Military families encounter many stressors in life, along with the extra stressors that come with frequent deployments & transitions including changing schools, moving, etc. Luckily, a new pilot program is offering new moms the opportunity to meet with registered nurses for help with unique maternal physical and mental health conditions experienced throughout pregnancy and after giving birth. It is provided by the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and delivered by the NMCRS Visiting Nurse Program.

What is the First Year Focus Program?

The program focuses on providing care, support services, and educational resources to mothers, aiming to improve their mental health during pregnancy and postpartum.

The only catch would be there’s a selected location where new moms will have the opportunity to get help from registered nurses for the maternal physical and mental health issues that moms face through their pregnancy journey. The program is available in the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England.

“This unique, comprehensive program strongly considers mothers’ physical health but has a solid emphasis on their mental and emotional well-being as well,” said Capt. Rosemary Perdue, director of the Visiting Nurse Program, NMCRS.

In a year, one in three of approximately 100,000 active-duty and military spouses are affected by maternal health conditions.

“Military life presents unique challenges, so First Year Focus addresses those issues while also helping to mitigate the overall risks of serious mental and physical health conditions,” Capt. Rosemary Perdue added.

What to Expect in the Program

The program is free, and those who enroll in the program will receive support, care, customized home or visual visits, infant feeding and growth monitoring, education and resources, and collaborations with other providers.

For about 121 years, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society non-profit has been dedicated to bringing help to the homes of military families.

“Our specific goal is to meet the unique challenges of military life with personal and compassionate care,” said Capt. Rosemary Perdue.

With their goal, trained nurses can be sent to military homes and provide help with infant growth and feeding services. Additionally, they can also help with common maternal physical health issues such as preeclampsia.

Maternal Mental Health Issues After Pregnancy

Feeding difficulties are one of the concerns of military mothers, and it is also one of the reasons why families may be referred to the First Year Focus program.

“Feeding difficulties can be incredibly stressful for parents, and we see more tears over concerns about a baby’s weight than anything else,” she said. “Proper weight gain is essential for infants to reach their developmental milestones, so we work closely with families to develop personalized feeding plans and interventions to help.”

What’s better in this program is that trained nurses can work with the military family schedules, making it also flexible for military mothers.

Another reason for this program is that, according to the 2022 Government Accountability Office report, finding appointments or accessing childcare when the spouse is off is a hindrance to accessing maternal health resources.

“Typically, where an appointment might be 15-20 minutes in a clinic, our visits allow for deeper discussions and more personalized care to address any kind of concerns that the patients may have,” said Capt. Rosemary Perdue.

While the First Year Focus program provides care to military mothers throughout their pregnancy journey, it is also being implemented to educate patients about the signs and symptoms of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. This will help them understand what signs to look for and ask for help.

How Do Maternal Mental Health Issues Develop?

Maternal mental health conditions will develop if a mother has a history of depression or other mood disorders. It could also develop from having a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors that a mother experienced in her life.

Another common factor for having maternal health conditions is having a stressful event, constant moves, and separation from families. In this period, military moms are vulnerable and are at great risk for having mental health conditions; that’s why the First Year Focus program also aims to help military mothers understand how they can avoid it.

Trained nurses from the First Year Focus program would be able to help with this and connect the military mothers to the resources they have available.

Read next:

• Your Tricare Fertility Coverage Explained
• The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act Helps Milspouses Navigate Frequent Moves
• 5 Tips Every Milspouse Needs to Thrive During the First Deployment

Sources:

• New Program Helps Navy, Marine Corps Moms with Pregnancy and Infant Care