A mom has captured the precious moment her daughter met her baby brother for the first time, and the young girl couldn't believe he had arrived two months early.
At 32 weeks pregnant, Diamond-Lee Ferrer was rushed to the hospital on August 31 as she suffered a placental abruption, and much to her surprise, her son was delivered later that day. Preston's arrival came as a surprise to everyone, but none more so than to his sister, Camilla, aged six.
Ferrer, from Massachusetts, told Newsweek that Camilla knew she was headed to the hospital that day, "but she had no idea" that her brother would be making an arrival.
"After her first day of school, her grandmother (my mom) picked her up and brought her to visit me at the hospital, where we were waiting for her in the babies' NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] room. When she came in, she was so confused because we were in a room with a baby, and she didn't know that I'd had the baby."
"She asked me whose baby it was, and when I explained that it was our baby, her little brother, her emotions came over her. She felt so much love and that's when she started to cry."
It hasn't been an easy journey for Ferrer, who sadly had a stillbirth in December 2022, and Camilla was aware of what had happened. So, in this moment when she got to meet her "rainbow baby" brother for the first time, the whole family was left fighting back the tears.
Ferrer continued: "My heart was so full, especially because we suffered a stillbirth with our son Cole in December of 2022, and she was very much aware of everything that happened. So, this was our rainbow baby, and the brother she could actually hold."
Stillbirth is the loss of a baby after 20 weeks gestation or during the delivery, and it's a devastating reality that many families experience. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] estimates that it affects around one in every 175 births in the U.S., and around 21,000 babies are stillborn each year.
A stillbirth can affect people of all races, age, ethnicities and income levels, and it can often be unexplained. The CDC says that the further along a woman is in her pregnancy, the likelier it is for the stillbirth to be unexplained.
Families grieve the loss of an infant differently, and the possibility of losing another child can make the thought of going through another pregnancy intensely difficult. However, those who do welcome a child after suffering a stillbirth often refer to their subsequent child as a rainbow baby. The idea is that they provide light and beauty after a dark time, according to WebMD.
As she watched her daughter hold the newest member of the family, Ferrer said she "was an emotional wreck," and she's so glad the moment was captured in a video to look back on in years to come.
As Preston was born prematurely at 32 weeks, he has remained in the NICU, where he will stay until he's stable enough to come home. Ferrer has continued sharing videos of his development as he continues to grow each day, and she's hopeful that it won't be long before he can finally join his family at home.
On September 10, Ferrer shared the clip of Camilla meeting her "rainbow baby brother" on her TikTok account (@dddiamondlee) and it has already amassed more than 1.5 million views and over 170,000 likes.
Speaking about the response she's received online, Ferrer told Newsweek: "The reaction has been so positive and caring. The amount of people coming together to wish Preston well, and admire our daughter Camilla, has truly been incredible.
"We're just grateful for all the love, support, and prayers coming our way for our family and our son Preston throughout his NICU journey."
The viral video of Camilla's reaction when she realized that she was getting to meet her new brother, with hundreds of TikTok users commenting on the post already.
A comment by user @x00.niyah reads: "You can tell she's been waiting for that moment."
While @kesperti29 commented: "This hands down is one of the sweetest videos – in complete tears! Big love to all."
Do you have any adorable family moments that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alyce Collins is a Newsweek Life and Trends reporter based in Birmingham, U.K. with a focus on trending topics that ... Read more
