This photo shoot of twins before one passed away is the saddest and most beautiful thing
Childbirth isn’t always a happy and joyous time for some expectant parents. There is loss and devastation for many parents and newborns. For a family in Ohio, the news came when Lyndsay Brentlinger was just 23 weeks pregnant; her baby had a heart defect.
The entire situation is bittersweet. The family was gifted a healthy new baby to love and nurture, while their other emotions ranged to grief and sorrow from the news of their other baby. On December 17th, Lyndsay gave birth to William and Reagan and 11 days later, William passed away due to the left side of his heart failing to function.
The family was originally told that William would be stillborn but miraculously, he was born alive and able to return to their home where he received hospice care.
Instead of dwelling in what would ultimately happen to William, the family enjoyed his presence and “tried to keep things positive,” Brentlinger told Us Weekly. She continued:
We took Will to Christmas Eve church service and read him bedtime stories. He loved being held and snuggled. We would talk to him about how much we loved him.
A beautiful tribute to William’s life is the photoshoot that the couple decided to have done with the two twins. These tear-jerking images captured by photographer Lindsey Brown document William’s brief life in the family home.
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Brown told Your Daily Dish, “Normally, I photograph the newborns in my studio. I was asked to go to their home due to baby William being under hospice care, which was completely understandable. We rushed to do the session as soon as possible, because nobody knew when sweet Will would pass.”
The powerful impact of photography is ever-lasting. The family will forever have their memory of William and for his twin sister, Reagan, too.
The grief of losing a child is never easy and many people aren’t aware of what couples cope with when overcoming the loss. There are dozens of associations and organizations that help families cope with the loss of neonatal or stillborn births and provide support, reading material, and recovery.
