Becoming a parent is many contradictory things; it is at once thrilling and terrifying, joyous and overwhelming, and exhausting and exhilarating. There is no single story, experience, or emotion that can properly describe the first hours, days and weeks of being a new mother or father. Nor is there a single image that can accurately capture this journey.
But through a collection of intimate portraits depicting the beauty of welcoming a newborn baby into the family, a telling picture of parenting can emerge. Together with the March of Dimes, we present a glimpse into parenthood as it blossoms.
A miraculous moment in many parents’ lives? First feeling their baby’s heartbeat against their own.
Parents insist that there is no greater joy than watching their children smile. In viewing this joyful image, we understand why!
The awesome miracle of a new baby often takes parents by surprise, producing moments of sheer wonderment.
From their babies’ birth onward, parents serve as a guiding light for their children as they make their way in the world.
Skin-to-skin contact enhances the health and happiness of newborns after delivery.
It only takes a moment for a baby to become the center of a Mom and Dad’s world.
One of the inevitable side effects of new parenthood? Extreme exhaustion.
In the eyes of a child, the world is a strange and beautiful place, simply begging for exploration.
In resting their head against that of their baby, many parents marvel at how something so small can produce such a profound bond.
So many moments of fatherhood are to be savored, be it reading a bedtime story to baby or standing nose-to-nose with your newborn.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For more than 75 years, parents and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines and breakthroughs. Connect with us on our website to learn more about our new Give them tomorrow initiative, designed to combat premature birth and to make a difference in the lives of babies born too soon.