Mum Who Gave Birth To Rainbow Baby 11 Months Ago Is Now Pregnant With Her Sister's Rainbow Baby | HuffPost Life

'We must stand tall and be brave.' 🌈🌈🌈

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Life editor at HuffPost UK

A mother who gave birth to her own rainbow baby 11 months ago is now carrying her sister’s rainbow baby.

The pair, from the US, both took part in a photoshoot to mark pregnancy and infant loss awareness month

“Rainbow baby” is a term used to describe a child born to parents following a miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.

The sisters, Anna and Beth, want to raise awareness of baby loss and hope their story will give hope to others.

Speaking about the sisters, photographer JoAnn Marrero told HuffPost UK: “We honour a beautiful pair of sisters who both have losses, yet celebrate sister Anna who gave birth to her rainbow baby just 11 months ago and is now pregnant and is carrying, growing, nurturing and loving her sister Beth’s rainbow baby.”

JoAnnMarrero

Anna (left) and Beth (right).

Anna and Beth were part of a group of eight women who took part in the photoshoot.

Marrero, who runs Labor to Love photography studio in Connecticut, US, runs an annual maternity session to commemorate the babies women have lost, while also looking ahead to the lives they are bringing into the world.

Marrero is mum to Alexander, 20, and Michael, 23. Michael is her rainbow baby. She runs the annual photoshoot with different women each year.

“We must remember and celebrate the beautiful souls that we grieve for so deeply, yet we must stand tall, be brave and look ahead to the beauty the future will bring,” Marrero said.

JoAnnMarrero

JoAnnMarrero

Marrero continued: “We hold in our hearts baby Evan who passed shortly after birth and for the sorrows we felt through miscarriages and dreams that haven’t yet come true.

“It is my honour to capture these moments in time as I sit here with teary eyes knowing how much this all means to not only us, but to women and their families around the world.”

JoAnnMarrero

Before You Go

How To Help A Friend Through Miscarriage

Send Flowers(01 of15)

While not everyone is as open to talking about their feelings as I am, I think everyone loves to receive a bright bouquet of flowers –- it’s a nice way to say that you’re there for her, and you care, without forcing her to talk about her feelings. (credit:Getty)

Share Your Story(02 of15)

If you’ve gone through a similar experience, share your story with your grieving friend. While it’s unfortunate that miscarriage is so common, your friend can take comfort in not being alone. Knowing that others in their own network of friends have experienced the same thing makes it easier to work through the grieving process. (credit:Getty)

Pamper Her(03 of15)

There’s no better time for your friend to focus on taking care of themselves. A restful body will help to heal the mind. Gift your friend with a massage or a pedicure so she is forced to take time out to enjoy a little pampering. And if you can, join her! (credit:Getty)

Don’t Try To Tell Her That It'll All Be OK(04 of15)

Unfortunately, there isn’t really anything you can do to reassure your friend that they’ll feel better in a few weeks or months. It’s a grieving process –- one that affects everyone differently. All that you can do is lend an ear, hold a hand and wait it out with them. (credit:Getty)

Don't Pry(05 of15)

While you may be wondering what the doctors discovered or if your friend is going to try again -- wait for your friend to share those details with you. Don’t try to pry it out of her. She might not be ready to discuss the details with you yet, but if you let her know that you’re there for her and available if she wants to talk, then she will come to you when she's ready. (credit:Getty)

(06 of15)

1. Your fertility is mostly determined by genetics, which influences how many eggs you are born with. Doctors believe that the number of eggs you have at birth determines the length of time you will remain fertile. At birth, women have about two million eggs in their ovaries. For every egg ovulated during your reproductive life, about 1,000 eggs undergo programmed cell death. Other things, such as smoking cigarettes and certain types of chemotherapy, can accelerate egg cell death and promote an earlier menopause.

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2. Regular menstrual cycles are a sign of regular ovulation.Most women have regular cycles lasting between 24 and 35 days. This is usually a sign of regular, predictable ovulation. Women who do not ovulate regularly have irregular menstrual cycles. Those who do not ovulate at all may have a genetic condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

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3. Basal temperature charting does not predict ovulation.An older method of tracking ovulation involves taking your oral body temperature each morning before getting out of bed. This is called basal body temperature. This method is used to spot a rise in basal temperature, which is a sign that progesterone is being produced. The main problem with using this method is that your temperature rises after ovulation has already occurred. This makes it more difficult to time intercourse at an optimal time for conception. A better method is to use over-the-counter urine ovulation predictor test kits such as Clearblue Easy. These kits test for the hormone that prompts ovulation, which is called luteinizing hormone (LH).

(09 of15)

4. Most women with blocked fallopian tubes are completely unaware they may have had a prior pelvic infection.About 10 percent of infertility cases are due to tubal disease, either complete blockage or pelvic scarring causing tubal malfunction. One major cause of tubal disease is a prior pelvic infection from a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia. These infections can cause so few symptoms that you may be completely unaware your tubes are affected. This is why fertility physicians will order a dye test of the tubes, called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), if you have been trying and failing to conceive for 6 months or longer.

(10 of15)

5. In most cases, stress does not cause infertility. Except in rare cases of extreme physical or emotional distress, women will keep ovulating regularly. Conceiving while on vacation is likely less about relaxation than about coincidence and good timing of sex.

(11 of15)

6. By age 44, most women are infertile, even if they are still ovulating regularly. Even with significant fertility treatment, rates of conception are very low after age 43. Most women who conceive in their mid-40's with fertility treatment are using donated eggs from younger women.

(12 of15)

7. Having fathered a pregnancy in the past does not guarantee fertility. Sperm counts can change quite a bit with time, so never assume that a prior pregnancy guarantees fertile sperm. Obtaining a semen analysis is the only way to be sure the sperm are still healthy!

(13 of15)

8. For the most part, diet has little or nothing to do with fertility. Despite popular press, there is little scientific data showing that a particular diet or food promotes fertility. One limited study did suggest a Mediterranean diet with olive oil, fish and legumes may help promote fertility.

(14 of15)

9. Vitamin D may improve results of fertility treatments. A recent study from the University of Southern California suggested that women who were undergoing fertility treatments, but had low vitamin D levels, might have lower rates of conception. This vitamin is also essential during pregnancy. At Pacific Fertility Center, we recommend our patients take 2,000-4,000 IU per day.

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10. Being either underweight or overweight is clearly linked with lowered levels of fertility. The evidence in recent years is that obesity is clearly linked with a longer time to conception. Having a body mass index less than 18 or over 32 is associated with problems ovulating and conceiving, as well as problems during pregnancy.

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