LifeStone™
As sad as it is to know that your baby will die shortly after birth, benefit from the remaining time to prepare for the childbirth so that everything happens as you wish it to. Creating memories of the short time you have with your baby will help you along in your journey throughout grief and the healing process. And don't forget, you'll always be able to throw them away if you don't like them anymore, but you'll have only one opportunity to gather them...
Here are some ideas:
- keep a journal
- save the positive pregnancy test
- ask for ultrasound pictures
- videotape ultrasound
- record the baby's heart beat
- take pictures of your belly
- draw the silhouette of your belly or even make an imprint
- knit, sew or buy a hat for your baby
- knit, sew or buy two blankets for your baby
one you'll use while your baby will be in your arms and keep after, the second to wrap the baby in for the funeral
- buy or make several outfits, for his life, for the funeral
- take pictures! For more advice about how to take pictures, go here
- ask a professional photographer to take pictures
- videotape
- cut a lock of his hair (most of anencephalic babies have some hair on the back of their head)
- cut his fingernails
- make hand- and footprints in ink (a wonderful idea is to use a "rainbow ink pad" with different colours)
- make moulds of the baby's hand and feet (buy more than one kits and try at home before)
- if you have older children, make imprints of all the children together
- do drawings around his hands and feet
- place your baby on some paper and draw around his/her profile (to remember how big he/she was)
- draw a silhouette of your baby's face (put a sheet of paper near the baby's head, illuminate his face from the other side, draw along the shadow)
- put lipstick on your baby's lips to do lip prints
- use a special lotion when bathing your baby, the scent will remind you later of your baby
- change his/her diaper
- ask for the blanket your baby has been wrapped in (keep it in a sealed plastic bag to retain the smell)
- ask for the baby's bracelet
- ask for the umbilical peg
- ask for the tape mesure your baby has been mesured with
- keep the outfit your baby wore
- give your baby a stuffed animal
- keep your baby's stuffed animal with you (for your older kids) but put him an identical one in his casket
- buy a mizpah coin, a pendant which breaks into two pieces. Put one piece in the casket, keep the other one with you
- write a letter to your baby to put into the casket
- buy a special candle to light during funeral. Later you can light it again on birthdays, Christmas, etc.
- make the casket yourself or decorate the casket with drawings
- send birth / death announcements (look at tearsoup and a place to remember for ideas)
- dry or press the flowers you got for the birth / funeral
- have a professional artist draw your baby (from a picture or your description)
- make a patchwork quilt in your baby's memory
- plant a special tree or garden for your baby
- plant flowers that were out at the time of your baby's birth/death
- write down your baby's story
- set a diamond in your wedding ring in memory of your baby (set one diamond for each of your children)
- cheaper alternative: engrave your baby's name or initials in the back of your wedding ring
- choose a ring or bracelet with the birthstone of your baby in it have his name engraved in the back
- make pins in memory of your baby to wear at special occasions
- make a goodparenthood for a needy child
Some ideas I found on the web:
Bronze or Crystal castings of your baby's original imprints, made by hand.
Order the special Lifestone imprint kit before your baby's birth, make the imprints and send them back to Lifestone. The casting is made according to your order and shipped by air to you.
The footprint image is engraved into a solid walnut plaque in actual size. Also engraved is the newborns information
Baby Footprint Christmas Ornament
Curved
glass with baby's footprints.
All they need is a copy of the footprints from your baby. Add your baby's name, birth date, bible verses, ...
This heart shaped pendant with a "missing link" and birthstone symbolizes your missing baby.
Lenox
Mother's Little Gems Pendant
An open heart of silver personalized with birthstones representing the moth of the year. The mother's birthstone will be mounted at the top of the pendant, and her children's birthstones will be suspended from the heart. Also available as bracelet or ring.
Two beautiful hand-crafted ceramic hearts-in-one. When separated, the tiny inner heart can be placed with the baby in his casket (or kept with the baby's mementos) and the remaining heart is kept by the mother.
Baby
Feet
Glass
Etching Fever
My
Heart's Missing Link