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With a little commitment and flexibility, military mothers can usually successfully breastfeed throughout their baby’s first year and beyond.

Pregnancy and childbirth are life changing experiences for women.  The transition to becoming a mother is a process that involves feelings, behaviors and attitudes that may be shaped by individual life experiences. The Military Health System understands that every woman experiences this process differently and is committed to ensuring each mother receives the education, support and care she needs.

The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ publication, Pregnancy and Childbirth, based on their Management of Pregnancy Clinical Practice Guidelines, includes evidence-based research recommendations for prenatal care for all pregnant women receiving care in the DoD/VA health care systems.  It is designed as a resource for pregnant women, and provides quality information that can serve as a reference, guide, journal and springboard for further discussion and education. 

This joint publication is focused towards goal-oriented prenatal care, a process of setting a series of goals in preparing for delivery and beyond.  Each visit with the doctor is outlined throughout the pregnancy to help expecting mothers identify steps to ease the process.  Also included is information about each stage of pregnancy, including the status of the embryo, changes to a woman’s body and changes within the family.  The guide helps women identify signs which need to be reported to a doctor and how the pregnancy is affecting them emotionally, mentally and physically.  It also lets women know what to expect from each doctor’s visit. 

Once a woman is ready for delivery, these guidelines help prepare her for the experience of labor.  Afterwards, information about feeding the baby, caring for her own reproductive needs, safety tips and supplies addresses many of the questions mothers may have. 

After the baby comes home, the DoD continues to support new families through its new parent support program.  This program employs nurses, social workers and others who can provide access to a variety of education programs.  These individuals may make home visits to assist in the helping women in their role as a new mother. 

For women veterans receiving services through the VA, each facility has a Women Veterans Program Manager who assists with finding the resources needed during pregnancy and after delivery. 

Read more about women’s health. 

This October, the Military Health System (MHS) celebrates Women’s Health Month.

October is Women's Health Awareness month and many women may opt to take dietary supplements to boost their health. But are they safe?

The Department of Defense is partnering with the mental health support program, Military Pathways, to encourage service members, veterans, and their families to participate in National Depression Screening Day on Oct. 11, 2012.

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center launched a health promotion and wellness campaign.

The "She Was There" campaign aims to shift the culture of care for women veterans.

Throughout October, the Department of Defense joins a nationwide women’s health campaign to focus on the health and wellness of female service members, family members and retirees.

The Department of Defense has launched a new health initiative, encouraging healthy living across the defense community.

Operation Live Well is a DoD-wide campaign intent on encouraging healthy behaviors and making healthy living the easy choice and social norm for service members, families, veterans, retirees and DoD civilians.  The campaign is designed to educate and inform key audiences about healthy behaviors, encourage healthy behaviors by providing accessible and actionable information and resources and enhance the resiliency of the force and support the DoD objectives of moving from health care to health.

For more information, news and healthy living tips visit Operation Live Well. 

Female service members’ unique perspectives and experiences as women, wives and mothers affect how they handle the daily rigors of military life and deployments. Women often manage stress differently than men, and may have different responsibilities support needs than their male counterparts. Also, as increasing numbers of veterans are female, their needs are beginning to be considered.

Recent and ongoing studies on military suicide are starting to specifically address female statistics and issues, so the Department of Defense (DoD) can tailor intervention strategies to their needs. An Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center study published in the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report in June 2012 states that about five percent of active duty military suicides between 1998 and 2011 were by women. The ongoing Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) reports suicide rates for female soldiers triple when they go to war, according to preliminary data released in March 2011.

With this information and a commitment to addressing the unique needs of female service members and veterans, the DoD is working closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs to address suicide prevention, most notably through the Suicide Prevention and Risk Reduction Committee (SPARRC), which hosts the yearly DoD-VA Suicide Prevention Conference.

Knowing and recognizing the warning signs of someone who may be at risk for suicide can help you help someone else. If you suspect that a loved one or friend in the military is struggling, contact the Military Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255.

Learn more about suicide prevention.