DC VA Medical Center Celebrates Veteran Moms-To-Be with Baby Shower

The fifth annual “Showers of Joy” brought together 30 Veteran moms-to-be residing in Washington D.C., and parts of Maryland and Virginia, just in time for Mother’s Day. Washington DC VA Medical Center Women Veteran Program Manager, Shana Balogun, RN, said this annual event is designed to educate Veterans about support services within the medical center as well as in the community.

“We strive to fill the gap for women Veterans who require a bit more support than just coverage of maternity related expenses in the community,” said Balogun. “It’s important that they recognize signs of post-partum depression and what to do about it. We connect them with lactation support outside of the facility in case they have issues feeding their newborn. We just want to make sure they feel supported and understand the resources available to them.”

Washington DC VA Medical Center Maternity Care Coordinator, Taisha Nolan, RN, collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to bring this year’s event to fruition. Veterans in attendance were showered with gifts and educational material about topics like post-partum depression, infant sleep safety tips, and breast-feeding support.

“We seek to ensure that Vets have safe living arrangements and supplies for when they bring their little one home,” said Nolan. “Through generous donations, we can gift expecting Veterans with items they can really use, like new pack-n-plays, gift cards, diapers, wipes, backpacks and more.”

Balogun said the donated gifts, which cover just about everything needed for the first six months of a child’s life, are provided to Veterans who are dealing with limited resources at home.

“In lieu of growing pregnancy numbers, we tried to focus our resources on Veterans in need,” said Balogun. “This year we were excited to host 30 Veterans who are dealing with challenges related to housing issues, intimate partner violence, limited family support or deployed spouses. It was our goal to alleviate some of their stress and remind them that they are not alone because we are here for them.”

The Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s Women’s Health Clinic offers comprehensive services to care for the growing population of women Veterans. The clinic offers maternity care coordination, gynecological care and on-site mammography with same day results, nutrition counseling and mental health services all in a calm environment that preserves the privacy and dignity of women Veterans.

For more information about the Women’s Health Clinic, visit: https://www.washingtondc.va.gov/services/women/index.asp