Baghdad to Birthing Center



by Amy Kolb Noyes

MORRISVILLE - Babies are born every week at Copley Hospital. One baby
born last month, however, has especially captured the hearts of many in
the Copley community. Joseph Edward Richard was born at 12:45 p.m. on
Monday, March 15, a healthy eight pound, eight ounce baby boy.
Family members were on hand to support new mom Heidi Richard and welcome
Joseph into the world. New dad Cpl. Chris Joseph Richard was there too,
on the phone long distance from Baghdad.
Chris witnessed the sounds of the birth and got a sort of play-by-play
by his mother-in-law, Denise Carr. He was able to speak with his wife,
and offer encouragement. Denise said Chris was mostly quiet on the phone
for the last hour of his son's birth. On the line from "the birthplace
of civilization," Chris had to call back repeatedly because he kept
getting disconnected, according to Certified Nurse Midwife Jackie Bromley.
"It truly felt like he was there," Jackie commented. "It was really
special and everyone wished he was there."
Jackie described Heidi's birthing experience as "incredible." She said
it was a typical tough labor, but Heidi had wonderful family support.
She said Heidi's family was "both incredibly supportive and respectful."
A month removed from Joseph's birth, recalling the event still brought
Jackie to the edge of tears. After Joseph was born, she said Heidi had a
big picture of her husband in the hospital room. Jackie observed, "This
guy [was] half way around the world, and he could be there."
While Chris could speak to his wife and hear the cries of his newborn
son, he still could not see his baby. Heidi said his first question
after the birth was, "Who does he look like, me or you?"
Heidi assured her husband Joseph had his nose. Since then, Heidi said
she has also learned Joseph has his father's voracious appetite. At
three-and-a-half weeks old, Joseph had already gained over two pounds
and was wearing size three to six month clothes.
The story of how baby Joseph came to be born at Copley Hospital tells of
a flurry of activity dating back to December 1, 2003. Heidi and Chris
were living at Fort Hood, in Texas, where Chris was serving as a
corporal in the Army with Delta Company, 15th Forward Support Battalion,
First Cav Division. The couple were high school sweethearts back in
Vermont. Heidi came from Hardwick and Chris grew up in Walden.
On December 1, Chris got his orders to go to Iraq. He had one month
before he was to be deployed. The couple, not yet married, decided they
would wed on December 5. On December 3 they went in to complete the
necessary paperwork and told their story to the Justice of the Peace
working that day. The J.P. offered to perform the ceremony on the spot
and for free.
After honeymooning in San Antonio, the newlyweds packed Heidi's
belongings and returned to Vermont for the holidays on December 20.
Chris flew back to Texas on January 3, then was on his way to Baghdad.
Heidi settled in with her parents and her brother in Hardwick. Deciding
where to have her baby was an easy choice, both her mom and her brother
Mike worked for Copley Hospital. At Copley, Heidi and Joseph quickly
made many friends. Today, Heidi scarcely gets a chance to hold her own
baby while visiting the hospital, for all Joseph's admirers.
Heidi extended her thanks to the hospital staff and nurses. She said she
misses her friends in Texas, and all there is to do in the city, but
added Vermont is the right place for her to be right now.
"Staying with my parents is such a big help," said Heidi. "I don't know
what I'd do without them."
Between her tight family and Chris' large family, Heidi said she gets
lots of help with the baby. She brings Joseph to Walden to visit his
grandparents, Sarah and Lawrence Richard. At home in Hardwick, she has
help from Joseph's Uncle Mike, Grammy Denise and grandfather Leonard
Carr. Heidi has her high school friends to hang out with here, but she
is missing one important support element in Vermont.
Her friends back at Fort Hood have a Family Readiness Group support
network. While members of the FRG call and keep Heidi updated, she still
feels detached from people who understand her and Chris' situation.
"It's hard because nobody up here knows," said Heidi. Although, she
added it is easier in a way because she is sheltered from all the war
"horror stories." She said she has so many friends from Fort Hood who
are in Iraq now, and she worries for them all. She worries most for her
husband, but said he is relatively safe because he is not in combat.
Chris' job involves working on missiles.
Heidi keeps in touch with her husband through letters and email. She
sends him pictures of the baby and he calls from Baghdad about once a
week. Heidi said she puts Joseph on the phone for Chris to talk to, and
so he will know his father's voice.
Heidi said she knows Chris is looking forward to coming home and seeing
his baby. She added he is also looking forward to enjoying Chinese food
again. Although Chris' time in the Army is up next month, he is
obligated to stay in Iraq until the end of his 12 to 18 month mission.
Chris is expected to come back to the States sometime between January
and June 2005.
For security purposes, military families are only told the week their
loved one will be returning home, but not the specific date or flight.
Heidi explained everyone on base goes to greet the incoming flights, not
knowing exactly who will be getting off the plane.
When she is told Chris will be coming back to Texas, Heidi said she and
Joseph will go down and stay with a friend on base (coincidently, the
wife of Chris' roommate in Iraq). That will also be her chance to show
her baby off to her Texas friends.
Once Chris is home, Heidi said they will return to Vermont to stay. They
will settle here and start their life as a family. Heidi grew up moving
around a lot with her military family, as her dad spent 10 years in the
Navy. However, she anticipates Vermont will be her new family's
permanent home once Chris is discharged from the Army. She's also
anticipating having, in her words, a "three week vacation" from taking
care of the baby, as Chris will want to do everything for Joseph himself
when he finally gets to hold his boy.