Dr. William Godfrey II has seen 9,000 new fathers and seen the effect newborn babies can have. But for him, the most important aspect of Father’s Day is his own fatherhood.

An obstetrician, Godfrey delivered babies from his medical school days in 1956 until he retired in 1998.

In the 1960s, Natchez Regional Medical Center, where he worked, was one of the first hospitals in the country to permit fathers in the delivery room, Godfrey said.

“We felt it should be a family experience,” he said. “We invited the fathers, and gradually other family members. We wanted it to be more than just a medical experience.”

Godfrey has seen his share of new fathers go pale in the delivery room, but for most, the experience was worth it, he said.

“They loved it,” he said. “They got to immediately hold their child.”

Often, he was touched by the new fathers’ reactions to their children.

Godfrey himself has three children. For him, fatherhood was the greatest thing he could ask for, he said.

“They were all delightful,” he said. “I know I sound like every other parent in the world, but they really are special, wonderful children.”

Godfrey now has three grandsons, and last August, he became a great-grandfather. After his wife died, he re-married and became another father-figure to his wife Rose’s three children.

“I feel very lucky and blessed with my children,” he said. “To me, family is the most important thing in the world.”

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Joshua Feltenberger carefully took the tiny, delicate baby girl in his arms, cradling her fragile frame. But this wasn’t the first time he’d done just that.

This Father’s Day, Feltenberger will be a father twice.

Feltenberger’s wife, Sarah, gave birth do their second child late Friday night. Small and frail — three weeks early and weighing six pounds even — Liddy Grace Feltenberger changed his life, again.

“I’m excited — I can’t wait to bring her home,” Feltenberger said. “I hope her big brother will like her.”

Feltenberger was present at the births of both his son, Joshua Wayne Logan Feltenberger, now 2 years old, and his new daughter.

It was a little hard to take, but it was an amazing experience, he said.

“It was life-changing,” he said. “To see your baby being born is pretty neat.”

Liddy has her own room waiting for her at home, decorated in pink with butterflies and frogs.

That’s a little different from Feltenberger’s son’s interests, he said.

One of his son’s favorite activities is to ride with his dad on four-wheelers.

“He loves four-wheelers and horses,” he said.

One of the best parts about being a father is being responsible for a smaller human life, he said.

“It’s having someone look up to you.”