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News | Feb. 23, 2026

CRDAMC Centering Pregnancy Reunion reconnects families and Women’s Health Team

By By Rodney Jackson, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center

Mothers, fathers and their newborn bundles of joy gathered Feb. 10 to celebrate successful deliveries, reconnect with Women’s Health team staff, and reflect on how the Centering Pregnancy Program at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center helped prepare them for childbirth and beyond.
The six-month program offers a unique, innovative approach to prenatal care. Women with similar due dates meet in small groups for two-hour sessions that combine individual medical assessments with pregnancy education and open discussion. The setting encourages connection, allowing mothers-to-be to build relationships while gaining the knowledge and skills needed for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
Molly Hunter, Centering Pregnancy program coordinator, and Lt. Col. Noelle Dove, deputy director of the OB-GYN Nursing Course and certified nurse-midwife, hosted the reunion. Families shared a potluck lunch, birth stories and spoke candidly about postpartum emotions, newborn care, feeding challenges and preparing to return to work.
“I just had an overall great experience. I felt very prepared going into delivery and was able to share things with other pregnant women who weren’t in centering,” said Treasure Brown. “I felt very supported here. It was also nice to have a community postpartum, because it was rough. Having people who are going through the same thing you are made it a lot easier for me.” Brown was in attendance with baby, Ralston Brown Jr., also known as Deuce.
The postpartum community, Jaianna Rubalcava explained, continues outside the clinic. Mothers created their own group chat to stay connected and support one another.
“We got to update each other on what our labor was like, send pictures of the babies and just ask general questions about resources and things we wanted to know if the other girls had access to,” said Rubalcava, attending with her husband Jose Rubalcava and baby Mila Rose Rubalcava. “It’s been really cool to just go in there, ask questions quickly, update each other and check on each other.”
While most of the mothers experienced some complications during delivery, some were more serious than others.
“I started laboring during the ice storm, and the first challenge was deciding when to go to the hospital because we knew the roads were going to be icy,” said Shari Carter. “After the delivery, I knew something serious was wrong because a lot of people appeared in the room.”
She credited her husband, Andy Carter, and the medical team for keeping her calm throughout the ordeal.
“My husband is good at keeping me calm, and the doctors were calm, too," said Carter. “That helped me think, okay, it’s going to be all right. I was scared — so scared — but they found the source of the issue right away.”
She strongly recommends the program; because of the knowledge she gained during centering.
“Centering, leading up to the events, is such a good tool. I’ve already recommended it to my coworker,” she added. Carter’s husband and baby, Luca Carter, attended the reunion as well.
Families continue to care for their babies within the newborn care clinic at the hospital. Some families will also receive care from family practice providers.
The Centering Healthcare Institute has a Centering Parenting program in which families with newborns continue to receive care in a group setting for several years. This program focuses on continuing education and support focused on newborn and early childhood care. Centering Parenting is not offered at CRDAMC, however several parents expressed interest in this type of program. For more information on Centering Parenting visit the CHI website here https://centeringhealthcare.org/what-we-do/centering-parenting.
For more information about the Centering Pregnancy Program, contact the CRDAMC Women's Health Centering Department at 254-553-1554, visit the website at https://darnall.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Womens-Health-Pregnancy/Womens-Health-Center, or message the team through the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal at https://myaccess.dmdc.osd.mil/identitymanagement/app/login. The Centering healthcare Institute website also offers more information at https://www.centeringhealthcare.org.
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News | Feb. 23, 2026

CRDAMC Centering Pregnancy Reunion reconnects families and Women’s Health Team

By By Rodney Jackson, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center

Mothers, fathers and their newborn bundles of joy gathered Feb. 10 to celebrate successful deliveries, reconnect with Women’s Health team staff, and reflect on how the Centering Pregnancy Program at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center helped prepare them for childbirth and beyond.
The six-month program offers a unique, innovative approach to prenatal care. Women with similar due dates meet in small groups for two-hour sessions that combine individual medical assessments with pregnancy education and open discussion. The setting encourages connection, allowing mothers-to-be to build relationships while gaining the knowledge and skills needed for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
Molly Hunter, Centering Pregnancy program coordinator, and Lt. Col. Noelle Dove, deputy director of the OB-GYN Nursing Course and certified nurse-midwife, hosted the reunion. Families shared a potluck lunch, birth stories and spoke candidly about postpartum emotions, newborn care, feeding challenges and preparing to return to work.
“I just had an overall great experience. I felt very prepared going into delivery and was able to share things with other pregnant women who weren’t in centering,” said Treasure Brown. “I felt very supported here. It was also nice to have a community postpartum, because it was rough. Having people who are going through the same thing you are made it a lot easier for me.” Brown was in attendance with baby, Ralston Brown Jr., also known as Deuce.
The postpartum community, Jaianna Rubalcava explained, continues outside the clinic. Mothers created their own group chat to stay connected and support one another.
“We got to update each other on what our labor was like, send pictures of the babies and just ask general questions about resources and things we wanted to know if the other girls had access to,” said Rubalcava, attending with her husband Jose Rubalcava and baby Mila Rose Rubalcava. “It’s been really cool to just go in there, ask questions quickly, update each other and check on each other.”
While most of the mothers experienced some complications during delivery, some were more serious than others.
“I started laboring during the ice storm, and the first challenge was deciding when to go to the hospital because we knew the roads were going to be icy,” said Shari Carter. “After the delivery, I knew something serious was wrong because a lot of people appeared in the room.”
She credited her husband, Andy Carter, and the medical team for keeping her calm throughout the ordeal.
“My husband is good at keeping me calm, and the doctors were calm, too," said Carter. “That helped me think, okay, it’s going to be all right. I was scared — so scared — but they found the source of the issue right away.”
She strongly recommends the program; because of the knowledge she gained during centering.
“Centering, leading up to the events, is such a good tool. I’ve already recommended it to my coworker,” she added. Carter’s husband and baby, Luca Carter, attended the reunion as well.
Families continue to care for their babies within the newborn care clinic at the hospital. Some families will also receive care from family practice providers.
The Centering Healthcare Institute has a Centering Parenting program in which families with newborns continue to receive care in a group setting for several years. This program focuses on continuing education and support focused on newborn and early childhood care. Centering Parenting is not offered at CRDAMC, however several parents expressed interest in this type of program. For more information on Centering Parenting visit the CHI website here https://centeringhealthcare.org/what-we-do/centering-parenting.
For more information about the Centering Pregnancy Program, contact the CRDAMC Women's Health Centering Department at 254-553-1554, visit the website at https://darnall.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Womens-Health-Pregnancy/Womens-Health-Center, or message the team through the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal at https://myaccess.dmdc.osd.mil/identitymanagement/app/login. The Centering healthcare Institute website also offers more information at https://www.centeringhealthcare.org.
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