Life as a military mommy

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melissa Harvey
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas --  As I watch my little girl play in my green combat boots, a smile spreads across my face. I never imagined I would be an Airman and a mommy.

When I enlisted in 2010, being a mom was not on my radar. My husband, Trey, and I had been married for eight months. It was nothing short of crazy that I wanted to join the military as a newlywed. However, I was looking for a way to expand my career experience and serving my country seemed like a great way to do that.

I left for basic training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas less than two months after signing my enlistment papers. It was there I was introduced to the sock bun, learned military rules and regulations, and how to deal with living in close proximity with dozens of females.

After completing basic at Lackland and technical training at the Defense Information School, Fort Meade, Md., Trey and I had spent six months apart, with the exception of some trips he made to see me. The separation seemed like a lifetime, but it made us realize how important family really is and how short life can be. This line of thinking led us to conclude we wanted to start a family, so we decided to forget about our previous plan to wait two years or so before having children.

We found out the exciting news we were expecting our first child two months after I returned from technical school. No wasting time there!

Being pregnant and in the military meant I had to wear maternity Airman Battle Uniforms. Although they made me feel bigger than I was, the uniforms were quite comfortable.

I was excited about being pregnant, but I was also concerned that I would be looked down upon because I'm a woman, pregnant, and in the Air Force. That was not the case. I can't tell you how many times people asked how I and my baby were doing. The public affairs office even threw me a baby shower. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was valued and so was my growing family.

I gave birth to my daughter July 15, 2011 at 11:51 p.m. She is a wonderful gift from God that changed our lives forever.

I returned to duty six weeks later just in time to photograph a mass casualty exercise in extreme heat. I was completely worn out from the duty day and I still needed to go home and be a wife to my husband and a mother to my newborn baby. It was then I realized I had a big challenge in front of me.

How on earth was I supposed to be a wife, mother, and a stellar Airman all at the same time? I hadn't really thought about it too much until it was too late.

I struggled to coordinate nursing my baby and working unit training assemblies. Not to mention Trey was still getting the hang of being a new daddy. He made the best of it when I left them alone for most of two days, but let's face it, Sunday evenings I usually arrived to a slightly tense household. So I remove my ABU cover, put on my mommy hat and got right to work.

Eventually, between Trey and our family reinforcements, UTA weekends began to run a little smoother at home.

With things going better on the weekends, I now had another issue to tackle -- losing baby weight and getting back into shape. Hands down, this challenge had been the biggest of my career. I never had to lose weight before, so figuring out what I should and shouldn't eat, starting from ground zero with working out again, and juggling all my other responsibilities, was extremely stressful for me.

While all this was going on, I realized pregnancy had changed a few things physically and I ended up in physical therapy to try and fix them. Needless to say, getting well, losing weight and becoming fit to fight took longer than I and the Air Force expected, but not by much. With the help of my husband, family, and my fellow Airmen, I got back into shape. I'm still not the same as before having Gabrielle, but that's okay.

It's been three years since my little girl joined our family. She is now a healthy, energetic, and sweet girl. Receiving her hugs and kisses at the end of any day makes everything okay. I still struggle sometimes to maintain my sanity with two jobs, plus being a wife and a mommy, but I know I'm not alone and I've learned a lot.

I've learned to put first things first -- God, family, and country. If I have my priorities right, it doesn't matter how crazy things get. I'm blessed to have the best, supportive family and friends anyone could ask for in this life.

As an Airman, I know there may come a time when I deploy. That's when my family of three will need our support base more than ever. I know that is the only way to navigate the future challenges that we face as a military family.

Life as a wife, mommy, and Airman may not always be easy, but when I see my little girl playing in my combat boots, I smile because I know it is all worth it.