Vaughn Pierce

I find it so fitting that I finally am getting a chance to blog about my own baby on National Rainbow Baby Day. After 16 months of struggle, determination, prayers, tears, uncomfortable fertility treatments, a miscarriage, and a lot of love, my little miracle was born on June 7, 2019. I could cry happy tears as I write this post, as it's something that seemed so far fetched as one year ago today we had just had another failed IUI. Just as every rainbow baby mother will tell you, throughout this entire emotional rollercoaster, he was worth every single second of it. 

(stay tuned for a big announcement below!)

My not-so-little 8lb, 10oz baby boy came into the world a little earlier than expected. Nothing about him has been easy. Between fertility treatments, a high-risk pregnancy, giving birth to a giant with a failed epidural, reflux, food sensitivities, returning to work when he was less than 2 weeks old, or having 10 weeks straight of sleepless nights; I feel like this last year has put our family through the ringer. But every time I look at those chubby cheeks when he smiles it all goes away and I can relax for a second at this perfect little boy that my husband and I created. 

If you know me at all, you know I have an obsession with all things neutral and muted. Naturally, his entire session was pretty much all whites and creams. I love how timeless and understated these feel. It truly captures his sweet and relaxed demeanor. 

I felt a strong need to showcase that he was a rainbow baby. Given the field that I work in, I see so many babies and expecting mothers, but its usually to celebrate the exciting milestones. No one does a photoshoot to say "hey, I just had a miscarriage" or "ugh, let's capture our faces when we get the call from our fertility specialist that our transfer was unsuccessful". I wanted to share with the world that yes, he's here and that's amazing, but it took a whole lot to get here. 

Once I opened up about my struggles with multiple miscarriages and infertility, so many of my clients shared theirs as well. However, it's like the elephant in the room to speak about before I brought it up. I wanted to do something to help break the stigma and celebrate the families that struggled. 

Beginning in October, My Little Miracle will begin! In hopes to spread awareness about pregnancy loss and infertility, I'll be giving away a free classic newborn session to one rainbow baby per month. I hope that this initiative will inspire other expecting mothers to share about their journey to their rainbow babies. This is not something to make infertile couples feel worse, but rather be open about their struggles so that we can support you and your journey! Whether it be through fertility treatments, surrogacy, adoption, or just a rainbow after the storm I want to hear about it so that I can help celebrate you!

Kristin Baker is a boutique photographer serving Monmouth County and the greater Jersey Shore; including Wall Township, Belmar, Holmdel, and Rumson. Kristin specializes in fine-art newborn, maternity, and family portraiture. Kristin's style is a mix of organic and contemporary, she focuses on muted neutral tones to create timeless photos that you'll cherish for years to come. To check out Kristin's newborn portfolio and collections, click here. Kristin is now booking newborns into February 2020, for more information or to book a session, contact Kristin today!