Concerned mother waits anxiously to know if baby giraffe survived birth

A pregnant Giraffe named Marilyn gives birth before a crowd at the Memphis ZOO.

After the baby is born, Marilyn anxiously looks for signs of life in her newborn.

Everything is still and quiet for a few seconds that feel like hours before the baby starts to move.

Then the miracle of life becomes real as the little calf raises its head for the first time. The exhausted newborn struggles to stand on awkward legs before taking its first steps just minutes after birth.