More than 70 expecting moms attended the baby shower and were lavished with multiple gifts and a catered meal.
Murkoff humorously shared tips on motherhood and how she started a life-long commitment when she delivered her first book proposal two hours before she went into labor with her first child.
Murkoff shared that she never expected to write a bestselling book or series of books.
“I was just a mom on a mission to help other parents sleep better at night than my husband and I had,” Murkoff said. “And I’m still on that mission!”
One factor that moved Murkoff since her partnership with the USO was hearing about all the challenges that military expectant moms-to-be face during deployments or being stationed away from friends and family.
Prior to the event, Murkoff and her husband stopped by the 88th Medical Group Family Birthing Center and visited with mothers who had just given birth hours prior.
“I love the hugs and cuddles, but most of all, the interaction with the moms, dads and babies, whether online or at the events,” Murkoff said. “The one-on-ones are the best and being able to help and stay connected with them for years.”
Murkoff has written a series of “What to Expect” pregnancy guides. Aside from her book series and being the guest speaker at Special Delivery events, she also created WhatToExpect.com, the WhatToExpect app and is the founder of the What to Expect Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to at-risk moms, encouraging them to have healthy pregnancies and safe births around the world.
Murkoff plans on authoring new editions to her books and is currently writing a weekly “Help Me Heidi” Q&A on her website and gearing-up for a podcast in the near future.
More than 10,000 military spouses and expectant active-duty mothers have been served through the USO Special Delivery program since it was launched in 2013. Last year, the Special Delivery Program hosted 58 events across three continents, hosting 35 showers, 17 reunions and six showers for expecting fathers, according to the USO.
To learn more about the Special Delivery program, visit www.USO.org/SpecialDelivery.
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