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5 Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

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Breastfeeding is hard. For some reason, people don’t tell you that while you’re pregnant. You see ads in magazines of glowing new moms blissfully nursing their babies and think “oh, this will be easy.”

5 Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

Breast pumps are now 100% covered under Tricare. All you need is a prescription from your doctor.

For most moms, it isn’t that simple. Some women luck out and have babies that are great at latching. They have a steady milk supply and don’t run in to any nursing-related medical problems.

For the rest of us, nursing takes practice and a whole lot of patience. Here are 5 tips for moms that plan to breastfeed their babies.

5 Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

Learn about Breastfeeding

This sounds funny to say, but breastfeeding isn’t as simple as it sounds. A lot of women give up breastfeeding because they thought it would be easy to do but then discovered that it wasn’t.

I recently had our second child, a baby girl. I watched videos online about how to breastfeed over and over again when she wasn’t latching properly. I nursed our first child so you would think doing it again would be easy, but no 2 babies are alike.

You can learn about breastfeeding through books such as “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” by watching videos online, by taking a baby education class or by attending a breastfeeding support group. Talking to friends that have breastfed their babies can be really helpful as well.

Prep for Breastfeeding

Once you’ve decided that you’re going to breastfeed your baby, you’ll want to prep for it while you are pregnant. There are a few things to consider.

  • Will you exclusively breastfeed or will you also pump?
  • Will you be breastfeeding in public?

These questions are to determine what items you will need to acquire. If you plan to pump, then you’ll need to get a pump, milk storage bags, bottles and cleaning supplies.

If you are going to nurse in public, then you might want to consider how comfortable you will feel. Some people are perfectly confident nursing in public and some are not. Either way, your wardrobe will probably change. You will want nursing bras and nursing tank tops as well as nursing friendly tops. Some women like to have a type of cover to place over the baby for more privacy as well.

Get a Free Pump

Even if you aren’t sure you want to pump, get a pump anyway. A wonderful benefit of Tricare is that breast pumps are 100% covered and you can get a new one with each child you have. It’s simple to do as well.

All you need is a prescription from your doctor.

You do not have to buy your pump at a specific place. There are numerous stores, home health supply companies and online retailers that will give you a no-cost pump with your prescription. Many now offer free accessories.

Look around for the best deal and see what you can get. Once you have your pump, take it out of the box and read the directions before the baby comes.

5 Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

This is a picture of the pump I ordered along with all the free accessories that came with it.

Don’t Get Overwhelmed

When the baby arrives, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with breastfeeding. It’s natural to worry if your baby is getting enough milk and if you’re doing it right. A lactation nurse should visit you in the hospital to help you get started.

Once you’re home things might go well for a period of time and then all of a sudden change. Don’t panic.

Tricare covers lactation consultations. You can get help. You can also join a lactation support group. I joined the one at our hospital. It’s a great way to meet other moms as well.

Enjoy the Experience

Breastfeeding should be comfortable, not painful. You should feel happy in the bond that you’ve created with your baby. Breastfeeding is a unique experience and once you’ve mastered it, you will be able to enjoy it.

There will be times that you want to cry or curse but there will be plenty more times that you look down at your baby and smile just like the women in magazines.

What tips do you have for new moms who are breastfeeding their babies? Share them in the comments section.

 

What Military Families Need to Know About the Flu Vaccine

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It’s that time of year again, flu season.

Have you and your family gotten the flu vaccine yet?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months gets the flu vaccine.

What Military Families Need to Know About the Flu Vaccine

Don’t let your fear of needles keep you from getting this year’s flu vaccine.

Here are the details you need to know about getting the flu vaccine as a military family.

Tricare pays for the flu vaccine, but they have strict guidelines that you must follow in order for your insurance to cover the cost.

The nasal spray that you or a family member may have gotten last year is not available this year. If you want the flu vaccine, you’ll have to get the injectable treatment. Here are 3 ways to get the flu vaccine and have it covered by Tricare.

