A midwife yelled “shirts off” just before a gestational surrogᴀte gave birth to their son in Kingston, Ontario, so new parents Frank Nelson and BJ Barone could hug their infant against their naked chests for skin-to-skin bonding. Lindsay Foster was photographing the birth as a gift to Kathy Frenette, the couple’s surrogate mother. Foster captured the moment Milo was held for the first time by his fathers, even before the umbilical cord was severed. A shirtless Nelson, 44, pulls Milo to his chest in the images, and Barone, 34, has an arm over each of them as the new fathers cry tears of joy. In a phone conversation with TODAY Parents on Monday, Nelson said, “She truly recorded the most wonderful moment.” “I was really taken aback. I was ᴛᴇʀʀɪfɪᴇᴅ about dropping the child. Most of the time, I was filled with excitement, love, and wonder.”
Foster explained that the sheer feeling he caught “represents unconditional love to us and pure delight.” “I was so delighted, overjoyed, overtaken with emotion,” Barone continued, “it was a fantastic experience I will never forget.” The fact that we have this photo serves as a constant reminder of our affection for him.” The couple used a mobile camera to take a few images of Milo, and Nelson joked that they were pleased with the 200 “likes” one of them earned on Facebook. But it was nothing compared to the reception Foster received when she uploaded two of her images on Facebook, where they soon went viral.
Nelson remarked, “The fact that she got that photo was extraordinary.” “We owe her a huge debt of gratitude.” When the couple looks at the images and sees how they appeared, they are still in sʜᴏᴄᴋ. “I started sobbing as soon as I watched it,” Barone added, “because you can see such passion on everyone’s face, especially Frank’s.” “It reduced me to tears right away.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.” Milo has wonderful timing, according to the Toronto couple, who have been married for over four years. Milo, the son of two high school teachers, was born at the conclusion of the school year after their first effort at having a kid failed.
On June 27, he came to Toronto for the World Pride L.G.B.T rights celebration. Nelson stated, “He’s absolutely our pride baby.” “We’re really proud of him.” To us, the image exemplifies what pride is all about and how far the L.G.B.T community has progressed. Love is love, and pride is all about love.” The remarks came in as the photographs circulated on the Internet. Some barbs were negative, but the majority were positive. According to Barone, one guy responded that the photographs “opened his heart to acceptance” and that “the love displayed for a kid has no bounds.”
“That made me cry,” he continued. “We’re not trying to make the world a better place. It’s a great feeling to know that we’ve been able to raise awareness and, maybe, inspire people.” Actor George Takei, an early member of the cast, shared their photo “Congratulations, new fathers,” said a Star Trek” cast member turned L.G.B.T rights campaigner with a large Facebook following. These photographs serve as a lovely reminder that love is the glue that holds a family together.” Nelson expressed his delight that the photo has sparked a conversation about ʜᴏᴍᴏsᴇxᴜᴀʟ rights and what it takes to be a decent parent on the internet.
“This can open people’s eyes and start a ᴅᴇʙᴀᴛᴇ about how all a child needs is unconditional love, whether it comes from a guy or a woman or somewhere in the middle,” he added. It was Foster’s first experience photographing a surrogate delivery. While she is used to pregnant women needing assistance throughout labor and delivery, she believed three parents were in need of assistance this time. She found out a month before the birth that the intended parents were a ʟᴇsʙɪᴀɴ couple, which she described as “extraordinary.” The pair has returned to Toronto, where they are still looking at those first images and reminiscing about their baby days.
