after a devastating loss.

Felicia Saunders, of Felicia Saunders Photography, specializes in newborn and maternity photos. So when her "dear friend" Brianna endured a "heartbreaking" pregnancy loss in 2018, she was more than ready to celebrate her baby news this fall. Not only did Saunders do a sex reveal photoshoot for Brianna's (she's expecting a girl after four boys!) but she also paid tribute to the fact this pregnancy represents her friend's rainbow baby. "I am elated for her to experience this new journey in motherhood," Saunders tells Romper via Facebook messenger. "I know how tender a Rainbow Baby experience can be, so I wanted to create something with her."

Saunders, who says she loves using her gift "to capture special tender moments" for her clients, set up the photoshoot in the Nevada desert. The backdrop is stunning, to say the least, especially since Brianna is wearing a rainbow cape cinched around a white dress. Thanks to the wind, the cape flutters beautifully behind Brianna, creating an effect that can only be described as breathtaking.

As for Saunders captured the shots? She used a drone, making these her first drone photographs. "This is my first drone photograph, I mainly use my drone for my BTS videos. My husband does my videoing for me, he had been playing around with the drone and my kids riding bikes one day and I KNEW I had to create something special with shadows and a pregnant woman," she tells Romper.

In especially gorgeous shot, Brianna stands in the barren desert next to a rainbow shadow, representing the joy of her baby-to-be. We carry so much inside ourselves and within our 'shadows,' so I wanted to show her shadow carrying the rainbow that was inside," Saunders says about the beautiful concept. And Saunders thinks the image can be summed up best by American novelist Gregory Maguire: "The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say," the quote from Mirror Mirror reads.

Although these photos are stunning, the message behind the shoot is even more powerful. "I know loss is tragic, and so hard to overcome. I hope people can know they aren't alone, even when they are in their darkest hour," she explains to Romper about her goal. "I know some may never experience a 'Rainbow' but still they aren't alone."

Saunders is pleased with how her work has been received so far, and she hopes her photos will continue to provide comfort for others. It's an important effort as all moms-to-be, especially those pregnant with rainbow babies, deserve to have their stories honored.