A Marine in Iraq gets to watch his baby’s birth in Wilmington

A new dad stationed overseas had the chance to watch one of life’s most precious moments, thanks to the help of a local hospital, and some technological upgrades.

Lilly was born Thursday. Her dad, Tim, is a Marine serving in Iraq. Lilly’s mom, Ellen, was disappointed her husband would not be there for her birth.

“You always feel like there’s something missing when your husband can’t be there for that,” said Ellen Brady.

So Ellen Brady made a call to New Hanover Regional’s New Woman’s and Children’s Hospital to see if they could help. A web cam was hooked up so new dad, Tim, would not miss a thing, even though he is halfway across the world.

“We were in contact for over three hours so he got to be there right when I was having my C-section. He got to wheel around with her and see her first bath,” said Brady.

Ellen said the connection was almost as good as having him in the room with her. “He got a little teary eyed, but he just had a big smile on his face. He was just so happy to be there in that way and for us to be able to communicate and see each other’s expressions and emotions just brought us closer together.”

The hospital will help make this web cam connection for other families in similar situations.

“It’s amazing that the hospital can do this for special cases like ours where husbands are deployed, or the family can’t be together,” added Brady.

In two weeks, Tim Brady will be home from Iraq and meeting his baby Lilly for the first time.

If you are due to have a baby, and would like more information about using the web cam during your delivery, you can call the hospital at 910-343-7000.