By Christina Laboissonniere

PAWTUCKET — Marine Cpl. Jacob Ballard was more then 6,000 miles away when his wife, Christina, went into labor last week at Memorial Hospital, but thanks to new technology he was given the opportunity to be a part of the birth.

Through the use of technology, Corporal Ballard was able to communicate with and see his wife and the whole birthing and care team throughout labor, delivery, and the hospital stay. “I’m so happy that the military allowed him to have the opportunity to be part of this,” said Christina Ballard.
Pawtucket family physician, Emily Harrison, M.D. was with mom and the baby in the birthing center at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, while dad viewed the birth of his daughter via an Internet connection and web cam from a secure location in the hills of Afghanistan.
“Having the technology to be able to share this important moment with my husband, thousands of miles away, made the birthing process 100 times easier,” noted Ballard. “Having him here via the Internet motivated me. For him to witness the delivery was just amazing,” she added.
This was the first long-distance delivery for Christina Ballard’s family physician Emily Harrison, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine,
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, who described the experience as very exciting.
 “The whole staff was emotional,” Harrison added. Thanks to the technology, which allowed for communication in real time, Harrison could include Corporal Ballard in the entire birthing process and she noted that he was a great labor partner. “Even though he was not physically in the room, his presence was much more real than I had expected,” said Harrison.
“Labor is very hard. And if you do it without pain medication, as Christina did, having the right support people is critical to a good birth experience,” said Harrison. “For Christina, that support person was her husband, and having him there on a laptop and a web cam was like having him in the room,” she noted.
Harrison said that Memorial Hospital is committed to family-centered care. “Our goal, explained Harrison, “is to care for the family as a unit and to make the whole family feel welcome. We were glad that, despite the challenges, we were still able to provide a close family environment for the Ballards.”
Bob Dupont, personal computer support manager at Memorial Hospital, made the technological connections needed to enable a worldwide communication. The Verizon Wireless store in Warwick loaned the hospital a broadband wireless cellular modem to facilitate communication.
Dupont established the connection, coached the staff by telephone from home when technical difficulties occurred a few hours before delivery, and then drove to the hospital to ensure that the connection was maintained throughout the birth, according to hospital officials. He had told those involved that he had felt like “an expectant grandfather” during the process.
The Ballard family, of Attleboro, was featured in a special segment on the TODAY show that aired on June 2, focusing on support for military families. Christina received assistance from a doula, or birthing coach, provided by Operation Special Delivery. This program, sponsored by the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association, teams up doulas who volunteer their time with pregnant women whose partner cannot be present for the birthing process because of military deployment.
Christina Ballard said she is grateful to all who made this happen. “I can’t thank the wonderful staff at Memorial enough,” she said. “The Birthing Center staff, computer staff, and so many others all helped to make this such a special experience.”