When Hurricane Matthew hit South Carolina’s Lowcountry region last October residents were either evacuated or sheltered. The storm raged on for many days causing many to be displaced.
In times of turmoil, we often turn to the ones we love for comfort. In this case, the comfort created 8 miracle babies!
Cassie Clayshulte, the official newborn photographer for Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville, brought the moms-to-be together for a beautiful photo shoot to celebrate the storm’s silver lining.
When interviewed by ABC News said she knew there would be a surge of pregnancies after the storm.
“About nine months from a big storm or a big power outage, even nine months from Valentine’s Day or the holidays, I’ll always see a surge in births at the hospital. We were all sequestered in places with no power or evacuated for a week or longer and so I thought I might have a surge in business. I got this vision of all these moms lined up celebrating these little miracles that may not have happened if it weren’t for the hurricane.”
She posted the idea for the creative photo shoot on her Facebook page, explaining she was “looking for moms who made babies during the hurricane and are willing to talk about it.”
“I wanted to show everyone that the storm gave some Bluffton, Beaufort, and Hilton Head couples a special miracle,” said Clayshulte. “If it weren’t for Matthew, these eight couples wouldn’t be expecting these little miracles. Some of these couples had trouble conceiving, experienced difficult previous pregnancies, and even had to undergo several rounds of fertility treatments to become pregnant. This storm destroyed trees and property and our area’s tourism industry took a big hit, but the storm helped these couples create something even more beautiful and these stunning mommies-to-be are living proof.”
Molly Spears’ family was very fortunate to not have any damage to their home. They were evacuated to Cashiers, North Carolina, and stayed at a family member’s mountain cabin for the week.
“We decided to go ahead and try for another great kid. I call our first Hurricane Porter, so it will be interesting to see if little sister is just as wild, especially since she was conceived during an actual hurricane!” she told ABC News.
The glowing mamas-to-be are excited to welcome their “little miracles.”
“I feel babies always come at a time when they are most needed,” said mom Danielle Lewis of Bluffton. “When he is born, I feel he will fill a hole in our lives we didn’t even know was missing. I’m so eager and excited to meet him.”
