ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and a local chapter of a national nonprofit organization is working to support grieving families in Northwest Arkansas.
In the United States, 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage and 1 in 160 in stillbirth, (excluding additional losses from preterm labor, life-limiting conditions or SIDS), according to Pregnancy After Loss Support.
A local branch of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a nationwide organization, is doing what it can to help parents who may be experiencing these kinds of losses.
One family touched by the work of NILMDTS is Michelle and Dusty Hurst of Northwest Arkansas. In 2014, they were eagerly preparing for the arrival of their newborn twins, Chandler and Paisley. However, at 22 weeks, Michelle unexpectedly went into labor.
What the Hurst family didn’t anticipate was leaving the hospital just a week later with empty arms and heavy hearts.
“They each lived for a little over a day,” Michelle Hurst said.
Despite their loss, Michelle recalls how the labor and delivery nurses ensured they wouldn’t leave the hospital without something meaningful.
“The wonderful nurses that we had at the time had asked if we wanted to have pictures made of Chandler and Paisley,” said Michelle Hurst.
That’s when the volunteer photographers at NILMDTS came alongside the Hursts, and gave them something that now, ten years later, continues to give them peace.
“When you kind of come out of the fog and you start to process and you’re going through the grief process, you’ve got those pictures to look at, and it really is something that you will cherish for the rest of your life,” Michelle Hurst said.
Whitney Basinger, a local photographer with over six years of experience, found her path to NILMDTS through her own struggle with infertility.
“I saw a post on Facebook one day and they [Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep] were in need of a photographer in the area, and so it just made sense at that time for me to reach out and see if it was the right fit,” Basinger said.
Now a mother of two, Basinger feels grateful to provide some comfort to grieving families.
“There’s not a lot of things that you can do for a family that’s experiencing the loss of a child,” Basinger said. “You can give them all the food, and you can give them all of the gifts, and all of the things, but ultimately it’s never going to replace their baby. To be able to give them a gift that is unique and really needed to give them comfort, it’s really special.”
Even after losing their twins, Michelle Hurst cherishes the memories captured in photos of their rainbow twins, Remington and Kanon, and their youngest child, Violet. The Hursts have a large picture wall in their home that includes images of Taylor and Paisley, ensuring that their memory remains a part of their family.
“Not only do I have these pictures, which are the only pictures will ever have of Taylor and Paisley, but also I could share them too,” Michelle Hurst said. “Like, this really did happen. Here are my babies that I had. And, you know, obviously they’re no longer with this. They’re in heaven now, but here are my babies.”
Even now, Michelle Hurst continues to share the impact of NILMDTS.
“When we had our second set of twins, the next door down in the hospital had a flower placed on her door, which signified loss,” Michelle Hurst said. “Through our NILMDTS editor, was able to connect with her, and she and I are still friends.”
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is currently seeking volunteers with photography or editing experience. Opportunities also exist to serve as a “dispatcher,” helping to connect families with photographers.
More information about NILMDTS can be found here.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
