Remembrance Photography for Families Who Have Suffered Loss

 

 

The day I was contacted by a photographer in a nearby city about this session, she was unable to take it. As a matter of fact, there was no one else that was available to go to the hospital and help this family grieve the loss of their baby. Having assisted in a remembrance photography session before, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to be strong and caring at the same time.

 

I've been a Community Volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep for 4 years. It's my responsibility to raise awareness about the free service and resources we provide families during the loss of a newborn. Although I've been a photographer for 7 years, I didn't believe my work was good enough to become an Affiliate Photographer for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep families.  Immediately after coming home from this session, I applied to become a photographer.  I was accepted a few days later.

 

9 years ago I learned about the nonprofit when Sandy Puc', a co-founder, talked about the first session she'd ever done for a family suffering the loss of a newborn. That mother's journey led her to be the other co-founder of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. While I grieved for the families, I thought that a person who could work with families in those situations must be very strong, not emotional like me. 2 years later I discovered that there were other volunteer opportunities besides photographers. 

 

When I volunteered in Midland, I went to the hospital and asked if there was a way to help the nurses learn more about the service. Fortunately, they had an upcoming training day where they went from room to room to be updated about different nursing topics. One of the rooms was set up for me to discuss Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. I made them a folder and explained how the service worked and that all they had to do was click Find a Photographer to see if someone was available before offering our services. I also showed the nurses how to photograph in case there was no photographer available.  As a community of volunteers in Longview, we're going to start giving hospitals the opportunity to learn more about our mission. If you know anyone who works with newborns, please feel free to private message me so we can connect.

 

Whether you're a nurse, a photographer, or just a caring person, you too can apply to serve families with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.  Click here to learn more about volunteering.

 

Thank you for your heart!

 

Zoe