Posted on Feb 3, 2019
SGT Team Leader
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My wife is 36 weeks pregnant. This is a high risk pregnancy because my wife has lupus and other medical conditions. We have 2 appointments a week and then 3 birthing classes a week in the evenings. My unit is going to the field tomorrow and up until today I was good to go to the appointments and would be on rear-d then today they tell me I need to pack my stuff and have to come to the field. So my wife is left alone to attend these Appointments that they scan our daughter at and if she fails the scan they will take her back for a c section. Is there anything I can do in this situation. This unit has already screwed us over during our first pregnancy we had an appointment and they told us we were having a miscarriage and that same day even after telling my unit I still had to go to Europe for a training exercise. Leaving my devastated wife back in the US alone to miscarry our Child. So I know my unit doesn’t care about our family. Just looking for advice on this situation?
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Responses: 6
SFC Retention Operations Nco
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My advice would be to take this up with your CSM. Inform your 1SG you're going to talk to the CSM and have a discussion with them. When you have this discussion it's best that you already have a plan of action with additional COAs to brief. No one likes having problems dropped on them and you'll save the CSM time if you have a solution in mind. Preferably several solutions, chances are that the one that is most preferable to you is not beneficial to the unit. Figure out a solution that let's you reach your preferred end state. For instance, you could go out to the field events but come back during the appointments. You could ask to take leave now in conjunction with the paternity leave you'll receive after the birth. Those are a few ideas.
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WO1 Cyber Operations Specialist
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It seems that being a sympathetic leader has been lost by a few (not all) people here. While the simple truth that the unit doesn’t have to support every need of your family is true, it can be discussed and brought up entirely different. There’s a HUGE difference in detailing an answer so that the SM understands the situation the unit is in, versus spouting hooah-isms at the SM that neither detail a plan of action nor show any form of caring for the Soldier and his family. This is why many a Soldier will leave the Army and cite “Leadership” as a reason why.

POA: Speak with your wife’s doctor, who understands her issues in-depth, detailing the current situation with your unit. Military doctors can, and will if necessary, put the SM on con-leave if the spouse has underlying issues that could result in severe issues; high-risk pregnancies are an example of this, along with cancer and post surgery issues at times (happened with me). Once you’ve discussed this with the doc, take it to the chain of command, and open-door policy it all the way up to the CSM if necessary. And unlike someone’s idea that it makes you look like a “Whiny bitch”, not being afraid to take issues like this to higher personnel shows personal courage IMO. It’s not every day that there’s a valid reason to take things up the chain of command, and this seems to be one.

Lastly, take a minute and analyze people’s words and actions, and it can help you determine how much time you should really put into them. IE; Don’t pay attention to the overly hooah, never-had-a-real-leadership-position, non-sympathetic washout of a SPC.
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SSG Douglas M. Ducote Sr.
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I would have documentation in hand to support the high-risk pregnancy from the doctor, and then make an appointment to see the post-Chaplin. My first child was born with Special Needs in 1989, trust me when I say the most powerful person on a military base is the Chaplin, they can move mountains!
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