Taking Photographs and Creating Memories of Your Baby in Hospital
Many hospitals have a camera and will help you to take photos or you could ask a family member to bring a camera in to the hospital for you. Take as many photos as you wish – they may become precious to you. Don’t worry about what the photographs will look like. Some families ask a professional photographer to take photographs of their baby. The hospital may be able to recommend a particular photographer other families have used before. Your baby may have some bruising on the skin. Black and white photographs may be softer for babies who have died. Colour photographs can be converted to black and white by film processing shops. Some families find that it is hard for them to look at their baby’s photographs, especially in the beginning.
Heartfelt is a volunteer organisation of professional photographers from all over Australia and New Zealand dedicated to giving the gift of photographic memories to families that have experienced stillbirths, premature births, or have children with serious and terminal illnesses. Heartfelt is dedicated to providing this gift to families in a caring, compassionate manner. All services are provided free of charge. To contact a Heartfelt photographer call 1800 583 768 (Australia).
You can create other memories of your child
As well as taking photographs, there are many ways that you can ensure you have keepsakes to remember your baby by. You can record your baby’s features such as length, weight, hair and eye colour and take locks of hair. Your family and friends or the staff can help you collect these. Hand and footprints of your baby may be taken. You could ask staff to do this for you. Sometimes a hospital will offer the opportunity to make plaster mouldings of your baby’s hands and feet. These can be lovely to mount and display later.
Last reviewed: 20/4/24