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Find out the beautiful meaning behind this 'rainbow baby' photo

After six heartbreaking losses, her "rainbow pregnancy" photo went viral... and now she's holding her rainbow baby in her arms.
/ Source: TODAY Contributor

After the birth of their little boy Corbin, now 4, Jessica and Kevin Mahoney were heartbroken to suffer six consecutive miscarriages. Then, just as they started to look into adoption, they successfully conceived again. With the help of professional photographers JoAnn Marrero and Mary Maloney, they were able to capture the beauty and hope in a "rainbow" pregnancy — so named because rainbows follow storms — in a photo that was widely shared last fall.

"rainbow baby" pregnancy - that is, a pregnancy after loss
Photographers JoAnn Marrero and Mary Maloney created a photo shoot to capture the love and hope in a "rainbow" pregnancy after loss.Courtesy JoAnn Marrero and Mary Maloney

In November, the Mahoneys finally welcomed a healthy baby girl. "Having her here with us now after such a long struggle means the world to us," Kevin Mahoney told TODAY Parents. "We are transitioning very well. Our son loves her so much and won't go to bed without kissing her goodnight."

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When Jessica heard that Maloney was looking for subjects for a new photography series normalizing breastfeeding, she volunteered to bring the baby from their home in Hartford, Connecticut, to Maloney's home in Holden, Massachusetts, for a shoot. This week, they met and decided to revisit the rainbow theme.

"Since it was outdoors in the winter elements and the baby was feeding, we wanted to be quick," Maloney told TODAY Parents. "Her daughter did perfect. Not a peep. A complete angel."

Jessica Mahoney
Jessica and Kevin Mahoney welcomed a healthy baby girl in November after six heartbreaking losses.Mary Maloney/Pebbles and Polkadots Photography

Photographer Maloney said that for her, sitting back with camera in hand and watching Mahoney holding the baby she had waited for so long was "the perfect way to start off 2017."

"The most peaceful wave of emotion came over me," she said. "Everything always turns out OK. The baby is here. She is absolutely beautiful. The rainbow after the storm."