Bereavement photographs as family photographs: Findings from a phenomenological study on family experience with neonatal end-of-life photography

There has been little communication studies research into the neonatal end-of-life photography offered to families experiencing the death of a newborn in hospital settings. To contribute insight into how families experience this photography, a phenomenological study was conducted with parents (n = 10) who had photos taken around the death of their newborns within a Canadian neonatal intensive care unit. This article reports findings from data collected through semi-structured interviews about the meaning these photographs hold for families after they leave the hospital and about their experience of sharing these images with others. The paper concludes with a discussion on neonatal end-of-life photography as domestic photography, contextualizing the practice within the contemporary culture of constant capture and circulation of family snapshots. I propose the public presence of these photographs as family photographs has potential to challenge the current culture in which expressions of mourning around reproductive loss are otherwise rendered invisible.