How to Get the Flu Vaccine for Free Through Tricare

Visit a military hospital or clinic. You should call ahead and make sure that the flu vaccine is available. Some clinics have certain hours that walk-in vaccinations are done and some require an appointment. Active duty service members have priority so prepare yourself for a possible wait.

Visit an in-network pharmacy. You can search on Tricare’s website to find a local participating network pharmacy or you can call the Tricare line at (877) 363-1303.

Last December the Tricare retail pharmacy network changed so you may not be able to go to the same pharmacy you went to for your flu vaccine previously. Make sure you check if your pharmacy of choice is in network now.

For example, last year you might have gone to the CVS pharmacy in Target. Tricare no longer uses CVS. They switched to Walgreens.

You can also get your flu vaccine at Walmart, Kroger and Rite Aid to name a few.

Before heading to the pharmacy, call first. You’ll need to make sure a pharmacist will be available to give the flu vaccine, as Tricare will only cover the cost if it is given by a pharmacist.

If you get the flu vaccine by someone at an onsite clinic that is not a pharmacist, you may have to pay the full price of the flu vaccine.

Make sure when you talk to them to ask what hours the pharmacist will be available to give shots and if there is an age restriction. Some pharmacy policies do not allow them to give the flu vaccine to children under a certain age.

Visit a Tricare authorized provider. If you don’t have a primary physician, you can find a doctor through Tricare’s website. Note that you will be subject to your Tricare plan when going to see a doctor. This means you might have a copay or cost share for the visit. The shot however will be covered.

Active duty service members that do not want to get their flu vaccine from their primary care provider will need a referral to get one elsewhere.

Naval Hospital Jacksonville is offering the flu vaccine at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville Commissary on November 14 and 15.

If you are hesitant to getting the flu vaccine, remember that getting the shot is the first step you can take to protect yourself from the flu. It is required for all active duty, selected reserves and health care workers.

While everyone over the age of 6 months is recommended to get the flu vaccine, it is particularly recommended for pregnant women and people who suffer from chronic health problems such as diabetes and emphysema.

Don’t let being scared of a shot keep you from getting the flu vaccine. The flu is very contagious being spread by physical contact, coughing and sneezing. If you get the flu, you may have mild to severe sickness that could land you in a hospital. Make sure to wash your hands often to prevent the spread of this illness.

Now that you know how to get the flu vaccine for free, make time to get it done and protect yourself and your family.

What questions do you have about getting your flu shot?

Pregnant Military Spouses Concerned about Delivering at Military Hospitals

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I opened my Facebook news feed and my heart sank. The pictures were everywhere in a matter of hours. From a story that was being shared just in the military community, it quickly gained traction as the Scary Mommy website and other heavy hitters got involved.

The pictures reflect every new parent’s fears about leaving a child with another person. Thoughtless actions and careless words went viral. Now military spouses are left wondering about the reliability of their military treatment facilities.

Pregnant military spouses are questioning whether they should give birth at a military hospital.

When I was pregnant, I never thought twice about receiving all of my prenatal and birth care at the Naval hospital. After all, my insurance is fully accepted and everything would come at a very low cost or be absolutely “free.” I’ve had amazing experiences during both pregnancies and births. My nurses seemed to be attentive, kind and compassionate to me and my brand new baby.

With those photos, however, a little seed of doubt has crept in. How many other military families thought that everything had gone well? They must have believed, like I did, that corpsman would act with decency and dignity.

Instead, through the actions of 2 medical providers, we have learned that this is not always the case.

By posting these pictures, the corpsmen involved violated patient rights according to HIPAA. They shared images of the tiniest babies at their most vulnerable. A baby’s sweet little face was shared to people without parental consent. Worst of all, the infants were manipulated into poses and postures that were degrading or insulting. All without parental consent.

Expecting Mothers Concerned about Delivering at Military Hospitals

Does this news concern you? What actions do you think the Navy should take to prevent this from happening in the future?

Every time someone wheeled my babies out of the maternal recovery room for any reason, my heart skipped a beat. Yes, I had very healthy, medium to large babies. You might call them sturdy.

