Happy New Year!
2024 was quite the year in more ways than one. The historic election, school shootings, and other random life-changing events can take their toll on even the best of us.
One historic and life-changing piece of legislation that passed (and may have flown under the radar if you were not paying attention) was support for military mothers and their mental health. The National Defense Authorization Act created a unique program to aid military mothers during pregnancy and post-delivery, which, by the way, had bipartisan support when this was just a bill during the development stage.
We often hear about and see support for our military service people on the frontlines. At the same time, their families are often overlooked, and the service and support those family members provide is minimized or downright forgotten. The GAO (Government Accountability Office) states that approximately 100,000 military mothers (inclusive of active-duty members and spouses) give birth, and maternal mental health conditions impact one in three of those women. Providing this resource to these family members is helpful at home, but it also eases the minds of those serving our country to know that their family is taken care of in this capacity.
This new legislation is a step in the right direction to support this demographic.
Hopefully, the incoming administration will take more intentional actions like this in the years to come.
Check out the link below for more information about the MOMS Act or the National Defense Bill.
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