DEPLOYMENTS AND PREGNANCY By: Caroline Hale and Kate Abbate Deployments are hard for families with or without children, and they can become even more difficult when pregnancy is an added factor (no matter how excited you may be!). Ideally during pregnancy, families can spend most of their time together. However, that’s not the reality for many military families due to the demands of the military lifestyle. In addition, pregnancy comes with its own challenges – hormonal changes, financial stressors, and more. When deployment is added on top of the pregnancy, challenges can quickly pileup and be difficult to manage. We will share information about these challenges and provide resources to assist you with navigating them. Effects of Deployment During Pregnancy When the expectant parent, or their partner, is deployed, it can lead to a challenging pregnancy. Two common outcomes related to prenatal deployment (i.e., when a spouse is pregnant during deployment) are stress and depression. Listed below are a set of facts that provide information about the links between military service, pregnancy, stress, and depression. Did you know: - Active Duty pregnant Service members experience more stress compared to their civilian counterparts? - Mothers with children already at home are likely to have increased stress during their current pregnancy? - Throughout the pregnancy, mothers are likely to experience elevated stress when their partners are deployed compared to mothers whose partners are not deployed? - Mothers are more likely of having a preterm delivery when their partners are deployed? - Mothers are 3x more likely to experience postpartum depression when their partners are deployed compared to mothers whose partners are not deployed? Helpful Resources The information mentioned above may seem daunting; however, there are several ways you can reduce the likelihood of these outcomes from occurring. The suggestions below range from in-person to online options. The goal is to provide you with a range of options that will best fit your lifestyle. You can: - Participate in classes or counseling services focused on stress and depression management, - Participate in parenting educational support programs like the Family Foundations Program whose goal/mission is to assist families with transitioning to parenthood, - Utilize specific resources targeted towards parents whose partners are deployed, - Explore and utilize the pregnancy-related resources offered through Military OneSource, a freely accessible website to Service members and their families, and - Use social media to find a supportive network of people who may be experiencing, or have experienced, a similar situation. You can start your search on social media with terms like “prenatal deployment” and “military families.” Each of these resources address a different challenge associated with pregnancy when an expectant parent or their partner are deployed. In addition to these resources, be sure to surround yourself with ample support from friends and family during your pregnancy, which can make a world of difference in the outcomes of your pregnancy!

Hale, Caroline

DEPLOYMENTS AND PREGNANCY By: Caroline Hale and Kate Abbate Deployments are hard for families with or without children, and they can become even more difficult when pregnancy is an added factor (no matter how excited you may be!). Ideally during pregnancy, families can spend most of their time together. However, that’s not the reality for many military families due to the demands of the military lifestyle. In addition, pregnancy comes with its own challenges – hormonal changes, financial stressors, and more. When deployment is added on top of the pregnancy, challenges can quickly pileup and be difficult to manage. We will share information about these challenges and provide resources to assist you with navigating them. Effects of Deployment During Pregnancy When the expectant parent, or their partner, is deployed, it can lead to a challenging pregnancy. Two common outcomes related to prenatal deployment (i.e., when a spouse is pregnant during deployment) are stress and depression. Listed below are a set of facts that provide information about the links between military service, pregnancy, stress, and depression. Did you know: - Active Duty pregnant Service members experience more stress compared to their civilian counterparts? - Mothers with children already at home are likely to have increased stress during their current pregnancy? - Throughout the pregnancy, mothers are likely to experience elevated stress when their partners are deployed compared to mothers whose partners are not deployed? - Mothers are more likely of having a preterm delivery when their partners are deployed? - Mothers are 3x more likely to experience postpartum depression when their partners are deployed compared to mothers whose partners are not deployed? Helpful Resources The information mentioned above may seem daunting; however, there are several ways you can reduce the likelihood of these outcomes from occurring. The suggestions below range from in-person to online options. The goal is to provide you with a range of options that will best fit your lifestyle. You can: - Participate in classes or counseling services focused on stress and depression management, - Participate in parenting educational support programs like the Family Foundations Program whose goal/mission is to assist families with transitioning to parenthood, - Utilize specific resources targeted towards parents whose partners are deployed, - Explore and utilize the pregnancy-related resources offered through Military OneSource, a freely accessible website to Service members and their families, and - Use social media to find a supportive network of people who may be experiencing, or have experienced, a similar situation. You can start your search on social media with terms like “prenatal deployment” and “military families.” Each of these resources address a different challenge associated with pregnancy when an expectant parent or their partner are deployed. In addition to these resources, be sure to surround yourself with ample support from friends and family during your pregnancy, which can make a world of difference in the outcomes of your pregnancy!

Family Story

https://militaryreach.auburn.edu//ffDeploymentsAndPregnancy.jsp

https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-HaasEtAl2005

Haas, D. M., Pazdernik, L. A., & Olsen, C. H. (2005). A cross-sectional survey of the relationship between partner deployment and stress in pregnancy during wartime. Women's Health Issues, 15(2), 48-54. doi:10.1016/j.whi.2004.12.002

Having a partner deployed during wartime may increase a woman's stress level during pregnancy. By administering surveys to pregnant military spouses and Active Duty Service members, the study examined the relationship between spousal deployment and prenatal stress. Results suggested a relationship between spousal deployment and stress level during pregnancy.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2004.12.002

Couples
Deployment
Mental health
Other
Physical health

Marine Corps
Multiple branches
Navy

Active Duty

Spouse of service member or veteran

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Cross-sectional study
Quantitative Study

Haas, David M., Pazdernik, Lisa A., Olsen, Cara H.

Objective The objective of this study was to determine if having a partner deployed during wartime increased the stress levels in pregnant women and altered their attitudes toward pregnancy. Methods We administered a cross-sectional survey of all military and civilian women attending the antenatal clinic at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune. We collected the anonymous surveys in May 2003. The survey measured demographics, self-reported stress level, and other attitudes toward the pregnancy and deployment; blood pressure was recorded. Data were compared by partner deployment status and reported stress levels using chi-square, t-tests, and logistic regression analysis. Results Two hundred seventy-nine surveys were returned, representing 93.3% of those distributed. An almost equal number of patients had a partner deployed as nondeployed (49.1% versus 50.9%). Women with deployed partners were older, more had children at home, more often reported both significantly higher stress levels and a severe impact of the deployment on their stress, had a lower systolic blood pressure, more often reported changed eating habits, and reported that media coverage of the war worsened their stress than those whose partners were not deployed. Logistic regression analysis of stress found that partner deployment, having more than one child at home, and being active-duty were associated with reporting higher stress levels (odds ratio [OR] = 2.27, p = .013; OR = 3.11, p = .042; and OR = 4.03, p = .01, respectively). Conclusions Pregnant women with deployed partners and those with more than one child already at home report higher stress levels than their peers with partners present. Increased stress in pregnant women with deployed partners may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Further study is warranted to assess the impact of deployment on pregnancy and family life to better support homeland pregnant partners of deployed military members during wartime.

Elsevier Science

Article
REACH Publication

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, DMH
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, LAP
Biostatistics Consulting Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, CHO