thedrifter
12-30-08, 07:06 AM
Marine sees baby's birth - from Africa
St. John Hospital offers video-conference hookup for Harrison Township parents
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 8:05 AM EST
By Catherine Kavanaugh, Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Stacy Smith of Harrison Township went to the hospital for what was supposed to be a couple of simple tests when doctors decided to induce labor at 37 weeks.
Luckily for her and her husband, Cpl. Frank Smith, one of the tests was trying out a videoconference connection from St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit to his Marine base in Djibouti, Africa.
Glitches abounded at first and the staff almost abandoned the mission. However, a reliable line finally was set up and the reservist was at his wife's side during her 24 hours of labor.
Like many new fathers, Frank was speechless at 5:27 p.m. Saturday, when he learned he had a son, Hayden Zachary Smith.
"We didn't know the gender and after the doctor said it's a boy, Frank was silent," Stacy, 27, said. "The doctor asked, 'Did you hear me Frank.' He did. He was just overwhelmed with tears in his eyes. It was very emotional."
Last December, the Smiths went through the heartache of a stillbirth. They were determined to get pregnant again and got lucky just before Frank was deployed with a unit to assist with humanitarian efforts and combat terrorism in the Horn of Africa.
The corporal, who will be promoted to sergeant Jan. 1, heard from a friend about a soldier
in Iraq who had arranged to watch the birth of his baby over the Internet. Stacy set out to do the same.
"He really wanted to see everything," she said. "He started talking to people on his end and I did the same over here."
Frank's unit set him up in a captain's quarters about an hour after the medical staff in Detroit induced labor.
"He was with me the whole time," Stacy said. "At one point we both fell asleep until the morning. I'm so appreciative of everyone for getting behind this. They did everything they could to make this happen."
Hospital spokesman Brian Taylor said information technology employees at the St. John's, Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the base in Africa had a role in the long-distance connection.
"We tried two different options for the teleconferencing," Taylor said. "In the end, the one that worked best was setting up a data port on our public network that was specially configured to allow video and a more reliable line."
It was a first for the St. John medical system.
"This experience was a great learning opportunity, but more importantly, it was really rewarding for us to be able to make a special day even better by allowing a military serviceman to 'be there' for his first child's birth," Taylor said.
Frank serves as both a mechanic and dispatcher with the U.S. Marines. He is due home in March or April. He won't be able to hold his little bundle of joy of 6 pounds, 13 ounces, but he got to experience the miracle of birth with his wife.
"It was such an emotional delivery," Stacy said. "It was the same doctor, same hospital, same time of year as before only this time it was an unbelievably happy moment."
Ellie
St. John Hospital offers video-conference hookup for Harrison Township parents
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 8:05 AM EST
By Catherine Kavanaugh, Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Stacy Smith of Harrison Township went to the hospital for what was supposed to be a couple of simple tests when doctors decided to induce labor at 37 weeks.
Luckily for her and her husband, Cpl. Frank Smith, one of the tests was trying out a videoconference connection from St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit to his Marine base in Djibouti, Africa.
Glitches abounded at first and the staff almost abandoned the mission. However, a reliable line finally was set up and the reservist was at his wife's side during her 24 hours of labor.
Like many new fathers, Frank was speechless at 5:27 p.m. Saturday, when he learned he had a son, Hayden Zachary Smith.
"We didn't know the gender and after the doctor said it's a boy, Frank was silent," Stacy, 27, said. "The doctor asked, 'Did you hear me Frank.' He did. He was just overwhelmed with tears in his eyes. It was very emotional."
Last December, the Smiths went through the heartache of a stillbirth. They were determined to get pregnant again and got lucky just before Frank was deployed with a unit to assist with humanitarian efforts and combat terrorism in the Horn of Africa.
The corporal, who will be promoted to sergeant Jan. 1, heard from a friend about a soldier
in Iraq who had arranged to watch the birth of his baby over the Internet. Stacy set out to do the same.
"He really wanted to see everything," she said. "He started talking to people on his end and I did the same over here."
Frank's unit set him up in a captain's quarters about an hour after the medical staff in Detroit induced labor.
"He was with me the whole time," Stacy said. "At one point we both fell asleep until the morning. I'm so appreciative of everyone for getting behind this. They did everything they could to make this happen."
Hospital spokesman Brian Taylor said information technology employees at the St. John's, Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the base in Africa had a role in the long-distance connection.
"We tried two different options for the teleconferencing," Taylor said. "In the end, the one that worked best was setting up a data port on our public network that was specially configured to allow video and a more reliable line."
It was a first for the St. John medical system.
"This experience was a great learning opportunity, but more importantly, it was really rewarding for us to be able to make a special day even better by allowing a military serviceman to 'be there' for his first child's birth," Taylor said.
Frank serves as both a mechanic and dispatcher with the U.S. Marines. He is due home in March or April. He won't be able to hold his little bundle of joy of 6 pounds, 13 ounces, but he got to experience the miracle of birth with his wife.
"It was such an emotional delivery," Stacy said. "It was the same doctor, same hospital, same time of year as before only this time it was an unbelievably happy moment."
Ellie