My name is Kerri, and I am a proud mom of my rainbow baby, Martin. I am also grateful to be the mother of my first child, Joseph, whom I lost in December 2021.


I am a young 40-year-old single woman, and motherhood has been my proudest moment in life. I really didn’t think about motherhood until my mid-30s. I told myself that if I wasn’t in a successful marriage by 35, I would pursue motherhood on my own. For my 35th birthday, I tried the IUI journey and had two failed attempts. I thought it was a sign to let go, so I didn’t push to continue the path to motherhood. To my surprise, I became pregnant at age 38, naturally. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the second trimester, I found out I had a missed miscarriage. It was the most devastating moment of my life when I learned my son didn’t have a heartbeat.

After my miscarriage and a very traumatic D&C, I did a lot of soul-searching and praying to see where my journey needed to go. I asked God what I should do next. He answered. My next goal was to try IVF, and it was a success with my beautiful firstborn son, Martin who is 10-months old (six months at the time of the photo session).


Before motherhood, I thought my life was complete, but after delivering my son, motherhood has been the greatest moment of my life. It all started when I saw his first smile while holding him in my arms. He has been my greatest success and proudest moment in life.

Motherhood, young and old, is the most beautiful journey for any woman to experience.


I wanted to be a part of this project because many women have experienced loss, and it should be talked about more to share our experiences and let others know that they aren't alone. Everyone has a story to be told, and once you have your rainbow baby in your arms, it's the most beautiful and rewarding moment for any mother who has experienced loss.


It's a journey with its ups and downs, but don't ever give up. I became a mother at 40 years old; motherhood can occur at any time in a woman's life.


Photographers note: I met Kerri not under the happiest of circumstances, but when we were both supporting a mutual friend, whom we both love dearly, during the devastating loss of her sister. This precious friend had been a rock and prayer partner for me during my struggle with infertility, and for Kerri during her journey and loss. We struck up a conversation and bonded over those shared struggles, with some laughter mixed in (because our friend is incredible at making us laugh when we needed it most) and were able to give back some laughter to our sweet friend in her time of hurt. I am so thrilled Kerri was part of this project and that I had the chance to learn more about her journey. Thank you so much, Kerri, for sharing your story!!