Women and babies are the stars of childbirth, but dads play an important role, too. A supportive partner can significantly impact the labor and delivery process by giving the pregnant woman’s tired back a massage or by reassuring her of her strength when she is feeling most vulnerable.
Check out these professional pictures of dads in the delivery room to see what we mean. They’ll make you laugh, they’ll make you cry, but most importantly they’ll remind you, if you ever needed reminding, that dads deserve to be spoiled today for being there for us, and there with us, since the very first day we were born.
Here are 10 of them, with captions from the photographers.
“This mother is in transition — that intense period of time just before pushing — without the use of epidural or pain medication. She had a doula present, but her husband was her true anchor.”
“After a long labor by his wife’s side, this dad woke up from a quick nap at 2 a.m., scrubbed up with the midwife and eagerly delivered his beautiful baby boy!”
“This daddy helped deliver his son who was born en caul during a home water birth!”
“This dad is a firefighter and paramedic. Part of the couple’s deal was that if they were going to have a third baby, he’d get to help with the delivery. When it was time for mom to push, the great OB-GYN was very supportive of his involvement and essentially guided dad through the delivery. When he delivered his son, he was totally hands-on!”
“Complete happiness! This was the couple’s second daughter, born at home.”
“This couple had really, really wanted a baby for several years. While I was waiting for the baby’s father to come out from the OR, his sister said, ‘I can hear him crying from here!’ One minute later, we saw him — covered in happy tears and holding his baby girl.”
“These dads waited for so long for their baby — born via surrogate at a birth center — that they were just completely overcome with joy when they finally got to hold him.”
“This dad’s pregnant wife and unborn daughter tragically passed away years ago. On his ring finger, which is seen in the picture, he has tattoos of their names. He afterwards fell in love and met his wife. Jude is their first child. It was quite emotional to hold him skin-to-skin for the first time.”
“Fatherhood begins long before babies make their appearance. Endless love and unwavering support during labor and delivery is just one of the many ways!”
“This couple had an unplanned C-section. More than anything, the dad brought a place of stillness and focus in the midst of all the busy-ness.”
