Mom Has Emotional Realization About Love for Baby Daughter: ‘Finally’ – ryan

A mom of two has shared the realization that she “finally” loves her daughter.

In a clip on TikTok, featuring the text overlay of “I finally love my daughter,” Imogen Coles (@imogencoles) told viewers that her love didn’t arrive the moment her daughter was born.

“I realized this morning, I finally love my daughter,” Coles says in the video.

“I’m not one of those people who gives birth to a child and then loves them immediately, it takes me a little bit of time,” she said.

Now nearly five weeks postpartum, Coles says that she is finally feeling that emotional connection taking root.

“I feel there is a difference between loving the idea of the child and loving the actual human,” the 33-year-old told Newsweek. “I need a connection to develop a love bond, and that takes time to build.”

Coles also explained that this experience mirrored her first child, Cillian, but the love took even longer then.

“I’ve definitely felt a connection to Maisie faster than I did with my fist born, but I think that’s also because I knew it would come in time,” she said. “I didn’t put pressure on myself.”

Newsweek spoke to Alyssa Campbell, founder of Seed & Sew (seedandsew.org) and author of “Tiny Humans, Big Emotions” who said it’s common for parents not to feel immediately connected to their baby, especially when they’re completely overwhelmed.

“Not feeling instant emotional connection doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong,” she said. “Connection grows over time, in the small moments, and it’s okay if love looks different at first. You’re not alone—and there’s nothing wrong with you.”

Coles’ clip has garnered a mixed reaction online. With 3 million views and over 330,000 likes, many agreed with the mom of two, sharing their experiences.

“For all the (people) saying this is ‘weird’ it’s actually VERY normal,” one user wrote.

“Let’s normalize this because honestly it’s not that odd,” added another.

Some others, however, didn’t understand the perspective.

“This is an example of thoughts that are better left unsaid,” user @saaaan0901 said.

“That’s weird,” another wrote.

“It’s quite a brutal comment section to scroll through but shows the need for these conversations to be had more openly,” Coles told Newsweek. “More women should be able to discuss these feelings to help lower the scarily high postnatal depression rates in the world right now.”

Now as Coles watches her daughter interact with her big brother, she’s feeling something deeper bloom.

“I can only imagine how much my heart will have grown by the time she’s six months and has favorite toys, songs, ways to be held,” she said. “It’s wonderful when women feel an instant love, but I’ve often wondered whether they love the person or love the idea of the person.”

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