Sign up for our free newsletter:

 1 of 1

My husband and I knew for three-and-a-half months before our baby was born that he would die shortly after birth. One of the things we were able to do with that gift of time was prepare to create memories of our son, Gabriel.

Through reading about other families' experiences with the death of a newborn, we learned that many families find solace in tangible keepsakes such as photographs, even photographs taken after the baby has died. So my hospital bag was packed with all the usual items, plus a plaster-of-Paris kit for his footprints, a baptismal gown, and rolls and rolls of film.

After Gabriel died, my husband and I compiled a set of gift boxes for the hospital where he was born to be given to parents suffering similar losses. Into each box we put a plaster-of-Paris footprint kit, a disposable camera, a baby book specifically for babies who die, a copy of the booklet When Hello Means Goodbye, and a small stuffed toy lamb. Our daughters, then 5 and 3, had the special job of placing the lambs in the boxes. Both the parents who received the boxes and the staff at the hospital told us that these gifts helped these bereaved parents find a sense of hope and healing, even in the midst of their grief.

If you'd like to create similar memory boxes or would like more information on the keepsakes and literature mentioned here, these websites are a great place to start.

• A Place to Remember:
  www.aplacetoremember.com
• SHARE Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Inc:
  www.nationalshareoffice.com/catalog.asp
• RTS bereavement services at Gunderson Lutheran Medical Foundation:
  www.bereavementprograms.com

—Amy Kuebelbeck is the author of Waiting With Gabriel (Loyola)

Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Parenting Today magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Christian Parenting Today.

 1 of 1

share this page

	We'd really like to know what you think about this article!
	Is this the kind of article you'd like to see more of? Is there a topic you'd like us to cover? Please send your response to

				Try 3 Issues of Christianity Today Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

FREE MomSense Newsletter Subscribe to the MomSense Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help