Infant Bereavement Photography has become a regular part of many women’s hospitals due to birth defects, low birth weight, and premature births. A neonatal death happens within the first 28 days of a baby’s birth and 1 in every 4000 births are neonatal deaths. (Source: March of Dimes)
Professional photographers and hospital personnel across the country have volunteered to be available in hospitals at the time of a neonatal death, in order to capture those last moments for the family. Outside of cell phone/point and shoot photography, these will be the only photos the family will have of their baby. The importance of using professional photography equipment and lighting speaks for itself in the difference you can see between a cell phone or point and shoot hospital camera, and the photography captured by professional lenses. That difference also can greatly impact the family’s experience during the time of their child’s passing, and has proven to aid in the grieving process in the months following. We cannot express enough how much every women’s hospital should take advantage of local volunteer professional photographers and The Little Lights Program in order to give each family the photographs and experience they deserve.
For more information on how to offer this service in your hospital, please fill out the contact information below.
*Photos shared with the permission of each family.
What is Neonatal Immersion Photography (NIP)?
Neonatal Immersion Photography (NIP) is the practice of fully immersing an infant in water for the purposes of underwater photography after they have passed away. With the use of a clear tub and saline water, the baby is immersed and then photographed through the clear walls of the tub.
What are the benefits of Neonatal Immersion Photography (NIP)?
While the practice of NIP is still very new, the benefits of it have already proven to be well worth having it available to bereaved parents. As more programs are established in hospitals, the benefits will only increase. Here is what we know now:
- The use of NIP delays the look of decomposition that occurs following death
- The skin color and flaws on the baby greatly improve as soon as the baby enters the water (see video)
- The infant's limbs become limber and flexible following several minutes of time in the water
- NIP mimics the look of a baby in the mother's womb
- The practice of professional bereavement photography has proven to aid in the grieving process for families
Who is eligible for Neonatal Immersion Photography (NIP)?
NIP is mainly practiced in Labor/Delivery, Antepartum, and the NICU units of a women's hospital. Babies who are gestationally at least 16 weeks will have the best results in an NIP photo session. It is recommended that the baby receive both regular infant bereavement photography as well as NIP during their infant bereavement photo session.
Why is Capturing Hopes a great option for establishing this program in your hospital?
Since 2011, Capturing Hopes has provided hundreds of infant bereavement photo sessions. With her extensive professional training and experience in the area of infant bereavement photography, Founder Deneen Bryan is considered a leading voice and teacher on this topic. While the purpose of Capturing Hopes photography is to document a baby's journey in the NICU, infant bereavement in labor/delivery, antepartum, and the NICU are also a big part of what Capturing Hopes provides for families who need it. In 2016, Deneen Bryan established The Little Lights Program at Novant Health in Winston Salem, NC to tackle several challenges involved with regular infant bereavement photography programs. The program is an innovative and sustainable program that is run by the staff within the hospital, with the aid of local volunteer professional photographers. Capturing Hopes provides all of the equipment, training, and training manuals for the hospital staff and volunteers at the time of establishing a Little Lights Program within their hospital. A minimal fee is required to establish each program.
Photographer: Deneen Bryan, Founder of Capturing Hopes Photography, Inc. and The Little Lights Bereavement Program.
The Little Lights Program specializes in Neonatal Immersion Photography for bereaved families as well as regular infant bereavement photos. For more information on how to establish a bereavement program in your own hospital, please contact Deneen Bryan at capturinghopesdirectors@gmail.com
"I wanted to say thank you very much for the pictures of my sweet girl. They are so very precious. This was a very difficult time for my husband, myself, and family, but we are thankful we have these pictures of our baby girl, so we can cherish them forever. This is a wonderful program and I hope more places do this for grieving mothers and fathers."
~Infant Bereavement Mother, Novant Forsyth Medical Center
While our NICU team wishes that every baby could go home with their families, unfortunately for some infants this does not happen and families have to go home empty-handed. As a Little Lights photographer, I was able to capture some precious moments in families' darkest days that they could take home with them as mementos of the love they had in the NICU. Parents seemed thankful that they did not have to wait for a photographer they did not know to come in from outside the hospital to be around them during their grieving. Additionally, the immediacy of availability allowed me to take pictures of babies while they were still alive. As a care provider, it also brought me solace as I emotionally processed what the family and my patient was going through. This program was invaluable, to both families and staff. Moreover, the Capturing Hopes team is easy to work with and the training, given I am a novice at best, was efficient and effective.
~Dr. Marie Hulgan, Carilion Children's Hospital
Click on the photos below to see a photo slideshow
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