Despite a deployment, one Aviano couple 'connects' for their childs birth

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Sarah Gregory
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (USAFENS) --  Having a baby can be an emotional, thrilling and sometimes scary experience. Even with a spouse, dealing with Lamaze classes, shopping for baby supplies and learning how to care for a baby can be daunting.

Now imagine doing it all alone.

When they found out they were expecting, the Casillas family didn’t plan on Cathryn having the baby by herself. But when Staff Sgt. Gilbert Casillas, 31st Maintenance Squadron, received his deployment orders, they learned how quickly plans can change.

“Gilbert asked his supervisor if he could stay behind, but we didn’t want special treatment or any exceptions to be made for us, so we didn’t use any other channels,” said Mrs. Casillas.

Once the final decision came down that Sergeant Casillas would be deployed during the baby’s birth, the news hit the Casillas family hard.

“There was always the hope that he’d be able to stay behind. It was really hard to realize he would be gone,” said Mrs. Casillas. “But we knew the military was his job and he would have to go. It’s important for people to keep their responsibilities and we knew if he didn’t go, someone would have to go in his place.”

Luckily for Mrs. Casillas, who is a sixth-grade teacher at Aviano Middle School, she had a major source of support in friend and co-worker Debbie Lee to help her through the Lamaze classes and in the delivery room.

“I’ve never been around a baby before, let alone a newborn, but my friend made me go through all the classes,” said Mrs. Casillas. “Maj. [Debra] Egan has also been a huge support; she taught Debbie and me about what was actually going to happen, so we knew what to expect. If I hadn’t had all the support from my friends and co-workers through all this, I probably would have gone back to the states.”

Despite all the help she was receiving, Mrs. Casillas wanted her husband to be involved in the birth of their child as well.

“We had asked the hospital about live-satellite feed, but they didn’t have the capability, so the staff installed a phone in our room,” she said.

Although Sergeant Casillas was on shift in the desert, he kept in contact with Debbie and Cathryn several times over the 27-hour labor.

“We had our own private ‘Gilbert-Line’ going on,” laughed Debbie. “We kept thinking she was going to have the baby, but then nothing would happen. The staffs, both here and with Gilbert down-range, have been wonderful.”

Even though he couldn’t physically be in the room, Sergeant Casillas was still able to play an important role in the birth process.

“Since we didn’t know the sex of the baby beforehand, we had a boy and a girl name already picked out. Gilbert got to hear the baby’s cries and was the first to know the baby’s sex and to tell the doctors her name,” said Mrs. Casillas. “This way, he could at least be a part of the birth.”

The name of the Casillas’ new seven-pound, seven ounce addition: Lydia Elizabeth.