Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS)

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
if I die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take

Many of us are familiair with the child's rhyme, but probably few are familiar with the orginization by the name Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. The group's Web site explains how the orginization began:

Maddux Achilles Haggard was born on Feb. 4, 2005, with a condition called myotubular myopathy that prevented him from breathing, swallowing or moving on his own. On the sixth day of his young life, his parents had to make the excruciating decision to take him off life support. But before they did, they called Littleton, Colorado photographer Sandy Puc' to take black and white portraits of them cradling their son. Puc' photographed the couple with Maddux at the hospital before he was removed from life support and after — when he was free from the tubes and the wires that had sustained him.


“That night was the worst night of my life. But when I look at the images, that’s not what I’m reminded of. I’m reminded of the beauty and blessings he brought,” Cheryl Haggard (Maddux's mom) said.


Those tender photographs documenting Maddux’s eternal connection with his parents inspired Cheryl Haggard and Sandy Puc' to found a nonprofit organization that has provided thousands of families of babies who are stillborn or are at risk of dying as newborns with free professional portraits with their baby.

Sandy and Cheryl founded the organization in April 2005 and called it Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep after the children’s bedtime prayer. To date, The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation has nearly 3,200 affiliated photographers in 12 countries worldwide.



I signed up a few years ago, but have not been requested to do a session (then my friend, Nicole, let me know I should probably go to the hospital and introduce myself and give them some literature about it .... and I intend to hit the hospitals once I move over to Salina).

As I grow older, I have friends who have gone through the pain and loss of miscarriage. None have carried to term, but I cannot imagine the heartbreak of carrying a baby, feeling it moving and kicking inside you, then birthing it ... and immediately saying goodbye.

It's been getting quite a bit of press lately, especially after an appearance on the Today Show. (WARNING: This is a tear-jerker; it also might be difficult to view in Safari, so if you have difficulty, try Firefox).

It's also been making its way around photographer blogs around the state and country as well ... including Mike Colon, Jennifer Cook, and the Blink Blog.