Tucked between cedars and sprawling oaks in the rolling hills of western Mobile County, there's a quiet spot where families can remember infants lost too soon.

For almost 10 years, a monument etched with dozens of names has stood near the back of a small burial ground off Snow Road.

It marks a final resting place for children who died before, during or soon after birth, said Renee Rogers, nurse manager for the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of South Alabama Children's & Women's Hospital.

On Sunday, a memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. at the Pine Crest Funeral Home chapel off Dauphin Island Parkway to remember the children and comfort those who loved them.

The service is named Baby Rest.

"We do this service because nobody expects to lose a child," Rogers said. "You're prepared to bring home this baby, and you are going home without one."

Sunday's events will include prayers, music and a reading of deceased children's names.

Parents and family members are asked to bring small mementos to be placed in a chest.

As many as 300 people have gathered for the memorial service in past years. Typically, the crowds would depart the chapel singing "Amazing Grace."

"It's really a wonderful service," said Tom Gardener, a family service counselor at Pine Crest Cemetery, which donated the land for the burial plot and provides caskets.

"It's very moving. They've all shared the same experiences. Some of them lost their first child, some their second or third."

There is no charge to take part in the ceremony, Rogers said.

Rogers said that Baby Rest was started by a group called Healing Through Hope, led by two nurses, Elizabeth Roth and Kelly Morgan.

"This gives families the final closure that's needed," Rogers said.

For information about the Baby Rest program, call Pine Crest Funeral Home at 251-478-5227.