No one really prepares you for how intense the early months of parenting can be—especially when you’re doing it in the chaos of military life. 

When we moved to Fort Jackson, my son was only a few months old. My husband started Drill
Sergeant School the same day we moved into our new house — a house we bought without
ever having seen in person, like true military geniuses. I went back to working full-time remotely,
juggling deadlines and diapers while my husband was gone 6–7 days a week. By the time my
son was eight months old, he was thriving…and I was barely surviving.

Let me paint the picture: my baby was hitting every milestone, eating organic beef liver and
sweet potatoes with his pinky out, while I was living on leftover crusts and maybe a sip of
lukewarm tea. My mental health? Tanking. My physical health? Ignored. My sense of identity?
HA! I wasn’t drowning in motherhood — I was drowning in the weight of doing everything alone
and trying to make it look effortless.

Now, I had already heard of the New Parent Support Program (NPSP), as I was that person who
took every class Army Community Services had to offer while pregnant at JBLM, so I knew the
acronym, the pitch, and the pamphlet. My husband even attended their Bootcamp for Dads
workshop, but I thought it was for people who needed help raising a baby. I, on the other hand,
had worked with kids for years, had Dr. Google on speed dial, and was doing fine(ish). My son
was taken care of, but what I didn’t realize was that I needed taking care of too.

That’s what no one really tells you: the New Parent Support Program isn’t just about parenting
tips and development checklists. It’s about you, too.

It’s a free and voluntary program available to military families who are expecting or have
children under the age of three. It’s designed to enhance the lives of parents and children up to
age 3 by offering personalized guidance, education, and emotional support from licensed
professionals like registered nurses, social workers, lactation consultants, and therapists. It’s
available to all military families (not just for NEW parents by the way), and focuses on prevention, early
intervention, and family wellness. They have classes on child development, proper nutrition,
well-baby care, “The Period of Purple Crying,” safe infant sleeping, infant massage, post-partum
depression, child and home safety, discipline, stress management, parenting during military
transitions, blended Families, and so much more!

It turns out, thriving babies and struggling moms often exist in the same house.

I thought knowing how to take care of my baby meant I didn’t need help, but one day, somewhere between reheating my tea for the fifth time and Googling “is it normal to cry during nap time?” I realized something had to change.

That’s when I made the call.

In the next part of this Striving Baby, Barely Surviving Mom series, I’ll share what happened when I finally reached out to the New Parent Support Program, what that first conversation felt like, and how one phone call helped me find a lifeline I didn’t know I needed. Stay tuned.

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