Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

I have not been involved with a NILMDS session but I am involved with the group and would be honored to help a family in this way if needed. This is a wonderful group to be involved thought you might like to learn of this as well.

Story on WMBD, Part 1

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Part One

Reported by: Meg Johnson- WMBD/WYZZ-TV

Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 @06:48pm CST

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WMBD/WYZZ- SPECIAL REPORT --  Losing an infant is one of the most painful experiences a parent will ever face. Years of precious memories are stolen in mere seconds. But some parents are turning to a volunteer organization to turn these moments of unimaginable grief into something unbelievably beautiful.

35 weeks pregnant, with her second child, Tara Sherrod hadn't felt the baby move for several days. A doctor’s ultrasound uncovered the heartbreaking truth.

Tara

remembers, “I was watching that screen, waiting to see the little heart beating. It was at that point I knew, my worst fears had been confirmed, that the baby was really gone."

Kim and Mike Kaschke were looking forward to the birth of their fifth child, when they received tragic news. Their son was diagnosed with a condition called Trisomy 13.  Doctors told the Kaschkes he would not survive after his birth.

Kim tells us it felt like "there was like no hope of anything getting better. Nothing to look forward to."

Tara and Kim have lived through the unthinkable; giving birth to babies they would never be able to take home. But they both turned to strangers to help channel their grief into something beautiful; the international organization known as "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep."

It's a network of professional photographers who donate their time and resources to families who lose an infant; Volunteering to capture these brief lives on camera, turning them into lifelong memories.

Mike Kaschke explains, "I was just hoping it would help us in the healing process, because we knew what the final result would be."

I

t's an unconventional service that is cherished by the families who reach out for help. Mike and Kim learned their son's fate when Kim was about 25 weeks pregnant. Their photographer offered Kim a maternity session, to tell their son's whole story.

Kim says, "It made me forget what was going to happen for a few moments, and enjoy the life that I was carrying and the precious gift that we had. A little baby boy."

And when the time came for Theodore Kaschke's birth, almost every moment of his 1 hour and sixteen minute life is preserved forever.

Kim says, "The whole feeling was, let's celebrate his life. Let's celebrate him now. You have him here with you and your family and it's a beautiful experience."

When

Tara

was induced into labor, a local volunteer drove to

Canton

in the middle of the night to photograph Sophia Noelle Sherrod.

Tara

explains why she chose to have these pictures taken.

"Once I handed her over I knew that was the end. And having these pictures to look back on helps me to remember having her in my arms."

Tara and Damon say these pictures are what help them get through their grief.

Tara

says, "They're really healing. Just to look at them and to know that's what she looks like now. Now that she's in heaven."

And they give back precious memories that would otherwise be stolen.

Tara

tells us, "If you have a baby and it lives, you get to watch it grow up, hear those first words, see those first steps. When you lose your baby, you don't have that. And having these pictures makes you cherish that baby and look forward to seeing them again that much more."

For the Sherrods and the Kaschkes, these moments are all that is left of their lost children. But they say it's more than they could have hoped for from the strangers who became their angels.

Kim says, "They made something so scary and so tragic and turned it into a beautiful experience. Just made it beautiful."

Tara

says, "Until you have it happen to you, I guess you don't know how special those pictures are. That's a gift that nobody can give you again."

The Sherrods and the Kaschkes both credit their photographers for giving them such a precious gift. To find out more about the people who volunteer their time and their hearts to this foundation, click here.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Part Two

Reported by: Meg Johnson- WMBD/WYZZ-TV

Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 @07:03pm CST

Please Select a Bandwidth High | Med | Low

WMBD/WYZZ - SPECIAL REPORT -- When a family loses an infant child they are also robbed of precious memories. But a group of volunteers is helping to preserve those moments and create a lifetime of treasured memories.

Jackie Haggerty is a professional photographer based in

Bloomington

. She's turned her talent for snapping pictures of her own children into a flourishing business.

For the past 30 years, Barb Primm has followed her eye for the camera and her love for the art has grown into a respected studio in Germantown Hills.

Two busy women, connected by more than their passion for perfect portraits. They belong to a growing organization known as "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep."

It's an international web of professional photographers, who donate their time and their talent to families faced with the unthinkable; the loss of a new baby.

The non-profit group started back in 2006 with three compassionate artists who wanted to help grieving families. Now more than 6 thousand strong, these men and women are providing anguished parents with a beautiful tribute to a life lost.

Barb tells us, "It's a very different type of photography, very different. And not everyone can do it."

They travel to hospitals, day or night, to capture these brief moments between parent and child. They take the images back the studio, retouching and crafting these photos into beautiful works of art. The photographers say it gives the families something tangible to hold on to.

Jackie explains, "We'll never forget the child, but all of the details will fade. And they're so important. Even if you’re not ready to look at those images now, you have them for when you are ready."

It's the gift of these memories which drew Barb and Jackie to join the organization.

Jackie says, "I've been blessed with 4 children of my own. I think about the days crawling across the floor, or starting to walk, of wiping the drool off their chins and the opportunities I had to do that. And I thought about parents who don't have those."

