What started out as a vision for photographer Ashley Sargent became a brightly-colored reality when dozens of mothers and their 'rainbow babies' gathered for a bittersweet photoshoot.
Sargent, a photographer based in Boaz, Ala., said celebrating rainbow babies -- a child born after a miscarriage or loss -- is personal.
Though she hasn't experienced miscarriage herself, Sargent and her husband dealt with infertility for more than four years.
"I began to lose hope. I felt so ashamed of myself. I felt like there was something wrong with me... like it was my fault that we couldn't have this child we so desperately wanted," she said on Facebook.
"Lord, if this is it... if this is our child you want for us, I promise I will be a voice for you. I will speak hope and I will sing your praises," she said.
The test was positive.
Her son Sam is 3 now, but Sargent hasn't forgotten the sense of despair she felt time and time again. She wanted to honor mothers who lost children of their own with a massive photoshoot.
She put out a model call among her clients and was met with an incredible response.
Seventy-nine mothers who had experienced loss and their children of all ages gathered in an open field, captured on video by videographer Britt Burns.
The group donned coordinated outfits that spanned the colors of the rainbow and the mothers honored their babies who died by releasing balloons into the air.
Sargent posted the photos online, hoping they would resonate with mothers currently dealing with infertility or miscarriage.
"This was for those women who needed to see a little hope," she told HeartThreads.
"Myself, along with the mothers in this photo, want you to know that you can overcome. You are not alone," she wrote on Facebook.
After taking the photos, Ashley noticed something at the bottom of one of the group shot. A small lens flare arched across the bottom corner -- almost like a tiny rainbow.
See all the photos from the shoot here:
Photographer gathers dozens of 'rainbow babies' for inspiring shoot
HeartThreads are the best stories about the best of us. Want more? Follow us!