Becoming parents are a challenging yet rewarding process. Seeing our children grow up healthily day by day, leave home, and have their own life. It’s the simplest yet biggest achievement of all parents in their life.
Nothing can describe the feeling of dads and moms when seeing their babies for the very first time. There are few moments in life as moving as when moms give birth and meet their baby for the first time … but what about dads? It’s just as heart-melting. Dads lay eyes on their newborns for the first time and hold his baby in his arms for the first time. It gets them hooked. They actually become a father. It must be one of the most magical moments in their life. To preserve it forever, why not capture that meet-and-greet?
As one photographer so eloquently put it: Moms tend to bond with their babies throughout the pregnancy, but the love often doesn’t hit dads until they first met their newborn baby. As a new dad sees and finally gets to hold his baby in his arms for the first time, it sinks in — I am a father. This is my child. That’s what makes these images so powerful and emotional to see — consider this an ode to fatherhood from the moment it begins.
The collection is below is about 40 emotional photos of dads meeting their baby for the first time captured by several amazing birth photographers who are able to witness these intimate moments of families growing. Let’s scroll down to look and share them!
1. The Moment Moms Miss
“This dad is holding his newest little girl for the first time,” says photographer Jessica Heksem. “One of my favorite moments to capture — after Mom’s face after the birth of their baby — is Dad’s reaction. This is something that most moms don’t see because they are having their own bonding moments, so to catch those loving smiles that they have just melts my heart!”
2. Safe in Dad’s Arms
“This image was taken right after this dad witnessed the quick two-hour homebirth of his baby girl,” says photographer Sarah Jankowski. “You could tell he was already so in love with her!”
3. Making Faces
“This funny man is holding his daughter for the first time,” says photographer Tammy Schmit. “As he stared adoringly into her eyes, she stuck her tongue out at him, and he responded in kind.”
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4. One-on-One Time
“In this photo, Dad comforts his brand-new baby boy under the warming light,” says photographer Laura Eckert. In fact, according to birth photographers, the warming light is often the first place where dads get to meet and bond with their infants.
5. Hello There!
“This baby was laid on his mama’s chest as soon as he was born,” says photographer Casandra Hawkins. “This was the moment his daddy got to see his son for the very first time.”
6. Catch!
“This daddy is catching his very first daughter,” says photographer Melissa Cate. “Mama delivered in the water on her hands and knees, and baby went directly into Daddy’s waiting arms.”
7. Double Rainbow Baby
“After two losses, this happy and supportive father welcomed his double rainbow baby daughter into the world,” says photographer Jennifer Mason. “His strong wife labored for over 24 hours to bring baby earthside, and this dad was there every step of the way.”
8. The Four Faces of Fatherhood
“This series of photos embodies everything becoming a father is to me,” says photographer Ashley Marston. “I look at it often, and it brings me right back to that moment. As the photographer, it was hard to keep my camera still. The tears were rolling down my cheeks. I could see the range of emotion in him. It had been a very long and emotional birth, there was relief, then awe, disbelief and then overwhelming love. A lot of the emotions we experience every day as parents — all captured in one very important moment.”
9. Skin to Skin
“There is no better feeling in this world than that first skin-to-skin contact with your fresh baby,” says Marston, the photographer of this photo too. While skin-to-skin is something we typically think of babies doing with Mom, with Dad, it’s just as beautiful.
10. Holding Hands
In this photo, dad and baby bonded with a little hand holding. “Shortly after coming earthside, this baby grasped onto her father’s finger,” says photographer Sabrena Rexing.