However, after gestating within me for 40 weeks, these moments marked the very first time that my children had been out of my sight. I worried and waited anxiously until my newborn was returned.

I’m sure all new parents, especially mothers, share this same worry. We have been in control for almost a year, and are now ceding that role to the doctors, nurses and corpsmen. It is terrifying and heart-stopping.

Now we have this additional worry: that someone will take advantage of their position to demean a newborn.

Which brings up another concern: how were these corpsmen placed in this role to start with?

Based on their behavior, in hindsight, it seems as if both corpsmen involved did not enjoy working with mothers and infants. Surely, this must have been evident before they were assigned to the maternity ward. A medical professional doesn’t just suddenly develop such strong negative feelings toward babies. A person who calls vulnerable newborns “little Satans” probably did not start out feeling warm and fuzzy toward her patients.

During our last birth process, we had the mostly amazing corpsmen. We even had one corpsman who went out of his way to include my older child in the new baby’s routine check-up. He was so exceptional that we thought he was a doctor, until he politely corrected us.

We also had someone who was a little rougher than I would have liked and persisted with tests that were causing the baby a lot of distress. After, my spouse and I wondered why that second corpsman was in that position.

Beyond the core incompatibility of these corpsmen, the lack of oversight is also concerning.

A writer for What to Expect When You’re Expecting even shared that the fake nails visible in one photo are considered unacceptable while working with newborns. Long nails and long fake nails have the potential to injure delicate newborn skin. They can carry dangerous bacteria that can lead to infections or illness.

That both corpsmen had the time and lack of supervision to share posed images on social media is also of note. Surely, someone should have been there with them or near them or popping in and out of that location. Someone must have known.

What gives me hope that this incident won’t be recurring in other military hospitals is the swiftness of the Navy’s response.

Through legal and military justice, these corpsmen should be held accountable for their actions. Hopefully, this embarrassment will cause a review of the policies placing personnel in each position. Ideally, the Navy will review the supervision guidelines as well as staff access to personal phones or devices.

It’s unfortunate that the actions of 2 inappropriate corpsmen will impact the future of so many of their exceptional colleagues. Because I personally have had experiences with amazing corpsmen. These ladies and gentlemen went above and beyond to show kindness, compassion and dignity.

However, with so many military families now questioning what will happen or has happened, during their birth experiences, something clearly needs to happen. Military families should feel secure when they are at their most vulnerable, especially on base.

Faith needs to be restored in the system. We are all waiting to see exactly how the Navy will act to accomplish this goal.

Does this news make you less likely to want to deliver in a military hospital?

Why Tricare Doesn’t Want High-Risk Pregnant Military Spouses Living in Some Overseas Locations

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Welcoming a new baby to your family should be one of the happiest times in your life. Some pregnant military spouses are feeling extra stress as they face delivering their babies away from their partners.

Under new guidelines from the Tricare Overseas Program contractor, SOS Government Services, some mothers-to-be may be forced to leave certain overseas locations due to high-risk pregnancies. For expectant mothers getting ready to PCS, their travel may be delayed until after their baby arrives. Tricare has stated that this is not a new policy but reflects the ongoing assessment of the local health care facilities by the contractor.

Why Tricare Doesn't Want High-Risk Pregnant Military Spouses Living in Some Overseas Locations

Mothers-to-be who become high-risk pregnancies while already at an OCONUS duty station have options.

Several OCONUS duty stations, like Bahrain and El Salvador, have been included in this guidance. SOS Government Services has determined that the local standard of care is not equivalent to the United States. There is not on-base maternity care available at these locations.

Other duty stations include New Delhi; Madagascar; Jakarta, Indonesia; La Paz, Bolivia; Kosovo; Qatar; Georgia; Suriname; and Chad. Other locations may be added or removed based on the changing status of health care standards in a particular place.

What is “high-risk?”

High-risk pregnancies are determined based on many factors. Often maternal age plays a role in moving a pregnancy into the high-risk category. Other factors could include gestational diabetes, other pregnancy complications, expected delivery complications or anticipated needs of the newborn based on prenatal screenings.

