It was a crisp autumn weekend in late October. Northeast Ohio is purely splendid on days like these. I was hiking the Ledges Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park with my two sons, William and Alexander and my husband, David.  I was 37 weeks and 6 days pregnant with our third son.

 Videos we captured from that weekend showed the boys cutting dinosaurs out of pink construction paper, dancing with me in our kitchen, scrambling the rock faces in the national park, and shuffling our feet through the leaf-filled trails. 

The video not captured is the one that is etched in our minds forever. 

The boys asked me to feel the baby. I lied on the living room floor, William and Alexander snuggled close, and rubbed my belly.  David was in the garage working on his next carpentry project.  The next thing I know, I was standing at the door to the house.  I told David we’re not feeling the baby.  “If this little guy doesn’t move in the next hour, I’m going to the hospital.”

Our stomachs drop. After no further movement from the baby, we scrambled to get our boys in the car and drop them off at a close family member’s house. We then drove the 25 minutes, of what felt like an eternity, to our hospital. I knew something was very wrong, and I thought he might have died, but hoped I was wrong. 

Two hours later, we were surrounded by my medical team and stared at the familiar image of our baby’s heart on the ultrasound machine.  The only sound in the room was the hollow vibrations of the microphone on my belly and the physician telling us “I want to show you what I see.”

Our baby’s heart had stopped beating.

Charles Corvi by NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer & DRA, Marti Wagner

Our son, Charles Martin Corvi, was stillborn on October 26, 2021. He was 15 days shy of his due date. His umbilical cord was tied in a true knot. Other than the issue with his cord, Charlie was a perfectly healthy, fully developed baby.  Our lives have not been the same since. 

22 hours later, Marti Wagner, a volunteer photographer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, walked into our room and captured images of our sweet boy. Marti gave us the gift of being able to see and remember Charlie for the rest of our lives.  These are the only tangible memories we will ever have of Charlie.  The images she captured have allowed the rest of the world the opportunity to see Charlie’s face.  She was also one of a select few people who got to meet and hold Charlie. More than three years later, Marti has become a close friend and continues to offer her time and support.  She volunteers at our annual event, Charlie’s Challenge, each year.  It is only fitting that Marti serves as the first face welcoming participants to Charlie’s Challenge at the registration table.  Her presence with us serves as a link back to the day Charlie was born.  We are blessed to have Marti and NILMDTS in our lives.  

Almost four years later, Charlie continues to impact the world he will never know.  We started the Charles Martin Corvi Fund to raise awareness and donate money to organizations that support families who've also experienced pregnancy and infant loss.  

For some of you, your story is very similar.  For others of you, the circumstances in how you lost your baby is different. However, our common bond is that we are all remembering and honoring our babies together. 

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a dedicated 501(c)(3) non-profit, offers families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss with complimentary remembrance portraits, capturing precious moments with their babies. Your generous donation can help us extend this heartfelt service to more families in need. Please consider supporting us here.