The first hello: meeting your new baby
After months of scans, kicks and wondering what your baby will look like, the moment you've been waiting for is almost here. Soon you'll get to see that little face you've been dreaming of and hold your baby in your arms for the very first time.
Your baby already knows you
Imagine that first cuddle: your newborn snuggled against you, taking in a brand-new world. Almost everything around them is unfamiliar, the light, the sounds and the feeling of being held.
But some things are already familiar. Your baby knows your voice, having spent months listening to you talking and laughing. Hearing you again can help them settle, and your familiar smell is comforting, too.
And while they might know your voice, this is the first time they’ve seen you. Newborns can focus best on things around 20 to 30 centimetres away roughly the distance between your faces when you're holding them close.
Holding your newborn baby
Meeting your baby is the beginning of an incredible relationship, filled with first cuddles, familiar sounds and the joy of getting to know the little person you’ve been waiting for. You might feel an instant rush of love, or your connection may build through the quiet, everyday moments you share together. Both are completely normal, and there’s no right way or timescale for bonding.
However your little one arrives you’ll no doubt feel exhausted, shaky, overwhelmed or maybe relieved that it's over. Holding your baby for the first time after so many months of imagining the moment, can be exciting and surreal.
“The moment I saw my son, I recognised his profile from the scan. Somehow, it made that first meeting even more emotional. I already knew something about him before we'd even met.”
The moments you'll want to remember
Those first hours can pass in a blur. Have a quick word with your partner beforehand about the photos you'd love to capture and the way you’d like to do things:
The first cuddle:
A photo of you and your baby together, whenever that moment happens.
The little details:
Tiny hands, wrinkly feet, sleepy expressions, or that unexpectedly impressive head of hair.
The first introductions:
Your partner or birth companion meeting the baby for the first time.
The first family photo:
Ask your midwife if they can take a picture of you, your partner and your baby together.
And so it begins…
This is the start of an extraordinary new chapter: meeting your baby, discovering their little personality and sharing all the firsts that will become part of your family’s story. For all the planning and preparation, nothing can quite capture what it will feel like until they’re here and that’s part of the magic.
