Touching footage has captured the moment a father burst into tears after cutting his newborn son’s umbilical cord.
Jack Jones, 20, from Salford, was overcome with emotion when nurses gave him the opportunity to cut firstborn Dexter’s umbilical cord shortly after partner Keisha Davies gave birth last month at the Royal Bolton Hospital in Bolton.
The labourer was initially unsure, but when the midwife placed a clamp on the umbilical cord and handed him the surgical scissors, he decided to make the cut.
And the video, which sees Jack bursting into tears as he carried out the procedure has since gone viral, racking up thousands of views on social media.
Jack Jones, 20, from Salford, was overcome with emotion when nurses gave him the opportunity to cut firstborn Dexter’s umbilical cord in hospital last month
Speaking about the life-changing moment, Jack said: ‘Because labour happened so fast, I had to keep all of my emotions in and stay strong for Keisha, as well as myself to just get through it.
‘When I was asked if I wanted to cut the cord, I didn’t even think about it- I just knew I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, and I wanted to get involved in the experience.
‘As soon as I first laid eyes on Dexter, I just knew. I burst into tears, because all that emotion I had held in for so long just came flooding into me.
‘It was in that moment I realised I’m a dad now,’ he added touchingly.
Stay-at-home new mother Keisha Davies gave birth to her second child, Jack’s first, last month at the Royal Bolton Hospital in Bolton.
Shortly after the video was taken, little Dexter was placed on his mum’s chest for his first skin-to-skin contact – and it was only then Keisha realised what Jack had done.
And when the new mum saw the clip for the first time the following day, she was filled with emotion once more.
When Keisha posted the video to group Girlsmouth on Facebook, the couple were shocked at the thousands of reactions and lovely comments within an hour-many hailing the new father’s emotional display.
The labourer was initially unsure, but when the midwife placed a clamp on the umbilical cord and handed him the surgical scissors, he decided to make the cut
Stay-at-home mother-of-two Keisha, from Wythenshawe, said: ‘The video just shows the raw emotion of the moment.
‘I said ‘are you okay?’ because I could see all of the emotion on his face. He just kept crying and fussing around the baby.
‘When he had time to sit down with me for a moment, he just kept crying and saying ‘thank you, thank you so much, thank you’.
‘I felt like I couldn’t love him more than I did in that moment.
‘We do feel like there’s sometimes a stigma surrounding men that it’s not ‘manly’ to cry, but it’s the most natural thing in the world, and that’s why we want other people to see our beautiful moment.’
The video, which sees Jack bursting into tears as he carried out the procedure has since gone viral, racking up thousands of views on social media
She continued: ‘In the video I can see the look of love on his face for our son, and I couldn’t have expected a better, more beautiful reaction.
‘I can just see in the way he holds him and looks at him that he worships him.’
And speaking about the response online, she added: ‘We were amazed by the reaction to the footage on social media – nearly every single response has been positive to such a natural and beautiful experience.
‘Jack has been extremely flattered at the comments, and has now been walking around the house telling me he’s ‘Facebook famous’.’
Jack, then-19, and Keisha, then-24, met online in 2017 and soon after exchanging numbers, they spent every spare second talking or texting.
When the new mum saw the clip for the first time the following day, she was filled with emotion once more and shared it to Facebook where it racked up thousands of likes
Keisha said things became serious very quickly and the couple, who now live in Leigh, Greater Manchester, had been together almost a year when their son was born late last month.
It was quite a shock when Keisha took a positive pregnancy test. She called Jack at work, and asked him to get home as quick as possible.
Keisha’s pregnancy was enjoyable, and went by without issues, other than a few months of morning sickness, with Jack extremely supportive the whole time.
Keisha said: ‘When Jack and I met there was an instant connection. As soon as we met, we just started spending all our spare time together.
Keisha said things became serious very quickly and the couple, who now live in Leigh, Greater Manchester, had been together almost a year when their son was born late last month
‘When I got pregnant we worried a little, as it’s a big commitment, but we both knew we couldn’t have been happier.
‘When I called Jack after taking a positive pregnancy test he thought I’d let one of his cats out and was panicking, but when he got home he checked on the cats without a word and then said ‘you’re pregnant, aren’t you?’
‘He was shocked, surprised and in disbelief for a few days.
‘I always knew Jack would be a great father because of how much worry he showed during my pregnancy, and how much emotion he showed at scans.
‘He’d always wanted children when he was a bit older, but says he’s glad he’s having a child younger, because it means he gets to spend more time with them.
‘Since Dexter’s been here, he’s done everything from night feeds to nappy changes.
‘We can’t imagine a future without each other.’
‘As soon as I first laid eyes on Dexter, I just knew. I burst into tears, because all that emotion I had held in for so long just came flooding into me. It was in that moment I realised I’m a dad now,’ Jack said