This week:
A Tricare pilot program is providing military moms with more access to doulas and lactation consultants. Three military spouses who work in this field break down what new moms need to know — and how it could affect the military community long term.
About the Guest:
Danni McMillan graduated with her nursing degree from The George Washington University in 2016. She became an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and currently works from home as a NICU case manager. She has also worked on postpartum units and in OB-GYN offices. McMillan’s husband is a naval aviator in the Marine Corps. They are set to PCS soon, and once settled she plans on growing her lactation experience and hopes to open a private practice one day.
Mariah Duck is a trained and certified birth and postpartum doula with Childbirth International, as well as Doulas of North America (DONA). She is also a mother to two and a military spouse, whose husband has been in the Air Force for 10 years. Birth work has been her passion since 2017, and while stationed overseas, she learned how important birth and postpartum support is living so far away from family and major support systems. She started her own business, Mother Duck Doula, while living in England and has supported dozens of birthing and postpartum people who often had little to no support. She now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Amanda Dodson is a certified doula with DONA and a certified HypnoBirthing educator. Her passion to help service members and their families during pregnancy and beyond inspired her to found the Japan Birth Resource Network in 2013 and co-found the Military Birth Resource Network in 2016. In order to coordinate and provide training and support for local area doulas, Dodson opened The Birth Education Center in Okinawa, Japan, while stationed there. As a military spouse of 23 years, she has spent 13 years living overseas with her husband and their three children, two of which were born in Okinawa. Amanda was voted 2016 Armed Forces Insurance Spouse of the Year for Marine Corps Base SD Butler in Okinawa.
About the Podcast:
The Spouse Angle is a podcast breaking down the news for military spouses and their families. Each episode features subject-matter experts and military guests who dive into current events from a military perspective — everything from new policy changes to research on family lifestyle challenges. The podcast is hosted by Natalie Gross, a freelance journalist and former Military Times reporter who grew up in a military family.
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