A U.S. Army captain recently arranged an early return home from Iraq, so he could be by his wife’s side as she gave birth to their first child.
In a moment captured on video, Harold Rahming surprised his wife, Cara Rahming, according to Advocate Aurora Health – a nonprofit health care system in Illinois.
The dad-to-be’s heartfelt planning came in handy because his son was born on Sept. 18, which was four days before Cara’s due date, the hospital network reported.
Harold, who’s a medical officer for the National Guard, was deployed in June and had a return date that was set for mid-October.
He planned to surprise Cara at home, but then received news that she had to undergo induced labor at the Advocate Christ Medical Center, a hospital that’s just outside Chicago in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
“[There was] a lot of emotion because it’s a moment you hoped you could share together, and it was becoming more and more real that I was going to go through this alone,” Cara said, in a statement issued by Advocate Aurora Health.
Doctors reportedly induced Cara’s labor after an appointment revealed her unborn son had a decelerating heart rate.
Cara was transferred to the Advocate Christ Medical Center, where she was monitored and was ultimately scheduled for a caesarian, according to the health network.
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Harold received news of Cara’s updated birthing plan after he touched down in Texas. He coordinated with family members, hospital staff and a neighbor to get to the Advocate Christ Medical Center in time.
Harold arrived hours before their son was born, the hospital reported.
A witness in the delivery room recorded the couple’s reunion, which shows Cara reentering the room and being shocked when she notices Harold, who held a stuffed bear while wearing his army combat uniform. The two-minute clip shows the pair sharing a long embrace.
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“I was over the moon,” Cara said, in a statement. “We were together for the first time in three months.”
Harold and Cara welcomed their son – Harold Leroy Rahming II – shortly after their reunion.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Rahmings for comment.
“I’ve done two tours overseas,” Harold told FOX 32 Chicago shortly after his son’s birth.
“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,” he continued.
The Rahmings are now home with their son in Orland Hills, a village in Cook County, Illinois, according to FOX 32.
Harold Rahming II was born three and a half years after his parents tied the knot. The couple married on March 29, 2019.
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“The last few months have been a rollercoaster of emotion, but I’m grateful we’ve been able to show the world what true love looks like,” Cara wrote in a public Facebook post. “I’m thankful to have a husband that loves his family unconditionally and never stopped trying to get home to see the birth of his firstborn.”
