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

Traditionally, hope boxes contain sentimental items like vintage family photos, love letters and crayoned construction paper drawings of mommy and daddy.

A new mobile application on the horizon uses smartphone technology to duplicate the therapeutic benefits of the traditional coffer to help service members cope during times of high stress and crises.

The app is being developed by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology also known as T2. One of the goals of the Virtual Hope Box, says Dr. Robert Ciulla, chief of population and prevention programs for T2 is, “to help individuals who are in acute distress to access some pleasant soothing kinds of content they’ve preloaded to help them get through that distressing or traumatic experience.”

The interactive tool focuses the user on memories, such as family photos, supportive messages from loved ones and music that have been digitally preserved.  Other features of the app include relaxation and distraction modules that include a deep breathing tool, progressive muscle relaxation activities, puzzles and word search games taken directly from user content.

The National Center for Telehealth and Technology is a component center of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and part of the Military Health System.

T2 offers many mobile apps related to psychological health.

If you are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, or know someone who is, call the National Veterans/Military Crisis Line at (800) 273-8255 (press 1), text a crisis counselor at 838255 or start an anonymous online chat to get help.

Read more about suicide prevention awareness on health.mil.

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.

A new study suggests colleges and universities ramp up psychological health services tailored to the unique experiences of student veterans.  The study was co-authored by the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah and the Student Veterans of America.

At a recent defense department Force Health Protection and Readiness symposium, M. David Rudd, PhD, Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science and Scientific Director of the National Center for Veterans Studies, said psychological injuries of war impact a large number of veterans and can persist well beyond separation from their military service.

“We recently started focusing on student veterans in college.  Their needs are distinctly different than other veterans,” Dr. Rudd said.  “College and university campuses will face increasing numbers of student veterans struggling with a range of psychological symptoms.”

Rudd said he does not think many existing university student health services have proper responses for veterans with psychological health concerns.  “Many universities don’t know how many veterans they have, and don’t necessarily identify expertise specific to combat-related trauma,” he said.  “I think you’ll see this [kind of training] grow in the next five years or so.”

For more information including resources on the military culture of student veterans available for providers, read the complete article, Student Veterans Key Population for Campus Health Centers to Consider, on the Force Health Protection and Readiness website.

Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) W. Bryan Gamble, deputy director, TRICARE Management Activity, offers practical health tips for women.

 

“Warfighting first.  Be ready to fight and win today, while building the ability to win tomorrow.”  Navy Chief of Chaplains (Rear Adm.) Mark L. Tidd shared this creed in an interview with health.mil to underscore September’s nationwide focus on suicide prevention.

Tidd observed that the same tenets that guide decision-making among seamen of all ranks apply to achieving a state of spiritual and mental well-being.

However, the battlefield of the mind, unlike the combat environment, is a painfully private terrain for some service members.  Some of our country’s bravest men and women struggle with personal demons, perceived failures and seemingly unanswerable life questions that, in the end, leave them desperate.  This is where Tidd and others like him, working closely with service members, their loved ones and medical providers, can step in.
 
“We’re there, available, and accessible,” Tidd said, adding, “That time becomes an opportunity to have those important conversations…ones that often lead to conversations with family members.”  With a combination of scholarship and humor, the Chaplain explained, “We call that deckplate ministry because we walk the deck plates of the ship.  I call it ‘redeemed loitering’.”

For many, chaplains are known for providing religious services.  Tidd stressed, “The opportunity to practice one’s faith is a readiness issue.  The provision of religious ministry, meeting people’s religious needs is key to helping them toward resiliency.”  He added that, “We [chaplains] care for all, regardless of religious commitment, faith or no commitment.”

Additionally, spiritual counselors can work in tandem with members of the medical community to weigh options for well-rounded approaches to healing.

Tidd characterized the chaplain/physician collaboration as a partnership with the fundamental goal of achieving overall good health for the service member.