While baby showers are common occurrences, they’re generally planned and coordinated by family and friends. In Atlanta, the VA decided it was going to offer more outreach to pregnant women who had served their country. It started out as small showers for groups of women at a time, but then the pandemic happened.

Since spending time in person wasn’t as safe or convenient as it used to be, the VA switched how they handled the issue. They started having drive-thru showers, with one every three months. During the showers, pregnant veterans could come to the main entrance and get cheers, free diaper bags, and other baby supplies.

Pregnant veterans are more common than ever before, now that more women are part of the military. But like many other women that are expecting, they might not be fully prepared with everything they need for their child. Especially if it’s their first pregnancy, getting everything a baby needs can be overwhelming financially and in other ways.

It’s not just about the gifts or the applause, though. It’s also about forming a relationship between the maternity care team at the VA and the pregnant veteran, so giving birth feels safer and less complicated. Every pregnant veteran in the program has a maternity care coordinator to help ensure they get prenatal checkups, and see a specialist if they need to.

While it would be nice to have every pregnant veteran in the program, that’s simply not possible. Instead, the VA is focusing on high-risk pregnancies, such as women having multiples like twins or triplets, or those who have service-connected disabilities that make having children more complicated.

These kinds of programs can help expectant mothers and their children stay healthier, and reduce problems with their pregnancy and birth. Pregnancy is stressful on the body, but can also affect mental health. Since anxiety, depression, and PTSD are already common in veterans, the Atlanta VA is taking steps to make it easier on these veterans to get the care they need and bring a healthy baby into the world.

We aim to provide our clients with a straightforward breakdown of what might seem to be a complicated and daunting process so that they can enjoy the beautiful experience of bringing a child into the world through assisted reproduction.. At The Surrogacy Law Center, we work to help protect our clients’ rights related to egg, sperm, and embryo donation, and in surrogacy arrangements, keeping state and other jurisdictional laws at the forefront. To learn more and to speak with an assisted reproduction attorney, contact us today!