Expectant, New Parent, and Nursing Support
VT Support for Expectant and New Parents
Through your insurance carrier, you have access to programs that may save you money on your hospital copay:
Future Moms provides free pre- and post-natal support. Sign up by 16-weeks, meet additional criteria, and earn a $300 hospital copay waiver. Call 800-828-5891 to sign up.
Breastfeeding support is available through the Future Moms program on the LiveHealth Online platform. Register, and you not only have access to breastfeeding help but to medical and mental health support as well for $0 copays.
Complete a pregnancy risk survey within the first 16-weeks, and engage in the program. There are no required monthly calls. Once the member completes the initial survey, Aetna will adjust outreach and engagement points based on the risk level of the expectant mother. Low risk members may just receive specific trimester educational mailings, while high risk members may have calls with Aetna nurses. Participate in the program and receive a $300 contribution to your HRA at the beginning of your 3rd trimester (28 weeks). Call 800-272-3531 to sign up.
Aetna’s myStrength Pregnancy and Early Parenting Support program also offers support to new parents on lifestyle changes, how to navigate the early days, tips to care for the new mother and more. Access the program by either logging into your myStrength account at mylifevalues.com, Username and password, COVA, or by calling 888-238-6232.
Aetna also provides members with maternity program nurses and a concierge team that can help you navigate benefits and coverage for breastfeeding supplies.
Planning for Baby programs are for VT employees who are expecting the birth of a child, or for new parents of a child under three months of age. All expecting and new parents are welcome to attend including fathers, non-birth mothers and adoptive parents. Come learn all about all the resources available to you!
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is a new law that requires covered employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an “undue hardship.”
Virginia Tech Policy 4300 supports employees requesting lactation support for up to a year after the birth of a child.
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 includes the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”), which extends to more nursing employees the rights to receive break time to pump and a private place to pump at work.
Lactation Rooms Information
Lactation rooms are available to all Virginia Tech employees, students and visitors to campus.
Blacksburg Campus
Only VT faculty, staff, and students have access to this form, however you may complete the form for yourself or for a guest of the VT Blacksburg campus. After submitting the form and agreeing to the terms/conditions you will be given access to the lactation room door codes and the schedule.
You may also reach out directly to Hokie Wellness to request access to the rooms (this includes guests). We typically respond within 1-2 business days.
- hokiewellness@vt.edu
- 540-231-8878
Extended Campus Lactation Rooms
- Roanoke: Locations in Riverside 2 and 4. Contact: Emily Holt Forest
- Arlington: Contact: Alex Tuuri
- Innovation Campus: Two rooms will be available upon completion of project.
For additional campus locations or if you have any questions/concerns regarding a lactation room, please contact Hokie Wellness at 540-231-8878 or hokiewellness@vt.edu.
Additional Resources
- Getting Started with Breastfeeding: While some of these resources are local and specific to Stanford Medicine and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, this page also has some terrific videos that may help.
- La Leche League International: La Leche League International is a worldwide educational, non–sectarian, not-for-profit, volunteer- based organization. We provide breastfeeding information and support to those who want to breastfeed their infants.
- CDC Breastfeeding Resources: About breastfeeding, FAQs, Guidelines and Recommendations, Resource Library and more.
- WIC Breastfeeding Support: Breastfeeding is a journey. There are ups and downs and feelings of accomplishment and frustration. WIC is there to help every step of the way, no matter what stage of the breastfeeding journey you’re in.
- Breast Pump and Breastfeeding Resources: Selected resources which may help you learn more about breast pumps and breastfeeding.
- Dad Central: You’ve come to the right place. This is a guy’s site – developed by fathers for fathers. We all remember what it was like to be a new dad – overwhelming, confusing, intimidating, tiring, but also amazing and just really cool. We want to help you get to the cool part by answering your basic questions about babies, new moms and new dads.