Ashley Sargent, an Alabama-based family and lifestyle photographer, is often called upon to capture the joy of pregnancy and childbirth, yet her latest assignment was perhaps her most moving yet.

Last month, Sargent gathered 40 mothers, who had endured the loss of a child due to miscarriage, infant loss, stillbirth, or neonatal death, to celebrate their newfound happiness after having given birth to a healthy baby. These so-called rainbow babies represent the start of a new day after a period of unbearable darkness. Sargent was inspired to organize the photo shoot after photographing several newborn rainbow babies.

"We had wanted to show the beauty of a rainbow baby, so I arranged colorful flowers around the newborn babies in a variety of ways," she told CafeMom. "As I posted the photos, several moms started commenting on it talking about their own rainbow babies and how the photos really touched them."

Some of the moms confessed they’d never liked the term "rainbow baby" before, but that they had a change of heart after seeing the heartwarming pictures. The overwhelmingly positive response to the photos convinced Sargent to arrange last month’s shoot.

She hoped to feature all the moms who commented on Facebook together, wearing different colors of the rainbow and holding their newborn rainbow babies. After reaching out to several mothers who had lost children, the project began to take shape. These women invited others in similar circumstances and soon Sargent had 40 women ready to participate in the photo shoot.

Sargent wanted to include women of all ages in order to offer a multi-generational perspective. The shoot features older mothers standing with their grown children as well as new mothers holding their infants or the hands of their toddlers.

"You'll see a mom with her two rainbow babies and their two rainbow babies," Sargent said, "and you'll see young moms who are still struggling to overcome. We all struggle, we all have pain, but it’s what you do with your pain and how you overcome that makes a difference."

Although has never had a miscarriage herself, Sargent knows first-hand that the path to parenthood can be painful. "I can't fathom the pain that must feel like, but I understand the feeling of hopelessness and feeling so completely alone and ashamed of myself," she said. "We struggled with infertility for four years and it was completely heartbreaking."

Among the women who participated in the photo shoot was Amanda Presson, who lost one of her twins at 11 weeks. Eventually, she gave birth to Isaac. “My rainbow baby has taught me to look at things differently. In my faith and also being an autism mom. And I know we will meet Isaac’s brother one day," she says.

Kristen Kemp endured three devastating miscarriages before giving birth to Audrey, now 5. "I remember sitting in her nursery and imagining what it would be like to rock her to sleep, to see her sleeping in her crib, and to kiss those sweet cheeks," she says.

Sargent believes the pictures and stories of these women can inspire others in similar circumstances to never lose hope. "We want other women who are struggling to know that you are not alone," she says. "All the women in this photo have struggled in all kinds of ways and they want to show you that you can overcome. This too shall pass."

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According to the March of Dimes, approximately 10 to 15 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, while stillbirths affect one percent of all pregnancies. The number of babies who die after childbirth is much lower, yet nearly 12 percent of babies are born prematurely and struggle for survival. Fortunately, given the advances in prenatal and neonatal care, fewer women than ever before have to endure the pain of losing a child.