Military Families
New to this
Hi, I have a few questions to ask you ladies. My husband leaves for AF basic training on Monday and we are both very new to the whole military life. We aren't sure what living on a base will be like once we move to Tech school in October at Eglin AFB. We are also newly pregnant after a loss in February. So, we are new to a lot of things right now. Basically though, we are wondering what OB-GYN care is like for military families and how helpful the bases are to helping find resources. Will I most likely be seen on base or off? Will they allow him to be there for the birth even if it is during the week? Sorry there are so many q's but I still have a lot to learn and any info would be greatly appreciated! If anyone who is currently or has been stationed at Eglin could help answer my questions that would be really great too! Any help is appreciated though! This is a very scary time for us right now as we are unsure how a lot of things with military life go.
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Re: New to this
look up MilitaryOnesource. Most of your resources will be on base.
I had a very good experience with the OBGYN clinic at our naval hospital, besides the fact that they didn't do a fetal weight estimate at the end of my pregnancy and I ended up with a Mega Baby lol.
As for the birth, they'll let him be there as long as he isn't deployed. Most units will even keep your husband from any kind of training that requires you to be away from the home if you're within a week from your due date. All you have to do is call him while he's at work and let him know that you're in labor so he can inform his chain of command. I went into labor about an hour before my husband had to report to formation and all he had to do was call his chain of command and let them know that I was having the baby.
Don't be scared.
Missing the birth happens still,
DH missed our first daughter being born... but it was due to deployment lol.
If you're all back in the states and he's assigned to a unit and he's home, there should be no reason that he misses it....unless he drives REALLLLLLLY slow lol.
Getting adjusted to the military lifestyle can be a little overwhelming at first, but believe me you'll get used to it in no time. Just try to take it one day at a time.
Welcome! You sound so concerned! Don't worry...it's not nearly as confusing as it seems at first. You'll be jumping through all the hoops with dazzle and grace in no time at all=)
My husband was still in tech school when I had my wee one. ( It was a loooong tech school. Long. So, so long.) As I got closer to my due date, he was allowed to keep his phone on him during the duty day, so that he could be reachable if the need arose. We chose to induce, so that ended up being a moot point. He received three days off when Nel was born. We induced on a Thursday, so that he could have Friday, then the weekend, then Monday off as well. He will be entitled to paternity leave, to the tune of 21 days or so, but he cannot take that during tech school. My husband took it between leaving tech school and arriving at his first assignment. You have up to a year to use it, I believe.
I was seen off base for all of my prenatal care, and Nel was seen off base once she was born. Things differ according to base of course, but I've never been seen on base. They've always been at capacity, so I've been referred elsewhere. Someone else may have to chime in regarding the on base OBGYN care.
Please keep asking questions. It's confusing at first, but it all falls together. People are very willing to help, since we've all been newbies at some point. I think you'll like AF life. I found it was like joining a big family.
This!! Good luck!
DH became a double above knee amputee with traumatic brain injury (TBI) - July 2009
TTC - August 2009 DX: Severe MFI & TF due to TBI
DH SA 0 count, started clomid therapy - November 2010
DH SA 0 count, increased clomid dosage - January 2011
DH SA 75 million with 60% motility!! - May 2011
IVF with ICSI ONLY OPTION - May 2011
3dt of 2 Grade A 8&7 cell embryos May 19, 2011
+HPT May 30 2011 -- Memorial Day!
Beta #1 = 34 Beta #2 = 101.8 Beta #3 = 603!
Expecting beautiful Eden Grace February 7, 2012!
I don't believe that God ever tells us "no". he has three options. Yes, not right now, or I have something better in mind. We just have to wait & see.
I believe my SIL (who is active duty AF) gave birth at the military hospital at Eglin - she had a good experience and a good doctor.
Military OBGYN care will differ by where you are. At our last duty station, only AD were seen on base - all dependents were seen off-base. I had the best doctor...wish we could have stayed longer
At our current station (Hawaii), everyone is seen on-base. However, I believe that women only see an OBGYN if they are pregnant or have some sort of medical condition that needs to be treated by an OBGYN. Otherwise, women go to their regular PCM for annual check-ups. You normally choose your PCM, but I got stuck with mine because the one I had chosen moved or something. I plan to switch to a new one before I have to see her again.
If you want a more natural birth, see if they have a midwife program - I've enjoyed it here.
Also, if you are seen on-base and it's hard to schedule appointments, try scheduling them by phone ahead of time - don't wait until after your appointment to try to schedule the next. One of the appointment schedulers told me this around my 30th week - would have been nice to know a bit earlier
I didn't mean for this to be so long. Hope it's helpful!