One of the moments I remember most clearly after having given birth to my baby boy, was when his big sister was brought into the room to meet her little brother for the first time and I realized that she was no longer my only baby.
Much as it was the most beautiful thing, seeing my baby give her new brother the little bunny teddy she had bought him, and feeling so utterly blessed for having not one, but two gorgeous, healthy and perfect children, it also felt a little bittersweet to know that never again would my little girl, my first baby, the one who made me a mama, be my only one.
Our three years of being as close as two people can possibly be had now come to an end. From this moment, there would always be one more baby in my heart, on my mind, on my lap.
I think us mums all feel that like that when we get ready to embrace motherhood the second time around. There will always be that bittersweet feeling of knowing your first child will no longer be your only child – much as it is also, of course, so completely amazing to be able to feel your heart stretch to make room for #2.
And that feeling is so universal that when Portland-based birth photographer Laura Paulescu posted this picture she had taken,it quickly went viral and mums across the world found themselves sobbing over this oh-so-familiar feeling.
The photo is of a mother giving her firstborn a big hug goodbye before the little girl has to leave the delivery room so mom can give birth to her new sibling – and never before has the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” been so fitting.
In one little snap, all those feelings of motherhood are so beautifully summed up. The crazy love you have for your first baby, the knowledge that life is changing, the excitement for what is about to happen and the bittersweet realization that your first child will no longer be your only child.
In a blog post for Baby Center, one writer explains how seeing this compelling photo of a fellow mama giving her firstborn an emotional hug brought back memories of the moment she had to say goodbye to her daughter before heading off to have her sibling:
“How I clutched onto my firstborn for dear life. This would be the last moment she’d be my only baby. Forever. And while I couldn’t wait to welcome my new baby, my heart was breaking. I felt completely shattered inside. I didn’t want to let go. Ever.”
But that hug in the photo is something else too, I can see it with my mama eyes. It is a mum quietly and ferociously assuring both herself and her firstborn that no matter what, everything will be okay. Because she is their mama.