Military spouses who are determined to be at high-risk before they arrive in an identified duty station may stay behind until after the baby is born. Once mother and child are both medically cleared, the family can be reunited. Active duty military members could possibly have accompanied orders converted to shorter unaccompanied orders on a case-by-case basis.

Mothers-to-be who become high-risk while already at a duty station also have options. One option is “stork nesting” at a military facility of Tricare’s choosing. This could be a medical facility in the United States or one at an approved OCONUS location.

Another option would be returning to the U.S. to be near family until the baby arrives. In both cases, the travel and other expenses would be paid for.

Women who become high-risk after they are no longer able to travel will be relocated with a civilian air ambulance.

Active duty military who are identified as high-risk should consult with their command and medical practitioner. All parties should work together to determine what is best for mother and baby. Options could include expanded medical leave or an early permanent change of station.

Complications and confusion

While the policy is intended to facilitate a healthy delivery, pregnancy is not always predictable. Many textbook pregnancies end in complicated deliveries. Some newborns have unexpected health needs that must be immediately addressed. The guidance is less clear about what would happen in those cases. There is no official document that charts these possibilities or provides guidance for mothers-to-be about their options.

This becomes especially confusing when considering the guidance about seeking care in the local community. Some clinics on-base in the identified locations do refer mothers-to-be to providers in the local community.

However, Tricare has issued guidance that this care will not be covered under Tricare Prime, Tricare Prime Remote Overseas or Tricate Prime Overseas. No guidance about billing or Tricare eligibility has been issued should a normal pregnancy end with a complex birth or a baby with health concerns.

There is also no official documentation about spouses joining their pregnant partners at the selected birthing location.

This has left many military spouses confused and uncertain about their options and possible outcomes. While the health of mother and baby is always most important, pregnancy can and does change minute to minute.

What do you think of the policy to not allow high-risk pregnant military spouses to live in certain areas? Tell us in the comments.

How Can Our Military Community Help When Pregnant Spouses Are Feeling Desperate?

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No one will ever tell you that military life is easy and carefree. It’s a life that doesn’t go as planned. And even when you scrap Plan A in favor of Plan B, you may find yourself struggling for a solution when Plan B, C and D doesn’t work either.

Those feelings of desperation and the urge to have control over your situation sometimes causes many in our military community to make foolish decisions – decisions that under normal circumstances you wouldn’t even consider.

That’s what I believe happened in this case of a pregnant military spouse who was due to deliver alone for the second time while living overseas. In this post, “I can’t believe what I let my husband do to induce my labor,” the author writes about her thoughts leading up to her due date that collided with her husband’s upcoming deployment.

“The news that my husband would be deploying on the due date of our second child was both familiar and heartbreaking. He had deployed on the due date of our firstborn and was thousands of miles away by the time I finally went into labor and delivered our son. We thought we’d planned better with our second and final child, but being in the military means always expecting the unexpected.”

The command did permit the service member to remain with his wife for 2 weeks after the rest of the battalion deployed, but that waiver didn’t reduce her stress.

“Days passed and nothing changed. As we approached the fourth day, I panicked….We tried all the home remedies that were supposed to start labor: raspberry leaf tea, sex, walking, spicy food; you name it, we did it. Still nothing. On the seventh day, desperation became fear.”

In the end, she begged her husband to try to break her water using a hook they made out of a wire coat hanger. But in the end, thankfully, she went into labor without using the hook to break her water. She delivered her healthy baby boy at the military hospital.

But this story illustrates the desperate measures that some military spouses might try to induce labor before their service member’s departure. Her story isn’t unfamiliar to many of us who have been a member of the military spouse community for years. Maybe you have a similar story yourself.

Being stationed overseas is daunting.

Having a baby is stressful.

Knowing that your husband will not be there for the birth of your child is a tough pill to swallow.

Combine those 3 circumstances with the feelings of being alone and afraid because you don’t have your support system to turn to for help and her decision to ask her husband to break her water doesn’t seem illogical anymore.

