The U.S. Army this year enacted new policies designed to improve the morale of soldiers and help them become better parents. It now needs its leaders to ensure pregnant soldiers and their families are getting the benefits.

“We are at 32 weeks today. As of Monday, we're at 32 weeks pregnant,” Maj. Amber Rouson of the 10th Mountain Division said.

Rouson and her husband are a month away from welcoming their third child into their world. It'll be a son.

“Every child brings something different to the family dynamic. We're eally excited to see what our family looks like once once he gets here,” she said.

Rouson is one of roughly 180 soldiers on Fort Drum that are either about to give birth or just recently had a child.

“Yes, I'm a new parent, but I also have a job to do. It's very tough to figure out what that balance is like,” Rouson said.

She hopes that with this child, the balance is more level than it was with the couple's first two.

“We're talking four months of being at home with your baby, getting to know your child, getting to to heal your body,” she said.

So she was very excited to be in the audience this week for a special town hall – a pregnancy panel, if you will – to discuss parenthood and how the Army will regulate it going forward.

“I love to see that the Army is taking care of people and recognizing priorities with family, because my children are my first priority,” Ltc. Jess Reis, a panelist, said of the changes.

Earlier this year, the Army made numerous updates to its policies, highlighted by the fact that non-birth parents are now allowed 12 weeks of leave, while the birthing parent can take up to a four months to spend with their newborn baby.

And that birth parent also gets to double the amount of time it takes to get back into physical work shape, going from 180 days to a full year.

“It’s critical for their mental health and their physical health. So I really appreciate the Army stepping up,” senior spouse Laura Wence said.

The Army hosted this forum with many of its leaders in attendance to make sure they fully understand what they need to do going forward.

“Sometimes you have to put in the background of your mind, the feeling of feeling like you’re a bad parent. I’ve experienced that a lot, feeling like I’m a bad mother, because I’m not there or my kids don’t have a normal,” one soldier in attendance said with tears in her eyes.

It’s a feeling too many military parents have felt. The new polices also direct leaders to better coordinate schedules for families with both parents in the Army, and requires leaders to ensure soldiers know about help that is available for postpartum depression.