Having a baby is journey filled with joy and uncertainty. When your spouse is in the military, the uncertainty is compounded by the fear that he may not be there to hold your hand or meet your firstborn. Hoping to alleviate some of the stress caused by her husband's deployment, Katherine Jackson turned to the American Red Cross to eliminate some of the anxiety.

The Red Cross provides emergency leave verification services to men and women in the Armed Forces. When a member of the Armed Forces is expecting a child, Red Cross caseworkers verify a woman's pregnancy and provide military command with the necessary information so they can decide whether or not to grant leave. The father of the child is then informed of the status of the pregnancy and the due date.

Katherine Jackson contacted the Red Cross for help verifying the emergency. She said, “[Caseworkers] did it so his chain of command knew.”

Jackson talked with a caseworker who worked one-on-one with her to contact and confirm her situation with her doctor. “She was great. She was very friendly and everything…another caseworker checked up on me,” Katherine said.

The Jackson family was fortunate enough to be reunited June 3, one day before the birth of their daughter Caitlyn.

The Red Cross is dedicated to helping men, women and families involved with the Armed Services. For more information regarding the services we provide visit our Armed Services webpage.

The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin relies on donations of time and money so they can provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in Dodge, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties. To donate your time, please visit our Volunteer page. Financial donations can be made online through our secure contribution site.You can also support the Red Cross online by becoming a fan on our facebook page and following us on Twitter.