The enduring bond between a daughter and her father transcends time, as Deborah Gilbert came to realize during her hospital visit in August after giving birth. The 28-year-old shared a heartwarming moment from that visit on TikTok, where her video touched the hearts of millions.
In the video, Deborah’s husband cradles their newborn daughter, while her mother stands beside them. To her left, Deborah’s father sits, tenderly holding and gently tapping her hand. The video garnered over 3 million likes and received more than 12,000 heartfelt comments.
“My parents were the first to visit me,” recounted Gilbert, who resides in Singapore. “I realized my dad was just sitting beside me and then he was just holding my hand. And I thought, ‘Oh my God,’ because I looked over to my husband, and my husband was holding his daughter, and I looked over to my dad, and he was holding me, and I just thought, ‘This is such a full-circle moment.'”
Despite her newborn daughter capturing everyone’s attention, Gilbert noticed that her dad was focused on her.
“In that moment, he was not fussing over the baby; he was just sitting beside me. I just felt so warm, like I’m his little girl,” she shared.
Gilbert’s father, typically “quite shy,” provided a comforting presence during this significant moment.
“Dads play such a crucial role in daughters’ lives, and just seeing it play out, I see the fact that there’s a dad in my life that my husband can model off,” Gilbert reflected.