An emotional photo of the moment a mom hugged her older child before giving birth as a goodbye touched parents online. When mom Nikki Colquitt gave birth to her third child in 2016, Laura Paulescu, a birth photographer was on hand to document this great experience. While the mom was in labor, Paulescu captured this beautiful moment, and then she shared it with her then-youngest child before welcoming a new baby into her family!!!
Nikki Colquitt was married to Denver Broncos punter Britton Colquitt, and at the time she gave birth, the couple was parents to 4-year-old Nash, 2-year-old Everly, and 7-month-old Isla. The mom shared the story behind her viral birth photo. She said: “The photo was taken during labor with my daughter Isla, just before my older two went home to spend the night with their grandmother,”
“At that moment my daughter Everly had taken a break from bouncing around the room (literally, on one of those birthing balls) to climb on the bed. I can just hear her saying ‘hold me, mommy,’ so at that moment I took the opportunity to savor holding my littlest before I had a new ‘littlest.’” “It’s such a strange phenomenon in motherhood to feel guilty or sad saying goodbye to one baby as you are so excited to be introduced to another,” Colquitt continued.
“I always ask myself if I gave my youngest child enough time as ‘the baby’ before having the next baby.” The photo has made viral when several parenting-themed sites shared the image on social media. Colquitt said she believed the image has resonated with so many viewers because this feeling of goodbye is universal for parents who have multiple kids.
Photographer Paulescu agreed with her client. “Holding your ‘little’ one so close one last time, before they’re no longer the little one,” she said.
“That’s a moment you’ll remember forever: the gut-wrenching mixture of overwhelming joy, heartbreak at saying goodbye to your ‘baby,’ and fear every time you wonder how your love can grow even more.”
The photographer, who had two children at the time, said she is “honored” to have been able to capture that moment. “Every mother of two or more children has had this moment,” she said, “whether it’s a kiss on their forehead in the middle of the night, a final tearful hug before leaving the driveway for a scheduled induction, or a last snuggle in the hospital bed before they leave with grandma.”
“No matter how it happens, the feeling is the same, and seeing this moment frozen in a photograph transports you right back there.” Both Colquitt and Paulescu said they were blown away by the response to the photo and enjoyed reading the comments from other moms. “I hope this photo reminds people of love in its purest form, love from a mother,” Colquitt said.
“I value the bond that we mothers share.” “I love how this photo has brought together so many mothers to share their own stories.” “Giving birth is so much more than ‘THE MOMENT’ when a baby is born; it’s a whole beautiful mess of hellos, goodbyes, joy, sadness, sacrifice… and love that overwhelms you more than anything in your entire life,” Paulescu continued!