Barb knows firsthand what that loss feels like and how important these images become. Her own granddaughter passed away at just 3 months old, days after barb had photographed her.

Barb reflects, "The memory is still there and will always be there. And it's been 7 or 8 years ago and I still think about her. A lot."

This unconventional practice has garnered plenty of criticism.

Barb says sometimes "people say how can you photograph babies like that? They say it's morbid, why would people want pictures like that? But if you talk to the families who been through it, they are thankful. And they do have a memory to keep in their hearts forever."

And it isn't always easy for the photographers to separate their emotions from the reality in front of them.

Jackie says, "This is what I’m here to do, and you do your job. It's after when it registers and everything comes back to you about what you just did."

But Barb and Jackie say their work is helping these families to heal and they say knowing the impact these pictures have is priceless.

Barb says, "Just to see how it touched them... She hugged me, and hugged me, and hugged me, she was so happy and has thanked me so many times."

Jackie remembers, "Kim (a client) said to me, 'I want to thank you because this was the one day I was happy. It made me happy.' And to know that one day gave her something good in such a bad time was more than I could ask to hear."

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Part One

Reported by: Meg Johnson- WMBD/WYZZ-TV

Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 @06:48pm CST

Please Select a Bandwidth High | Med | Low

WMBD/WYZZ- SPECIAL REPORT --  Losing an infant is one of the most painful experiences a parent will ever face. Years of precious memories are stolen in mere seconds. But some parents are turning to a volunteer organization to turn these moments of unimaginable grief into something unbelievably beautiful.

35 weeks pregnant, with her second child, Tara Sherrod hadn't felt the baby move for several days. A doctor’s ultrasound uncovered the heartbreaking truth.

Tara

remembers, “I was watching that screen, waiting to see the little heart beating. It was at that point I knew, my worst fears had been confirmed, that the baby was really gone."

Kim and Mike Kaschke were looking forward to the birth of their fifth child, when they received tragic news. Their son was diagnosed with a condition called Trisomy 13.  Doctors told the Kaschkes he would not survive after his birth.

Kim tells us it felt like "there was like no hope of anything getting better. Nothing to look forward to."

Tara and Kim have lived through the unthinkable; giving birth to babies they would never be able to take home. But they both turned to strangers to help channel their grief into something beautiful; the international organization known as "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep."

It's a network of professional photographers who donate their time and resources to families who lose an infant; Volunteering to capture these brief lives on camera, turning them into lifelong memories.

Mike Kaschke explains, "I was just hoping it would help us in the healing process, because we knew what the final result would be."

I

t's an unconventional service that is cherished by the families who reach out for help. Mike and Kim learned their son's fate when Kim was about 25 weeks pregnant. Their photographer offered Kim a maternity session, to tell their son's whole story.

Kim says, "It made me forget what was going to happen for a few moments, and enjoy the life that I was carrying and the precious gift that we had. A little baby boy."

And when the time came for Theodore Kaschke's birth, almost every moment of his 1 hour and sixteen minute life is preserved forever.

Kim says, "The whole feeling was, let's celebrate his life. Let's celebrate him now. You have him here with you and your family and it's a beautiful experience."

When

Tara

was induced into labor, a local volunteer drove to

Canton

in the middle of the night to photograph Sophia Noelle Sherrod.

Tara

explains why she chose to have these pictures taken.

"Once I handed her over I knew that was the end. And having these pictures to look back on helps me to remember having her in my arms."

Tara and Damon say these pictures are what help them get through their grief.

Tara

says, "They're really healing. Just to look at them and to know that's what she looks like now. Now that she's in heaven."

And they give back precious memories that would otherwise be stolen.

Tara

tells us, "If you have a baby and it lives, you get to watch it grow up, hear those first words, see those first steps. When you lose your baby, you don't have that. And having these pictures makes you cherish that baby and look forward to seeing them again that much more."

For the Sherrods and the Kaschkes, these moments are all that is left of their lost children. But they say it's more than they could have hoped for from the strangers who became their angels.

Kim says, "They made something so scary and so tragic and turned it into a beautiful experience. Just made it beautiful."

Tara

says, "Until you have it happen to you, I guess you don't know how special those pictures are. That's a gift that nobody can give you again."

The Sherrods and the Kaschkes both credit their photographers for giving them such a precious gift. To find out more about the people who volunteer their time and their hearts to this foundation, click here.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Part Two

Reported by: Meg Johnson- WMBD/WYZZ-TV

Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 @07:03pm CST

Please Select a Bandwidth High | Med | Low

WMBD/WYZZ - SPECIAL REPORT -- When a family loses an infant child they are also robbed of precious memories. But a group of volunteers is helping to preserve those moments and create a lifetime of treasured memories.

Jackie Haggerty is a professional photographer based in

Bloomington

. She's turned her talent for snapping pictures of her own children into a flourishing business.

For the past 30 years, Barb Primm has followed her eye for the camera and her love for the art has grown into a respected studio in Germantown Hills.

