Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy, hope, and wonder. Feeling the powerful energy of birth and new life, watching as a new family is born unto each other. These things humble and amaze. These are the things that we celebrate when a baby is born.
But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future.
This is the place where the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives. The NILMDTS mission statement is to introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with the gift of professional portraiture. We believe these images serve as an important step in the family’s healing process by honoring their child’s legacy.
The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) administers a network of more than 7,000 volunteer photographers in the United States and 25 countries. At a family’s request, a NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer will come to your hospital or hospice location and conduct a sensitive and private portrait session. The portraits are then professionally retouched and presented to the families on an archival DVD or CD that can be used to print portraits of their cherished baby.
Below is an excerpt of one family’s story …
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Photos Bring Comfort During Darkest Hours
RyAnne Carr was just 10 days away from her due date when the unimaginable happened.
“The nurse took one look at the screen and said ‘I am sorry. He didn’t make it,’” recalled RyAnne Carr.
The baby boy she had been carrying for nearly 9 months suddenly stopped breathing. Her husband, Nathan, rushed to the doctor’s office to be by her side.
“My world stopped,” said RyAnne Carr.
The couple found themselves making arrangements to go to the hospital later that night to be induced. While in the hospital, a midwife suggested calling Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.
“My immediate reaction was no. I could not see why we would want to take pictures of this nightmare that was happening, for goodness sakes this wasn’t a happy occasion,” said RyAnne Carr.
The midwife encouraged and convinced the couple to have the pictures taken even if they didn’t want to look at the images right away.
On April 16, 2011, Caleb Benedict Carr was born. He weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. NILMDTS photographer, Jenni Merrill, was in the room and captured precious moments of the couple bathing and dressing their son, Caleb.
“They captured the peace we felt that morning as we met and then said goodbye to our first child,” RyAnne Carr said.
‘”Most moms have so many things to show for their child. All I have are these precious pictures that I almost turned down,’ said RyAnne, ‘I now keep wallet pictures of Caleb in my purse and show him off to anyone who asks. These pictures have brought us comfort during our darkest hours.”
We volunteer our services and support the NILMDTS Foundation. Our entire network of affiliated photographers graciously donate their time and talents to our families and we are proud to be able to offer our services at no cost. Donations are greatly needed and greatly appreciated which help to provide training and materials to educate hospitals and families of our services. We realize there are many organizations out there to donate to, but please consider NILMDTS as we have seen first had how these precious memories bring peace to families and how appreciative they are.
