Diaper delight: a baby shower to celebrate service and family

On Nov. 15, more than 10 women Veterans and dozens of family members joined together at the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center to celebrate their children and family during a heartwarming event.   

Since 2018, TVHS has hosted several baby showers throughout the different TVHS campuses. Previously, the facility hosted drive-through showers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the in-person events have proven to be an irreplaceable experience for Veterans and staff.  

“Drive-throughs are nice…but it doesn't offer the camaraderie that in-person face-to-face baby showers do. Once women got comfortable and then started chatting, they developed a community…To me, that is my favorite part, the sense of community these baby showers build,” Lynn Daugherty, TVHS Women Veteran Program Manager, said.  

With donations from different stakeholders and through TVHS Center of Development and Civic Engagement, Veterans received essential items, including diapers, wipes, travel kits, bathtubs, clothes, blankets, car seats, activities and much more, alleviating some financial hardship with pregnancies.  

At the event, there was also Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training and lactation information to create a well-rounded education experience within a welcoming environment. 

Veterans within TVHS maternity care program, and in their second trimester or beyond, including postpartum, are invited to the baby showers. Veterans who could not attend and other women Veterans in the community also received items from the baby shower.  

At the baby shower and all the baby showers hosted by TVHS, Veterans left the event with gratitude and happiness as they received such kind support and donations. One Veteran expressed excitement over the event and future as a financial burden was lifted.  

“When I walked her to her vehicle, she stated she was under the impression it’s not going to be a big deal…she said, ‘but this exceeded my expectations, I cannot believe you do this, this is helping us out tremendously on our financial budget,’” Kathleen McCutcheon, TVHS Women Health Maternity Care Coordinator, said.  

Women Veterans are the fastest growing Veteran population, and TVHS cares for almost 16,000 women Veterans and aided nearly 200 pregnancies in 2024. With this, TVHS Women’s Health hopes to continue to help women Veterans and even expand services and availability. 

“For the future, we just want to continue expanding the program, but we also want women Veterans to know that they have a safe place within the women's health team and that we're always going to be here to advocate and support them in any way that we can,” Carly Powers, TVHS Maternity Care Coordinator, said.  

Expecting Veteran families can look forward to more baby shower events throughout the year in middle Tennessee, especially in communities with the largest populations of pregnant Veterans. These events are part of TVHS's ongoing efforts to support and celebrate Veteran families. 

To be eligible for future baby shower events, Veterans can enroll in health care at TVHS to begin receiving a range of health care services and support, including free lactation kits, prenatal yoga classes, childbirth education classes, food and nutrition services, postpartum support, and more.  

For those interested in supporting or making donations, visit the TVHS volunteer website. 

For more information on maternity services and support, Veterans can visit the TVHS women’s Veteran care website.