Two busy women, connected by more than their passion for perfect portraits. They belong to a growing organization known as "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep."

It's an international web of professional photographers, who donate their time and their talent to families faced with the unthinkable; the loss of a new baby.

The non-profit group started back in 2006 with three compassionate artists who wanted to help grieving families. Now more than 6 thousand strong, these men and women are providing anguished parents with a beautiful tribute to a life lost.

Barb tells us, "It's a very different type of photography, very different. And not everyone can do it."

They travel to hospitals, day or night, to capture these brief moments between parent and child. They take the images back the studio, retouching and crafting these photos into beautiful works of art. The photographers say it gives the families something tangible to hold on to.

Jackie explains, "We'll never forget the child, but all of the details will fade. And they're so important. Even if you’re not ready to look at those images now, you have them for when you are ready."

It's the gift of these memories which drew Barb and Jackie to join the organization.

Jackie says, "I've been blessed with 4 children of my own. I think about the days crawling across the floor, or starting to walk, of wiping the drool off their chins and the opportunities I had to do that. And I thought about parents who don't have those."

Barb knows firsthand what that loss feels like and how important these images become. Her own granddaughter passed away at just 3 months old, days after barb had photographed her.

Barb reflects, "The memory is still there and will always be there. And it's been 7 or 8 years ago and I still think about her. A lot."

This unconventional practice has garnered plenty of criticism.

Barb says sometimes "people say how can you photograph babies like that? They say it's morbid, why would people want pictures like that? But if you talk to the families who been through it, they are thankful. And they do have a memory to keep in their hearts forever."

And it isn't always easy for the photographers to separate their emotions from the reality in front of them.

Jackie says, "This is what I’m here to do, and you do your job. It's after when it registers and everything comes back to you about what you just did."

But Barb and Jackie say their work is helping these families to heal and they say knowing the impact these pictures have is priceless.

Barb says, "Just to see how it touched them... She hugged me, and hugged me, and hugged me, she was so happy and has thanked me so many times."

Jackie remembers, "Kim (a client) said to me, 'I want to thank you because this was the one day I was happy. It made me happy.' And to know that one day gave her something good in such a bad time was more than I could ask to hear."

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Part Two

Reported by: Meg Johnson- WMBD/WYZZ-TV

Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 @07:03pm CST

Please Select a Bandwidth High | Med | Low

WMBD/WYZZ - SPECIAL REPORT -- When a family loses an infant child they are also robbed of precious memories. But a group of volunteers is helping to preserve those moments and create a lifetime of treasured memories.

Jackie Haggerty is a professional photographer based in

Bloomington

. She's turned her talent for snapping pictures of her own children into a flourishing business.

For the past 30 years, Barb Primm has followed her eye for the camera and her love for the art has grown into a respected studio in Germantown Hills.

Two busy women, connected by more than their passion for perfect portraits. They belong to a growing organization known as "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep."

It's an international web of professional photographers, who donate their time and their talent to families faced with the unthinkable; the loss of a new baby.

The non-profit group started back in 2006 with three compassionate artists who wanted to help grieving families. Now more than 6 thousand strong, these men and women are providing anguished parents with a beautiful tribute to a life lost.

Barb tells us, "It's a very different type of photography, very different. And not everyone can do it."

They travel to hospitals, day or night, to capture these brief moments between parent and child. They take the images back the studio, retouching and crafting these photos into beautiful works of art. The photographers say it gives the families something tangible to hold on to.

Jackie explains, "We'll never forget the child, but all of the details will fade. And they're so important. Even if you’re not ready to look at those images now, you have them for when you are ready."

It's the gift of these memories which drew Barb and Jackie to join the organization.

Jackie says, "I've been blessed with 4 children of my own. I think about the days crawling across the floor, or starting to walk, of wiping the drool off their chins and the opportunities I had to do that. And I thought about parents who don't have those."

Barb knows firsthand what that loss feels like and how important these images become. Her own granddaughter passed away at just 3 months old, days after barb had photographed her.

Barb reflects, "The memory is still there and will always be there. And it's been 7 or 8 years ago and I still think about her. A lot."

This unconventional practice has garnered plenty of criticism.

Barb says sometimes "people say how can you photograph babies like that? They say it's morbid, why would people want pictures like that? But if you talk to the families who been through it, they are thankful. And they do have a memory to keep in their hearts forever."

And it isn't always easy for the photographers to separate their emotions from the reality in front of them.

Jackie says, "This is what I’m here to do, and you do your job. It's after when it registers and everything comes back to you about what you just did."

But Barb and Jackie say their work is helping these families to heal and they say knowing the impact these pictures have is priceless.

Barb says, "Just to see how it touched them... She hugged me, and hugged me, and hugged me, she was so happy and has thanked me so many times."

Jackie remembers, "Kim (a client) said to me, 'I want to thank you because this was the one day I was happy. It made me happy.' And to know that one day gave her something good in such a bad time was more than I could ask to hear."