Fort Bragg expecting mothers can expect a lot in return at Womack

By Pvt. Lalita Guenther/27th PADNovember 6, 2009

WAMC
Tracy Stevens, the childbirth educator at Womack Army Medical Center, leads a tour of the labor and delivery department for pregnant mothers. Along the way, she explains what everything in each room is for and points out many ways the mothers and Fam... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Womack Army Medical Center offers a variety of classes and services to pregnant women. Whether the expectant mother is active-duty military, a spouse or even a daughter of a servicemember, she is eligible to receive a broad range of care both during and after her stay in the hospital.

WAMC provides services that range from tools designed to keep the father in touch with his spouse and the status of her pregnancy, to helping Soldiers enroll in the Pregnant Soldier Wellness Program.

Pregnant Soldiers need a healthy way to exercise without overexerting themselves. This can be achieved through the Pregnant Soldier Wellness program provided by WAMC's wellness center located on the second floor above the pediatric clinic.

Also, expectant mothers can enroll in one of the many classes taught by Tracy Stevens, the childbirth educator at WAMC.

One of her many classes includes a pain control class to help expectant mothers cope with labor and the birth of their baby.

In this class, Stevens teaches Lamaze, a breathing technique to help mothers deal with labor pains if they prefer a natural delivery, said Cpt. Stephenie Lister, as a head nurse in WAMC's labor and delivery department. The class also educates mothers on epidurals and what to expect if it is elected.

They also have a program for siblings designed to help them cope with having a new baby in the Family.

"The siblings class teaches moms how to help younger siblings adjust to a new baby," Lister said. "The siblings come in and learn how to incorporate gentle touching and it helps them understand that they can help too by getting diapers out for mom. It teaches the mothers to show their child, 'Although I'm spending a lot of time with the new baby, you're important too.'"

Another service offered is an Internet resource that helps pregnant women track their pregnancy using a week-by-week calendar.

"When you find out you're pregnant, you can go to the Web site and sign up for a weekly program," said Lister.

"It's called parent review and once you sign up, you'll receive weekly updates on what to expect each week of your pregnancy. It even goes through early childhood."

A mini class, referred to as express childbirth, is available for mothers who have already had one or more children.

"The class is more like a review for mothers," said Wanda McCants, as a licensed practical nurse in the labor and delivery department. "Since these mothers have already been through it once, they don't need all the lessons that a new mother would get."

Along with classes and special programs, there are also parenting fairs the mothers can participate in.

Twice a year there is a maternity fair where future mothers can win prizes and get free samples of various products, Lister said. They can also get small classes, extra advice and information about pregnancy and babies.

"I've seen mothers come out of those fairs just loaded with goodies in huge goody bags," McCants said.

Besides helping soon to be moms stay informed about their pregnancies, the hospital has a way to keep dads involved as well.

"We have a few different ways to keep the fathers involved while they're deployed," McCants said. "One of those ways is with a service called Freedom Calls."

This digital online program allows fathers to be in touch no matter how far away they are, McCants explained. If he is in a serviceable area, he can play an active role in being with the mother during her labor and birth of the child.

There is even a program called Dads 101, which is aimed at helping the fathers become more accustomed to their role as a parent.

"The fathers will learn how to integrate themselves into their new role and how to change diapers and get tips on helpful ways to assist the mother. It will also help them get a better understanding of fatherhood," said McCamb.

Finally, there is a discharge class designed to teach the mothers what to do when they get home for neonatal care.

The class is taught by Army Community Service, Lister said. This class the mothers with information on care and support after they return home.

WAMC is a large, busy hospital, Lister said. They see an average of 800 mothers per month and deliver an average of 260 babies every month. Even with all of these patients, the hospital is still able to keep up with all the services it has to offer and still maintain a good reputation for customer service.

"In terms of competency, we have an amazing staff," said Lister. "We have the latest and greatest in technology and it shows. We give out comment cards to the patients, and they can fill them out and give them back. Whenever we get a good comment back, we get what's called a bragging button, and we get back quite a few buttons."

The Army values include being in shape and staying fit. This applies to pregnant Soldiers as well. The first thing a pregnant Soldier at Fort Bragg can do is enroll in the Pregnant Soldier Wellness Program, which includes pregnant and postpartum physical training four days a week with an educational class on Tuesday mornings. The class is led by trained professionals and is considered by medical personnel at WAMC to be very beneficial to pregnant women as long as there are no complications with the pregnancy.

For more information, contact the WAMC Labor and Deliveries Department at 907-7563, or the childbirth educator at 907-6198.

(Editor's note: This is part one of four in the series "Babies come from Soldiers too.")