This browser does not support the Video element.
Army Captain serving overseas makes it home in time to see his wife deliver their first baby
One suburban baby came into this world with lots of surprises. The big one is that dad made it home just in time, from serving overseas.
OAK LAWN, Ill. - One suburban baby came into this world with lots of surprises.
The big one is that dad made it home just in time, from serving overseas.
The father, an Army Captain, was deployed in Iraq.
The mom had to be induced early, due to concerns about the baby.
She was at the hospital having full on contractions, alone, nervous, when suddenly her husband appeared.
A cell phone recorded the moment when Harold Rahming surprised his wife, Cara, at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
He'd been deployed in Iraq since June, and she thought she was going to have their first child alone.
"You're a little delirious due to the pain. And then I finally looked to my left, and I saw him, and it was just a moment of gratefulness," said Cara Rahming.
Let's back up a bit.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE
U.S. Army Captain Rahming was already planning on surprising his wife near the birth date, but the military had to kick into overdrive when Cara was moved to Advocate Christ and induced early.
"They were able to kind of escalate and expedite some things. Literally hours before the birth I was able to get home for our first child, so I'm stunned to say the least," said Harold Rahming, a U.S. Army captain and physician.
They were also stunned when the baby had to be born via C-section. And yet one more surprise came in the delivery room. They didn't know the sex.
Cara says her husband was jumping for joy and yelling, "It's a boy. It's a boy. I had a son!"
Harold Leroy, Jr. is just over a week old, home in Orland Hills and doing well.
"I've done two tours overseas. I've been to medical school and residency and all that training doesn't prepare you for the moment you first lay eyes on your child it's such a precious moment," said the very proud father.
The couple said they owe it to their health care team for realizing this baby needed to come early and to their military family who brought them together for this child.