Advice on how to keep a deployed spouse involved?

ive asked a similar question before, and i have gotten a few good responses, but id like more! im currently 23weeks pregnant, and he will not be here for the birth. we do talk over web cam, but i still want to involve him even more. i try to take plenty of pictures, but it doesnt seem like enough. and he didnt even get to feel the baby kick before he left, 2 weeks ago. i want some unique and fun ideas to keep him up to date during the pregnancy..anyone? ...also my son is fiesty..i bought a fetal heart rate monitor...and even the doctors have a hard time with the doppler. and dont even get me started on the ultrasounds...ive had to have 3 because he moves around wayyyy to much.Advice on how to keep a deployed spouse involved?
I am in your same boat! I am almost 18 weeks prego and my husband deploys in about 3 weeks :( I am having a really hard time figuring out to keep him involved. He will not be here to feel the baby kick for the first time (probably) and is going to miss quite a bit between now and delivery. Luckily he will be able to come home for the birth so we lucked out there. We also have web cam and I will be sending pictures galore but it's still not the same. I will keep checking back here to see what's posted and I will e-mail you if I find any good ideas. Good luck!





One of my co-workers just gave me a great idea. A little cheesy but soooooo cute! I don't know if you've heard of Build a Bear or anything similar but if you have one near you then you could take a recorder to your next ultrasound appointment (or do it at home with the fetal doppler), record the baby's heartbeat, then take it to a Build a Bear and you can record sounds onto devices and stick them in a bear. Then you push the bear's hand or foot and hear the recorded sound. Make a little Army, Marine, Navy, ect bear and put the baby's heartbeat in the bear. Then when he pushes the paw or foot he will hear his little guy's heartbeat... it will be like he has his little man there with him :)Advice on how to keep a deployed spouse involved?
Awe hun I feel ya, my husband is deployed too and won't be here for the birth. I've been sending him pics almost everyday to show the growing belly. I also try to keep my video camera handy for when my son kicks and rolls, because my whole belly shifts. Other than pics and all that, there's not too much you can do. At least you get to talk over webcam, I don't even get that!


I send my husband emails every week too updating him on the development of the baby that week and what I'm experiancing. I sent him a voice recorder and he recorded some childrens stories that I can play to my son when he's born so he gets used to his daddy's voice. That made him feel good, to know his son will hear his voice every night.
Depending on your financial situation, you may want to consider a 3D ultrasound. I had one done with this pregnancy, at the request of my husband, and it was AMAZING. Most clinics have packages that vary in price, but you can get them put on to DVDs with music, and see the actual ultrasound as its being done. The more the baby moves, the better for those particular kind of scans. Our lil one is a gymnast, and it was so incredible to see her move her mouth, and open her eyes, and just move all over the place.





It would give your husband a chance to see exactly what youve been feeling this whole time, with the lil one moving around so much. Its also something he could watch whenever he just needed to ';feel close'; to the baby. You could probably upload the file into your comp, or have it sent to you straight from the clinic and suprise him with the video file.





Hope this suggestion helps and good luck :)