Young soldier stressed when watching wife give birth live on phone

One of the most difficult experiences for soldiers away from home is probably the feeling of regret when missing out on many family events; and that is even a special occasion like witnessing the birth of their own child.

Brooks Lindsey, a soldier from Mississippi, missed out on seeing his daughter’s first few minutes. He was only allowed to come home if his wife’s labor was complicated. Brooks thought he wouldn’t be able to be with his wife, Haley, when she went into labor. But a phone call from Haley’s doctor changed everything. Brooks’ wife had preeclampsia and the baby needed to be delivered early. She was told she needed to be admitted to the hospital within the hour to give birth.

With this information, Brooks was allowed to return home, but things did not go as smoothly as expected. He was only able to book a flight for the next morning. Then, Brooks' flight was delayed and he could only watch his wife "give birth" on the phone.

Brooks' wife recounted the story at the hospital as follows: "The doctor told my mother-in-law to turn on her phone and show him what was going on."

As the plane took off, the doctor yelled into the phone: "Don't let him on the plane! The baby is here! The baby is here!" Airport staff heard and allowed Brooks to stay until his wife's delivery was completed. The scene was recorded by a bystander at the airport and the video quickly went viral on social media.

Brooks finally made it home, met his daughter, and took four days off to be with his family.