FAQs - Medical Professionals

Operating in Ireland since 2015 and covering nationwide, NILMDTS is a registered charity fully volunteer led and funded through charitable donations. We offer the gift of remembrance photography to families who have experienced the loss of a baby around the time of birth. All of our team are highly trained both in terms of interacting with families with care and compassion, and also in terms of providing beautiful photography within the constraints of a hospital setting. 

We offer the gift of remembrance photography to families who have experienced the loss of a baby shortly before or after birth. This will generally be the only opportunity these families will have to access professional quality photography and to receive heirloom quality images of their beautiful baby. 

We know through studies on bereavement and through feedback received from families, that great healing can come from the opportunity to have a remembrance photography session. Not everyone will feel comfortable with the idea, and some people may have the photographs taken and perhaps not choose to look at them for even a number of years. There is of course no pressure to avail of this service, however we have heard many accounts from parents who are very glad they chose to go ahead, and sadly families who regret not taking pictures or having them taken. 

This service is completely free to families thanks to the wonderful work of our volunteer photographers and administration team. 

All of our team are highly trained both in terms of interacting with families with care and compassion, and also in terms of providing beautiful photography within the constraints of a hospital setting.

The first and most crucial step is to tell families about our service. Unfortunately some families do not hear about the service until their short time with their baby has passed and they perhaps hear about it when interacting with other bereaved families. 

If the family is interested in requesting a session, a member of the hospital team would normally contact our central line number 083 733 74444. The line is open from 9am until 9pm, 7 days a week.

The dispatcher on duty will gather the key information from you and will then set about trying to allocate an available photographer. At this point availability is not guaranteed as our team of volunteers all have other work and family commitments. Being able to offer as much flexibility as possible is really helpful, although of course we understand that different circumstances come with different restrictions. We will always try our very best to accommodate.

We like for our photographers to feel as prepared as possible going into each session. We need the core information such as names of the baby, the parent’s names, contact details etc. It is also helpful to know if other family members are going to be present, particularly if there are siblings. We would also need to know the gestation or age of the baby, and any other relevant information that could help our volunteers. 

We also need to know windows of availability, for example if there is an expected time for leaving the hospital or if a post mortem is scheduled. Please rest assured that all information provided will be handled with the utmost of care and privacy and that we are fully GDPR trained and compliant.

Unfortunately at times it is possible that we will not have a photographer available within the available time frame. We will always be up front if that is looking like a possibility so that you are not in a position of promising a session to the family. In the unfortunate case where a photographer is not available, we can offer a digital retouching service for photos that the family have taken themselves or that a member of the hospital team have provided. A guide on posing and the type of details we would suggest to capture is here. To access the digital retouching service contact here.

Our service is aimed at babies who are stillborn or pass away shortly after birth, usually when families have not had the opportunity to bring them home or to have portraits taken. This is usually babies from 24 weeks gestation, although in some cases it may be possible under hospital guidance to provide the service from 22 weeks.  The upper guidelines are generally in line with the definition of neonatal death which is defined as death within the first 28 days of life. We are also in some cases able to complete end of life sessions where the baby is receiving end of life care.

NILMDTS have a universal policy of only providing black-and-white images. We want to be able to provide images which allow families to remember their baby in a way which is gentle and compassionate. Our post production work really relies on the nature of black and white to provide them with this.  

Our photographers are trained to encourage families to also take their own photographs, providing an additional avenue for capturing precious moments. This allows them to have their own collection of images alongside those captured by our volunteer photographers. Additionally, taking their own photos ensures that they have colour images and pictures of their baby when the photographer is not present.

• Very Straightforward

• I have never had an issue..it has always been an easy process

• Either myself or the midwife on the ward makes contact I have never had any issues

• I found the photographer excellent. Very professional and compassionate

• Feedback from parents has been excellent. They found the photographer very professional and kind. 

• They were so appreciative of the photographs and the timely manner in which they received them.

• The parents are always interested when I explain the service, it really is wonderful, thank you all so much