Dad's visit to see daughter after she gives birth goes viral

"I just thought, 'This is such a full circle moment.'"

Dad's visit to see daughter after she gives birth goes viral
Courtesy of Deborah Gilbert
September 21, 2023, 1:07 PM

No matter how old a daughter is, sometimes, she'll forever be "daddy's little girl."

That's what Deborah Gilbert said she realized when her father came to visit her in the hospital after she gave birth in August. The 28-year-old shared a TikTok video from the visit, showing her husband holding her daughter, her mom next to them, and to her left, her dad, holding and tapping her hand affectionately.

Her video has since captured the hearts of millions on TikTok, amassing over 3 million likes and over 12,000 comments.

PHOTO: Deborah Gilbert's dad sat next to her after she gave birth to her daughter in the hospital.
Deborah Gilbert's dad sat next to her after she gave birth to her daughter in the hospital.
Courtesy of Deborah Gilbert

"My parents, of course, were the first to visit me," Gilbert, who lives in Singapore, told "Good Morning America."

"I realized my dad was just sitting beside me and then he was just holding my hand," she continued. "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.'"

PHOTO: Deborah Gilbert and her father in a photo from her childhood.
Deborah Gilbert and her father in a photo from her childhood.
Courtesy of Deborah Gilbert

With her newborn daughter commanding a lot of attention, Gilbert said she noticed her dad was instead, paying a little more attention to her.

"The fact that in that moment, he was not fussing over the baby, he was just kind of sitting beside me, I just felt so warm, like I'm his little girl," she said.

PHOTO: Gilbert's daughter Maeve is her parents' first grandchild.
Gilbert's daughter Maeve is her parents' first grandchild.
Courtesy of Deborah Gilbert

Gilbert said her dad is usually "quite shy" but his presence was reassuring.

"I think dads play such a crucial role in daughters' lives and just seeing it play out, like, I see like the fact that there's a dad in my life that my husband can model off," Gilbert said.