Becoming a mother is one of the happiest moments for a woman. Especially when you are a single mother who has endured the pain of losing twins before. Heather Bowman’s latest pregnancy gave her the joy of having a baby girl but also left her grieving the loss of her son. The photo shoot she did for her daughter was a tribute to her lost son and a total emotional quest for the viewers.
Heather Bowman has been a lot throughout her life. Being a 36-year-old woman took a leap of faith to become a mother herself two years ago. Her first pregnancy in the year 2017, ended up in a miscarriage where she lost her twins late in her first trimester. Her second pregnancy was much better as she had reached the end of her pregnancy but couldn’t save her babies. She very vividly recalls the soul-crushing pain she felt. Even after all the precautions, the babies couldn’t be saved. The same evening, this strong woman went to her OB for her next try.
Some tests were run on Bowman and she was diagnosed with a rare condition called ‘unicornuate uterus’, which led to a uterine malformation leaving her with only half a uterus, one ovary, and a single fallopian tube. This was what had caused her to be infertile. The diagnosis was a scary revelation for a woman who had recently lost her newborn. However, her endocrinologist was optimistic. She was sure Bowman could carry a baby to term and helped her with her optimism. This gave Bowman the confidence to undergo four more cycles of IUI and one IVF and finally get pregnant with twins.
The excitement and the fear in equal amounts engulfed her. She was scared that history may repeat itself. And sure, it did, as doctors realized that they had lost the heartbeat of her son, James, at 17 weeks. The loss of her son was unbearable for her, but Leti her daughter gave her hope and strength to move on. Bowman finally gave birth to her adorable baby girl on 12 February 2019. She still remembers that day as the happiest of her life and how her mother kept telling her how perfect Leti was.
Leti has two birthmarks on her forehead which are shaped as footprints and Bowman thinks that this is a sign. James means to always protect his baby sister. Bowman too got tattooed James footprints right next to her tattoo for the twins she had lost in her last pregnancy. When throughout told this story to her photographer Jessica Young, she took upon herself to pay homage to Leti’s brother. Young had designed her photoshoot, where she put Leti wrapped in a wooden cradle and in a matching cradle lay a blue swayed material with angel wings carefully placed symbolizing James.
The photos took Facebook by storm. There were a lot of the users who were impressed at the creativity of the photographer and many empathized with Bowman’s ordeal. Bowman was completely emotional and wanted to do this so that Leti would always remember she has a brother who is protecting her. And how much her mother loves her and her brother.
Hope James is somewhere up there and smiling over at his family!
