New dad reveals touching 'real' reason he cried during son's birth

A photographer, known for her stunningly raw images of women giving birth, has shared the touching story of a father who couldn’t hold back his tears when his son was born.

The new father wasn't crying for the obvious reason of seeing his child for the first time.

Instead, the man was overcome with emotion because it was the first time he had seen his wife smile since falling pregnant.

Photographer Kirstie Perez was covering the birth of a baby boy recently and felt compelled to share what she witnessed in the theatre.

"I told him I captured him crying seeing his son and he said, 'That’s not why I was crying'," Perez tells Love What Matters.

"Puzzled, I asked what he meant.

"He teared up again and said, 'This is the first time I have seen her smile in 10 months'."

His wife had suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, the same severe morning sickness Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, had throughout her three pregnancies.

The new dad watched his wife "vomit profusely for 285+ days", Perez says.

"He witnessed her lose 30 pounds [14 kilograms] in pregnancy not being able to nourish herself due to Hyperemesis Gravidarum & preeclampsia."

LISTEN: Elle Halliwell joins Deb Knight to discuss the choice she had to make between saving her own life or that of her unborn baby, Jo Abi talks about her son Giovanni and his overly honest ways, and Sandy Rea sheds light on the issue of how watching porn can affect children.

The woman was admitted to hospital four times during her pregnancy, for dehydration.

"[They] ate more dinners on the front steps of their home than he could count because any scent literally made her ill," Perez says.

So when it came time for the woman to give birth, her husband did everything he could – simply being there when she needed him the most.

"Men, please understand how powerful your empathy can be," the Dallas-based photographer Perez says.

"To all of the mothers who have traumatic pregnancies and still find a way to smile…thank you for sacrificing yourself and enduring to bring your precious child into the world. That is no easy feat."