Family broke down in tears as doctors struggled to resuscitate newborn baby — then they heard a visceral cry

No mother deserves to lose a child at birth. That’s what made the six silent minutes in this family’s story feel unbearable. Shared by u/SharpCartographer831 on Reddit, the emotional video captures the moment when hope turned into joy as their baby released its first cry. The mother was lying in bed, exhausted after labor but holding on with every bit of strength she had left. Beside her, the father looked crushed, holding her tightly, his face full of fear and desperation.

With every passing second of silence, the weight in the room grew heavier. Then, after six long minutes that must have felt like forever, the baby cried. It cut through the silence like a miracle. That sound brought immediate relief and tears to everyone in the room, but the father’s reaction stood out. He let out a scream, releasing everything he had been holding inside, and finally spilled out. The video touched many people on Reddit. u/FangDrools said, "That baby is going to be so loved, the father’s cries of joy immediately brought me to tears."

"Oh my goodness, that would be the most harrowing six minutes of your life. Thank goodness,” u/diss0lvedgir1 wrote. 

Others related to the emotional rollercoaster, sharing their own stories. u/grapejooseb0x commented, “That father's scream of relief is from the absolute depths of his soul. I feel like there are only two instances a parent could utter such a noise and only one of them is positive. I had a difficult birth with my second child and once they finally were able to get him out he had the cord wrapped around his neck and he didn't cry. I asked the medical pros in the room if he was ok over and over again for what felt like forever. I'm sure it was less than a minute at most, but it felt like an eternity before I finally heard him cry and the relief was incredible."

u/lifeofyou shared, "Some of the hardest words I have ever heard in my life were 'we are working on him' in the operating room (OR) after my son was delivered via emergency C-section at 33 weeks. I asked why he wasn’t crying and if he was okay and got 'we are working on him' as a response. It was a deafening silence in that room for the few minutes it took to resuscitate him after a very traumatic birth. After 3 weeks in the NICU, battling meningitis, we got to take him home and he’s a healthy 16-year-old now. It is amazing the human race has survived given how perilous birth is." 

u/Disastrous-Panda5530 added, "When my daughter was born, she was so silent. I knew it wasn’t normal. She is my second, and my son was pretty loud when I had him. She was quiet and started turning blue. It was the longest 60 seconds of my life while they cleared her airways and got her breathing. That cry was the best thing I’ve ever heard, and man, I can’t imagine 6 minutes of that. Or even worse, not hearing it at all."