I remember the feelings of fear, excitement and anxiety on the night I dropped my first and only daughter (at the time) to her grandma’s house so I could be at the hospital early the next day for my c-section.

I couldn’t wait to add to our family, but how would the second child fit in with our current family of three? Would my oldest daughter be jealous that she was no longer the only child in the family?

I needn’t have worried because my daughter took to being an old sister like a duck to water. And despite the fighting, she still remains best friends and fiercely devoted to protecting her younger siblings – as older sisters do.

A photo taken by Portland-based birth photographer Laura Paulescu, has gone viral after being shared in a blog post on Baby Center. The image captures a mother, giving her firstborn a goodbye hug, before she is taken to the delivery room to give birth to a sibling. The picture says a thousand words – capturing the bittersweet feeling saying goodbye to the life known as a mum of one, to the excitement of welcoming a second child to the family unit.

It can feel daunting and sad for mums when they realise their firstborn is no longer their baby anymore.

Melissa Willets felt all the feelings when she came across the photo which prompted her to write her own memories of saying goodbye to her daughter before heading off to be induced.

How I clutched onto my firstborn for dear life. This would be the last moment she’d be my only baby. Forever. And while I couldn’t wait to welcome my new baby, my heart was breaking. I felt completely shattered inside. I didn’t want to let go. Ever.

In the end, love is what carries us through and is ever constant no matter what change a family experiences. The growth of a family is a beautiful thing, but so are the emotions that go part and parcel with the new dynamics of additional siblings.

Did you feel all the feelings before you had your second baby? How did you assure your firstborn about the new family changes?