When we photographed Danielle during her pregnancy, she told us about the years leading up to that moment and why she had once questioned whether she would ever become a mother.
She had received an infertility diagnosis, and her doctor had walked her through the different options available to help her conceive.
Danielle remembers leaving that experience with a lot to process. She had always assumed she would be able to have children when she was ready, so having to consider the possibility that things might not happen that way was difficult.
In her words, “I thought I had time. I thought I could choose. But instead fertility didn’t choose me.”
Danielle’s faith played a significant role in how she dealt with her diagnosis. She told us that she made a covenant with her womb and began praying for a child.
She later had a dream about becoming pregnant, although what she was hearing from her doctors seemed to suggest a different outcome.
She struggled with that for a while, and I think it’s important that she was open about that part of her experience too.
The Covenant She Made
Danielle told us that she went to Yahweh and made a covenant with God and her womb. She prayed about becoming a mother and, during that time, had a dream that she would become pregnant.
But the medical information she was receiving didn’t seem to agree with what she believed God had shown her.
She talked about struggling with what she had been told by her doctor and what she believed through her faith.
“So I had to choose who I would believe. I battled internally until I chose to believe the dream giver. I would conceive.”
Danielle decided to hold on to that dream.
She also shared that she experienced continuous bleeding for several weeks. On Pentecost Sunday, the bleeding stopped. She believes God healed her that day.
A few days later, she conceived.
When she described what happened, she explained that she hadn’t experienced what she understood to be a normal ovulation cycle. For her, the pregnancy was an answer to the prayers she had been making.
I can only imagine how much that moment meant to her after everything she had experienced.
When Danielle Came Into the Studio
By the time we photographed Danielle, she was pregnant with the baby she had prayed for.
I think about how differently we might have understood these portraits if she hadn’t shared her story with us.
We would have known that she was excited about becoming a mother. We would have talked about how she wanted to be photographed, what she wanted to wear, and how we could create something beautiful for her.
But knowing what she had experienced gave us a much better understanding of why these photographs mattered to her.
She had spent time wondering whether she would ever have this opportunity. Now she was preparing to meet her baby.
One of my favorite things about photographing women is getting to hear what brings them into the studio.
Sometimes they’re celebrating an accomplishment, sometimes a birthday, and sometimes a season of life they never expected to experience.
Danielle was celebrating something she had wanted for a long time.
I wanted her to have photographs she could look back on and remember how she felt during her pregnancy, especially knowing how much she had been through before it.
And now that her baby is here, I think those portraits will mean even more to her.
Why She Chose to Tell Her Story
Danielle was very intentional about why she wanted her testimony shared.
She said:
“My journey is the journey of many women who are battling infertility.”
She understands that some women are still waiting, still attending appointments, and still trying to decide what to do next.
She knows what it feels like to hear something from a doctor that changes the way you think about your future.
And she wanted those women to hear from someone who had experienced that uncertainty herself.
Infertility isn’t always an easy subject to discuss, particularly when you’re still trying to process your own experience. There can be a lot of questions, difficult decisions, and emotions that people around you may not fully understand.
Danielle’s experience is personal to her, and every woman’s medical circumstances and journey will be different. But I think the reason she wanted to share it is something many people can understand.
She remembers how it felt when she didn’t know what would happen, and she hopes her testimony will encourage someone who is currently in that position.
A Story She Can Share With Her Daughter
Something I think about often is what our children will know about us when they grow older.
They’ll see photographs of us, hear family stories, and hopefully get to understand a little more about the people we were before they were born.
Danielle’s daughter will have these photographs of her mother during pregnancy.
And one day, Danielle may choose to tell her about the diagnosis, the prayers, the dream, and everything she experienced before she was born.
I love that the photographs can be part of that conversation.
When Danielle first shared her testimony, she ended with words she specifically wanted other women to hear.
“Don’t lose hope or faith. This world is full of amazing possibilities. You just have to believe.”
She also said something that I think explains why sharing her story was so important to her.
“This isn’t just a story of a pregnancy. This is the story of endless possibilities. Don’t lose hope. Dare to dream again. With everything.”
I’m grateful Danielle trusted us to photograph this part of her life and allowed us to share her testimony.
I hope her story reaches the women she had in mind when she told it to us.
