Honouring Tiny Lives – My Work With NILMDTS

TRIGGER WARNING: This post discusses pregnancy loss, stillbirth, & infant loss.

Photography often captures life’s happiest milestones — weddings, growing families, maternity sessions, newborns. These are the moments we celebrate and hold onto.

But photography can also serve another incredibly meaningful purpose: preserving memories during life’s most fragile moments.

Recently, I became a Certified Affiliate Photographer volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS), an organization whose mission deeply resonates with me both personally and professionally.

I wanted to take a moment to share a little about their work and why it matters so much.

It’s important to note the photos included in this post are from a newborn session with a living baby and are shared with permission. Remembrance sessions provided through Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep are incredibly private moments for families and are not shared publicly.

What NILMDTS Does

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is a nonprofit organization that provides remembrance photography for families experiencing the loss of a baby during pregnancy, stillbirth, or shortly after birth.

Their trained volunteer photographers work with hospitals and families to gently capture images that honor a baby’s life and preserve precious memories for grieving parents.

These photographs are often the only images families will ever have with their child.

Because of that, they become deeply meaningful keepsakes — tangible reminders of a life that, no matter how brief, is profoundly loved and remembered.

Why This Matters

Pregnancy and infant loss are more common than many people realize, yet they are often experiences families go through quietly and privately.

During those incredibly difficult moments, parents are navigating grief, shock, and unimaginable heartache.

Remembrance photography can provide something incredibly important:
a way to honor, remember, and acknowledge their baby’s life.

The work that volunteers provide through NILMDTS is rooted in compassion, dignity, and care for families during one of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Why This Work Is Important to Me

As a photographer, I have always believed that the true purpose of photography is preserving moments that matter. Sometimes those moments are joyful and full of celebration. Other times, they are quiet, emotional, and deeply meaningful in a different way.

Becoming a volunteer with NILMDTS allows me to use my skills in a way that can support families during an incredibly tender time — helping create lasting memories that honor their baby’s life and existence.

It is truly humbling work, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve families in this capacity.

Learning More About NILMDTS

If you would like to learn more about the work they do, I encourage you to visit their website:

https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org

The organization provides information for families, healthcare professionals, and photographers who are interested in supporting their mission.

Some lives are heartbreakingly short, but they are no less meaningful.

Organizations like NILMDTS ensure those tiny lives are honoured, remembered, and held with care.

And I am deeply grateful to now be part of that mission.