JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas — The 59th Medical Wing’s new routine prenatal care program is moving expectant mothers out of the exam room and into a group setting. 

The new program, called Mom Strong, brings together expectant women and couples with similar due dates for regular two-hour meetings. Held through pregnancy and birthing, the meetings provide parents with information on standard prenatal care, and participants get to share information related to pregnancy, childbirth, parenting and personal growth. 

Practitioners also provide the standard services – listening to the baby’s heartbeat, assessing uterine growth, and talking individually about specific problems and concerns. Importantly, health care providers get the opportunity to share information with their patients while spending more time getting to know them. 

“Women will still have their initial prenatal appointment with their provider in the clinic, but are also offered the opportunity to enroll in the Mom Strong program for follow-up counseling and care,” said Air Force Maj. Aimee Alviar, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. 

The clinic staff redesigned previous prenatal care support programs to incorporate Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines. The initiative resulted in incorporating new curriculum and goal-oriented care into the Mom Strong program. The first Mom Strong group met in November 2015. 

“The reception has been positive and, for military families, the extra support available through Mom Strong is especially valuable,” Alviar said.

“Mom Strong (provides) a support network through the deployment of a spouse and is a great way to approach prenatal care in the military community. Through the program, a model is being developed that empowers and educates couples about pregnancy and provides support to military-unique families,” she explained. 

Thirty mothers are currently participating in the program, and according to Alviar, attendees value the individual attention as well as the enriching group discussions encouraging mothers to share experiences and gain a better understanding of the phases of pregnancy. 

“The program provides for better interaction between the doctor and expectant mothers,” said Tabitha Dahmen-Redd, a current Mom Strong member. 

“It’s the interaction. You get more personal time versus coming in to see the doctor during the regular checkups. You get information that you normally wouldn’t receive during a regular checkup, (such as) guest speakers who talk to you about different things like breast feeding,” Dahmen-Redd said. 

The 59th MDW has Mom Strong groups at the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic on JBSA-Lackland, and at the San Antonio Military Medical Center on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. 

“It’s more like a support group than a regular doctor’s visit. There are times when you may not know what to ask, but another expecting mother may ask for you. It’s good to have a group instead of (only) going to see a doctor,” Dahmen-Redd added. 

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