How Can Our Military Community Help When Pregnant Spouses Are Feeling Desperate?

What do you think the military community could do to help spouses in these types of desperate situations?

Here are the lessons learned from this woman’s cautionary tale.

First, we need to recognize our feelings of isolation and desperation. In the days leading up to a deployment, pregnant or not, a military spouse feels emotional. Pregnant or not, she may feel like no one can help her and that no one can relate to her feelings.

I guarantee that there are military spouses on her base who have had the same thoughts, same feelings and faced similar circumstances as her. This is her military spouse community who should have supported her.

But the military community can’t help us if we don’t ask for help.

It’s scary to admit that we need help. But no one is going to fault a pregnant military spouse with a toddler, who is living overseas and facing the reality of giving birth alone for asking for assistance. Instead the military spouse community is going to help.

Secondly, we as members of the military community need to step up and provide the support that this desperate military spouse needed. She needed to know that she had someone to be with so she wouldn’t have to worry about giving birth alone. She needed to know that she would have reliable child care for her toddler when she went to the hospital. Heck, she even needed transportation to get her to the hospital.

Her challenges weren’t impossible if she had a military spouse community that enveloped her with support. A community that didn’t casually ask “how can I help?” but instead said “here’s how I will help.”

As uncomfortable as it is to be the pregnant military spouse seeking help, it is equally uncomfortable to reach out to that pregnant spouse who is your on-base neighbor.

You know that her husband is deploying soon, even if you don’t know exactly when.

You know that she has a toddler, even if you don’t know if she has child care for him.

You know her due date, even if you don’t know if her mother-in-law is able to come and stay with her when her spouse deploys.

And you will never know the answers to these personal questions if you don’t ask. If you ask, then you can help. But if you avoid asking these questions, because you don’t want to seem like a pest or nosy, you miss out on an opportunity to extend the helping hand of the military spouse community.

Finally, there needs to be more resources within the military community to help these kinds of situations. Giving birth without your parenting partner isn’t unusual in military life. There are fantastic nonprofits that throw baby showers for expecting military spouses but as we see from this story, military spouses need more than diapers and swaddling blankets.

And if there are resources to help mothers who are delivering during deployment, this woman’s doctor and her service member’s chaplain should have brought those resources to their attention.

Let’s use these lessons learned to help our pregnant military spouses feel a little less desperate during their challenging situations.

Now it’s your turn: What do you think the military community could do to help spouses in these types of desperate situations?

Switch to Tricare Standard When You’re Pregnant?

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If you’re a pregnant military spouse who is considering switching from Tricare Prime to Standard, you’re not alone.

Google the words “pregnant and Tricare” and you’ll find numerous community posts similar to this question:

I’m 17 weeks pregnant with Tricare Prime and currently being seen at a Naval Hospital. I haven’t had any appointments since 11 weeks where there did an ultrasound and pap. I don’t have another doctor’s appointment until 22 weeks. I’m worried and feel like I’m not getting the care I need or deserve at the Naval Hospital. I was thinking of switching to Tricare Standard but don’t know how long that process takes if it would even be worth it.

The responses range from “Yes, you should definitely switch. I switched to Standard and I’m so much happier” to “You need to call your PCM and make another appointment. They’ll get you in if you explain your situation.”

I’ve given birth twice using my Tricare Prime health insurance as a military dependent. The first time I received my prenatal care from a PCM (prime care manager) and delivered at an overseas military hospital as a Tricare Prime Overseas patient.

The second time, I received a referral to an obstetrician and delivered in a civilian hospital because we were stationed more than 50 miles (actually it was 52.1) from a military treatment facility. In my case, I was pleased with the medical care in both situations.

Was my prenatal care prefect? Hardly. Was I upset about some medical decisions that were influenced by Tricare coverage policies? Of course.

Insurance isn’t perfect. But it helps pay for your medical care. And having a baby isn’t cheap. In fact, the average American delivery costs $8,000 and considering I paid nothing to have 2 healthy children, in the end, I’m pleased with Tricare.

