When you first meet your child, you experience an incredible mixture of emotions, including love, relief, anxiety, and delight. These photographs of fathers meeting their newborns for the first time convey the thrill and intensity of childbirth. You must witness the special link between father and child to really comprehend it.

These photographs, many of which were entered to the 2019 Birth Becomes Her Photo Contest, provide visual evidence of the instant bond between father and child when words fail.

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1. Pure Joy

This photograph, taken by Alyssa Kapnik Samuel, depicts a new father clutching his infant while beaming broadly. The new father's tremendous joy is infectious.

2. Tearful & Tired

As photographed by Lisa Lord of Lilo Photography, few seconds after the birth of this child, the hospital staff placed him on his mother's chest while his father gazed at him with tears in his eyes. It is an ecstatic photograph of family unity, and the father's affection is palpable.

3. Papa Bear

In this photograph also taken by Lisa Lord, a parent watches as his newborn baby receives an oxygen treatment shortly after birth. He desires to be at his child's side as he receives medical care and adjusts to the outside world.

4. Love At First Sight

In this image captured by Ashley of Bonjour BéBé Full Spectrum Birth Services, a father gazes at his newborn while his spouse holds his new child within seconds after his or her birth. The father appears to be near to tears as he leans his body towards his family, and the entire image reveals how much this pair adores their little child.

5. First Kiss

This photograph by Lisa Lord captures a tender moment between a father and his newborn son shortly after his birth. While hospital staff cleans up his wounds, the father tenderly kisses his child's fingers with the utmost care. Father and son have their faces inclined towards one another, with affection flowing between them.

6. There You Are

In this photograph taken by Erin Fortney, a father and a child reach for one other. Currently, the father has only eyes for his newborn.

7. Hello Baby!

In this photograph by Austin Birth Photography' Kayla Gonzales, a father cheers as his girlfriend gives birth to his child. His mouth is wide open in joy and awe, his arms are outstretched as if he's trying to create room in the world for his child, and his eyes are glued to the newborn.