[Photographs of deceased newborn infants as documentation and as aid in mourning process for parents]

The death of a newborn infant is an extremely emotional event for relatives. Many hospitals provide the parents with support, and in some cases a mourning protocol is available. Some hospitals offer parents photographs of infants which have died around birth. The photographs are often taken by a nurse or doctor on the maternity or paediatric ward. It is advisable to draw up a mourning protocol which allows professional studio photographs to be taken. As a photograph is often the only concrete memento that parents have of their baby, it is important for it to be of good quality. The parents decide what they would prefer, but it is important to point out to them that their wishes and needs immediately following the death may differ to those in the longer term.