The USO Baby Showers - Special Delivery 2022

The USO Hawaii hosted “Special Delivery” baby showers, co-hosted by Heidi Murkoff, author of the What to Expect When You’re Expecting series of pregnancy guides, and sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. This event was the first in-person baby shower series the USO Hawaii has hosted since the COVID-19 epidemic.

The baby showers were held at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, on Saturday, August 13th, and Schofield Barracks Army base in Waialua on Sunday, August 14th. The events attracted more than 130 moms and moms-to-be, of which, more than half of whom were first-time mothers.

A baby shower is normally a gathering of family and friends that are intended to celebrate the upcoming birth of a baby, to allow the friends and family a chance to give gifts to the soon-to-be mothers and to support the new parents as they prepare for parenthood. However, due to the fact that these moms are serving or spouses of service members, requiring many to be away from their families and friends, they are unable to experience a real baby shower. The USO baby shower events offered an opportunity for them to experience baby showers while mingling with new friends and getting to meet the best-selling author, Heidi Murkoff.

As part of the two-hour events, attendees had the pleasure to enjoy a Hawaiian style lunch with fun games sessions and prizes. In one of the games, moms and mom-to-be got to showcase their inner artistic talent by making Play-Doh art that represented their motherhood and pregnancy experiences. Several lucky moms received big items such as strollers and carseats as prizes. There was also a Q&A session and a book signing.

A highlight of the events was Heidi Murkoff’s Q&A session, which allowed moms and moms-to-be to share their questions with her. Being a mother is an exciting and life-changing experience, but it also comes with a lot of challenges. Her expertise helped mothers to deal with the challenges that come with motherhood, to include managing physical, hormonal, and emotional changes. Murkoff also shared insight into issues that moms encounter on a daily basis, including how to manage time and attention to older children, keeping babies safe around pets, and dealing with different parenting perspectives. The events concluded with a photo with Haidi Murkoff, a book signing, and lots of hugs.

USO Hawaii greatly appreciates Hiedi Murkoff’s continued support to the military community. We would like to thank all the moms-to-be who participated and all the volunteers who contributed to this event. We wish the expectant mothers the best of luck.