“An incredible fear came over me … so I got over my embarrassment and just knelt down and talked to God.”
The young father is on his knees in prayer to God, beside his newborn son, cradled in the hospital newborn nursery. This scene has captivated thousands on the internet from the moment it was shared on Instagram (the second photo) by Victor Calmon, the 33-year-old new father of little Ivan, born in July.
The images were taken moments after the child was born by a photographer with Jana Brasil Photography, but they have made the emotion last much longer now that they have been reposted all over the world on various media platforms.
When posting with the original photos of his firstborn son Ivan, Victor wrote:
“That moment when it hits you like a ton of bricks and your hands are shaking because you suddenly discover your purpose and the reason you’re in this world. To God I say, ‘Thank you,’ to my wife I say, ‘ I love you,’ and to my son I say, ‘Welcome!’”
Victor was interviewed by the magazine Crescer, where he shared that it was all quite spontaneous:
“I saw myself at the center of a complicated situation, you know, and everything was new to me, and incredible fear came over me. Now, I wouldn’t be worrying just about me anymore; I had this new life to take care of. So I got over my embarrassment and just knelt down and talked to God. I asked him to help me mature, to become a better man, a good father, a good husband, and to increase my desire to grow and work, so that my child might not lack anything.”
The blessing of having a child is causing Victor and his wife Luana to face head-on the natural fears all young parents have for the sake of their baby.
“Besides working, whenever I can, I help my wife Luana to bathe Ivan and change his diapers,” he says. “I don’t have time for myself anymore. But I remember it’s all worth it when I come home and I see Ivan’s smile.”
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