As a birth photographer, Dannielle Hale knows how nerve-racking going into labor with a child can be for first-time parents.
Karissa and James – a couple she just had a baby – went through those intense emotions when she was finally supposed to push. James’s reaction to seeing his daughter enter the world is one of the most dramatic and emotional as he experiences overwhelming emotions as a father for the first time. Lucky Dannille was there to seize the moment.
“I watched this dad pace the floors and stand there helplessly as his wife roared through the waves,” wrote Dannielle in her Instagram caption.
“I watched as James nervously held Karissa’s hands and whispered to her about how awesome she was doing. Even though he was still afraid, I watched as he supported her and applied counterpressure during the waves for her.”
As someone who had never given birth before, Karissa was concerned that she would not be able to bear the pain.
Dannille said: “James was very nervous when labor started and his wife was in pain. Karissa continuously complained about her inability to manage the agony throughout the birth, she informed me.”
She survived it all as a monster rock star, so you really won’t ever know. The best support system is James. Although he pulled her up and held her hand, you could still see the worry on his face.
James’s anxiety was at an all-time high when Karissa was informed that she was too far along in the labor process to obtain an epidural.
“At the very end, she asked for an epidural, but when they checked her one last time, they said it was too late, baby was right there and time to push,” she explained.
She added: “The dad was even more nervous, but once it came time to push, he really got it together and encouraged her and cheered her on.”
As soon as their daughter was placed on his chest, everything just hit him hard, all of the nerves and worry he was holding inside, the emotions of seeing his new daughter and being so proud of his wife really hit him all at once, and he stepped back and just let it all out.
