Few things are more heartbreaking than a miscarriage, and it's even worse when you experience it more than once.
A decade after her eleventh miscarriage, a friend's loss inspired California-based photographer Dianne Yudelson to create this moving photo series called 'Lost.'
"I reflected on my own personal experience," Dianne told Buzzfeed. "These thoughts propelled me to take down the big white box in my closet which safeguards the mementos of my lost babies."
"It's a grieving process," she said. "Even if, in some people's minds, there's not a physical being to grieve, that is what it feels like."
"It had been quite some time since I removed each item, and as I laid them out on my bed, I felt their story needed to be documented."
Dianne hopes that the series helps other women dealing with miscarriage to realise they're not alone.
"Hopefully, in sharing the images, I could touch the lives of numerous women who have experienced or are in the midst of experiencing the painful loss of a baby,” she said. “They are not alone in their journey."
All black-and-white, the photos depict keepsakes, including clothes and toys that represent each baby she lost.
Each one also includes the baby’s name and their sonogram.
"I created my ‘Lost’ images in a humble and pristine fashion in direct correlation to their short and pure lives," she said.
So far, the photos have won a string of awards, but what really drives Dianne isn't glory - it's the response from everyday people, particularly those who've been through miscarriage.
"Personally, what I value most highly is the feedback from hundreds of women and men who have reached out to tell me their appreciation of my subject matter and how the images have not only comforted them, but also propelled them to speak up and share their experience,” she said.
Dianne hopes that her series of beautiful snaps will help to encourage women who've experienced miscarriage to talk about it - and for those who have been spared it, to understand the pain it causes anyway.
"Everyone knows someone who has experienced a miscarriage, be it mother, wife, sister, friend or co-worker,” Dianne said. “Be there, be understanding, and be supportive of their emotional journey."
"Creating this series has both served to honour these precious lives, as well as bring a voice to my personal plight."
Dianne's project is part of a growing movement to encourage women to talk about miscarriages more openly, and for the rest of the population to learn how common — and tragic — they really are.
"It is physically and emotionally difficult," she said. "And that's the question I get most from women who miscarry: 'Who knew?'"
To see more of Dianne's photos, visit http://www.dianneyudelson.com/gallery.html?gallery=Lost&folio=Galleries
