Even superheroes were babies once, and one incredible photograph testifies to that. Taken by the baby’s proud father just moments after he was successfully delivered by cesarean section, a photo captured the seconds-old son striking an air punch worthy of the superhero of the same name, none other than the iconic Superman.
What a way to make an entrance!
Harry also measured 50 centimeters tall.
Bree had experienced a cesarean section before as her older son Jack was delivered the same way. But both births brought with them their own, unique experience. “It was a surreal experience,” Bree remembered of Harry’s birth, “seeing Harry being born and seeing his face for the first time ... Harry never engaged,” Bree continued, explaining that the baby was improperly positioned for a natural birth and a cesarean section was the best option for both mom and baby.
The operation went perfectly. “The C-section was actually a really calm experience,” Bree shared.
The moment before Harry’s emergence into the world, the nurses in the operating room asked Bree if she was ready to meet her son. “My husband was in the operating theater with me,” Bree said, but owing to his aversion to needles, he momentarily left while doctors administered the epidural that would anesthetize Bree throughout the procedure.
Epidurals are certainly not for the faint-hearted! But mercifully, Bree’s husband came back in time to comfort his wife and snap the first photo of his strapping second son.
Bree remembers the procedure being quick, a mere 20 minutes from beginning to end. Staff in the operating theater lifted Bree gently from her horizontal position so that she could witness her son being born. “My husband took the picture of Harry,” she recalled. “That entrance was the first time I saw my son.”
It wasn’t until recently, however, that the true power of the photo came into its own. Bree revealed that she never shared the photo, or thought much of it, until a close friend asked Bree if she would share a birth story.
The responses flooded in. “When my friend asked if I had any photos of my boys’ deliveries for C-section awareness and then she published it on Instagram, I had people reaching out to me in support of the picture,” Bree shared, delighted that her husband’s timely snap had finally made it out into the light of day. It was being appreciated by expectant parents everywhere, not to mention the rest of the world.
Bree hopes that the support network, the story, and even the photo of baby Harry will “empower other women in their birth journey.”
“I’m proud my photo could be helping other women,” she said.
For the expectant parents of baby superheroes everywhere, take note from baby Harry: this is how you pack a punch!