You may not recognize the name of the organization, and I hope you never need to. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) was organized in 2005 after one of the co-founders lost her little boy. Their mission is to provide bereavement photography free of charge to parents experiencing the death of an infant or small child through illness, trauma or stillbirth and to help them begin their healing journey. Over 5,000+ photographers worldwide volunteer their time, energy and talent to this noble service.

My own personal interest in NILMDTS began last year when my best friend lost her son Noah preterm. They couldn’t find a phtographer to come to the hospital to photograph his birth, so they have pictures that her husband took on his cell phone to remember him by. I think about that a lot and wish I lived closer so that I could have been there for them. But maybe I can help another family going through something similar.

The NILMDTS organization is primarily for babies past 25 weeks gestation, but also helps families with terminally ill children of any age. You’ll receive an on-location photo session with your child, retouching, a DVD of the images and a slideshow – all at no cost to you.

Hopefully you’ll never need to use the NILMDTS team, but if you do, we’re here for you. For more information, visit www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org.