31 Dads Photographed In Their Very First Moments With Their New Babies

"I felt extremely nervous about being a father since, I did not have a dad growing up. I didn't think I could love another person as much as I did my wife. However, once I saw him being born via emergency c-section; all that nervousness went away immediately. I have been amazed and in love with him more and more as the days go by. He has filled a hole in my life that I didn't even know was there; and that couldn't be filled by anything else but him. I am proud to be his father and he is my best buddy."

"I was so happy our healthy, beautiful baby girl was finally here!"

"A perfect start."

"I loved having these few moments with him because I knew when he met his momma for the first time he would be head over heels for he."

"I was exhausted, grateful, relieved and so profoundly happy, all at once."

"I need to save for college...."

"Profound love, pride, and joy."

"Only when I woke up would I feel freaked out about taking home this tiny being with the realization that I was now a first time father."

"There are many pictures of me and my baby boy but this one is my favorite. He's only a couple of weeks in this photo and already alert and so happy. There's no other feeling like this in the world. He is my heart."

"Cameron's first selfie."

"My life & heart became complete on January 12, 2014 when my precious daughter was born. I fell head over hills in love with the most beautiful black haired blue eyed baby girl, Lucy Paige. She's a daddy's girl right from the start."

"Our baby is way cuter than the Gerber Baby."

"Amazing feeling and was blessed."

"Pretty terrified at the time! Our son Jude was born 7 weeks early via emergency c-section."

"Our twin girls were born 9 weeks early and this was the only physical interaction my wife & I could have for their first week of life. It wasn't the most ideal situation, but I couldn't have asked for more perfect girls!"

"So. Damn. Tired."

"1st photo of just me and my 12 day old son without the docs, etc. he was induced 2.5 weeks early due to medical concerns for him and my wife and after a few scary moments during labor, we finally got home and it was one of the 1st moments of peace I had with him alone, my wife took the picture while the 2 of us got some much needed rest."

"I was expecting another girl, but felt no disappointment to see my son was healthy. I was excited to share things unique to a father and son. And I realized the great lifelong responsibility I had to show this boy what it is to be a man."

"Had nothing but tears in my eyes when my baby boy was born. I knew right then and there my world was gonna be much better than ever."

"Many of the nurses and our doctor couldn't believe how "big" he was at 9 lbs. 3 oz. The first few times I held him I remember thinking they were crazy and that I'm glad he wasn't any smaller. My wife may not agree."

"The smallest man I'd ever met, made me absolutely terrified."

"It's the moment I had been thinking about for my entire life. My dad gave me this OSU football when I was born and I always wanted to give it to my kid. The picture is almost exactly the same. It means nothing to anyone else, but to me it means the world."

"The breath of life x2 was more than enough to take mine away for a lifetime! My little boy and girl were finally here and words were not enough to describe the feeling felt with these two so close, bonding with dad for the first time."

"When my daughter Alba came into my life all I could do was smile, she was a blessing and I knew right then my life was about to change."

"I was so excited when we finally got to meet our daughter, Aurelia. She's our first, we had tried for 2 years and were a month away from getting meds. I was next to her while they were doing the initial checkup and got to carry her back to my wife. She looked right at me during the exam when I started talking to her. I was absolutely elated and completely in love with her from the start."

"We brought twins into the world on 2/4/2014. This is Naomi Claire with me here, and her brother William Reese was snoozing with Mom, but as this is my first girl, I was tickled pink! Daddy and daddies little girl."

"I've always liked women of course but I felt a brand new affinity, like a wave, for the whole gender when I held my daughter for the first time."

"After being told she'd never be able to conceive, 3 years later here's me holding our miracle daughter. She is my world."

"The first week was a whirlwind of new experiences. I think it was around this time (day seven) that the adrenaline we had been going on for the past week caught up to us and sheer exhaustion set in. Everyone likes to remind us that the exhaustion does not go away, it just becomes the new normal that you ultimately get used to. As my wife and I say to each other repeatedly, we couldn’t imagine life any different or more wonderful than it is now."

"My husband came home from deployment and met his son in November. Our son "knew" him by the picture books I made and a canvas photo that hung in his room. He would write his own words but again he is serving our country for the next few months." -- Wife, Jenifer Richardson

"Fatherhood became real on this day and I have been loving this life journey with him everyday."