The Rahming family received two special surprises in a matter of a day: a reunion and a new baby boy.
On Sept. 17, U.S. Army National Guard captain Harold Rahming made it home just in time to welcome his first child with his wife, Cara Rahming, according to Good Morning America. The new mom had already been admitted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, after experiencing changes in the baby’s movement. But she had no idea that her husband was on the way.
The reunion came after three months since the couple was last reunited. But the officer, also a doctor, had to pull some extra strings to be discharged a few days earlier than the planned due date.
“There were times that I didn’t think I was gonna make it,” said Harold, who was stationed in Iraq.
“I figured I probably could make Sept. 22, that was kind of the plan, to be in the hospital by the time the baby was discharged.”
With the help of staff nurses, Harold pulled off a surprise that gave his wife no other reason to worry but to smile.
“Then I see him to the left in his full military uniform. And there’s like no words to express that,” Cara recalled.
“Because I didn’t know he was coming home. I just knew I was in the hospital, I was being induced and there was a baby coming soon.”
“And there was [sic] a lot of emotions to process, but I know the definite emotion I felt once I saw him was joy,” she continued.
A day later, Harold Leroy Rahming II was born through cesarean section. His parents describe him as “calm and collected” with a “really, really sweet spirit.”
Harold said he was proud of his wife. “She’s very resilient and very courageous. She took seconds to say, ‘You know what, this is what we have to do to ensure my safety and the baby’s safety,’” he continued.