What about you? Are you a pregnant military spouse with Tricare Prime insurance? Are you frustrated or pleased with your prenatal care? Are you thinking about switching from Tricare Prime to Standard? Are your military spouse friends recommending that you switch to Standard?

Here are 5 things to consider if you’re thinking about switching from Tricare Prime to Standard during your pregnancy.

Here are 5 things to consider if you’re thinking about switching from Tricare Prime to Standard during your pregnancy.

Before switching to Tricare Standard take time to research your options so you fully understand your decision and the outcome of your decision.

Picking Your Doctor Provides Peace of Mind for Many

With Tricare Standard you get to pick your doctor instead of being assigned one. When I was at a military medical treatment facility, it seemed like my doctor was PCSing every 2 months and a new one was assigned to me. For consistency, it would be nice to see the same doctor for your entire pregnancy. With Tricare Standard you don’t need a referral to see a specialist, so you can see an obstetrician during your prenatal care without waiting for referral through Tricare Prime.

Tricare Standard May Mean More Regular Appointments

Many military medical facilities are crowded and busy. There are lots of military spouses and active duty service members having babies which means that the scheduling can get pretty tight. Many people prefer seeing an off-base doctor through Tricare Standard so that they know they will see their doctor every month. At many military medical facilities, pregnant (who aren’t having complications or considered high-risk) military spouses are seeing their doctors every 6 weeks instead of 4 weeks.

Tricare Standard May Lead to Medical Bills

With Tricare Standard, you will have an annual deductible for outpatient services and cost-shares for most services. In general Tricare Standard covers 80 percent of medical costs (you pay the remaining 20 percent) and in many cases, it’s 100 percent if you use an in-network doctor. Review this cost shares chart for more information.

If you have health insurance through your employer, you can use that insurance and Tricare can be your secondary insurance.

If you don’t have a second insurance plan, you may want to purchase one. You can purchase a Tricare Standard supplement insurance through MOAA (Military Officer’s Association of America), Air Force Association, Uniformed Services Benefits Association or Association of the U.S. Army. Before purchasing a policy, Tricare recommends that you consider several aspects of the available coverage. You can compare Tricare supplement companies with this chart.

Tricare Doesn’t Cover Routine Ultrasounds (Standard or Prime)

I noticed many small differences between Tricare prenatal care coverage and other health insurance companies. One of these differences deals with ultrasounds. When I was seeing my Tricare Prime-approved obstetrician, he complained to me at EVERY appointment about Tricare’s ultrasound policy. He wanted to do a 20-week ultrasound because “it’s routine” in his opinion.

Here’s what Tricare’s maternity care fact sheet says:

Some providers offer their patients routine ultrasound screening as part of the scope of care after 16–20 weeks of pregnancy. Tricare does not cover routine ultrasound screening. Only medically necessary maternity ultrasounds are covered by Tricare.

Because I wasn’t a high-risk pregnancy I didn’t get a 20-week ultrasound. Later I was measuring small and then it was medically necessary to have an ultrasound, so I did. I think it was around 30 weeks and it confirmed that my baby was small, but still growing at a healthy rate.

Choose What’s Best for You and Your Baby

You can switch to Tricare Standard at any time. Here is a link with by step-by-step instructions for how to leave Prime and enroll in Standard. You can start using Tricare Standard on the day after your Tricare Prime coverage ends.

But let’s say you want to go back to Tricare Prime? You may not be able to re-enroll in Tricare Prime for up to one year after you disenroll. So consider your options carefully before making the switch.

Every baby is a unique individual and every pregnancy is a unique experience. No two pregnancies are created equal. You may have a smooth sailing 9 months followed by a difficult delivery. Your sister may be the opposite. That’s why in every pregnancy you need to be your own advocate and listen to your body.

Before switching to Tricare Standard take time to research your options so you fully understand your decision and the outcome of your decision.

Now it’s your turn. What’s been your experience with Tricare and its prenatal care?