BellyBuds connect a military Dad with baby-to-be while in a long-distance relationship.

At WavHello®, we pride ourselves on being a driving force for helping families connect across the globe. Those in the United States military are no strangers to spending time apart from their families as they are often separated for long periods of time while serving our country.

The same is true for Kole and Alyssa. Kole is a United States Navy Corpsman with a behavioral health specialty, and Alyssa is a mental health technician in the United States Air Force. The two met soon after completing basic training.

Due to the close relationship of their jobs, Kole and Alyssa went through approximately 16 weeks of mental health training together. On the first day of class, Kole sat next to Alyssa; it was an instant connection.  “He really is my best friend!” says Alyssa as she reflects on the early stages of their relationship. In the weeks that followed the couple spent every moment they possibly could with one another.

Shortly after arriving at her duty station, Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, Alyssa was happily surprised to learn that she was pregnant! Kole is stationed at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, so the couple is doing their pregnancy, and their relationship, long-distance.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m constantly looking for ways to keep Kole actively involved in the pregnancy. He already has to miss so much!” says Alyssa.

Alyssa first learned about BellyBuds® while surfing Amazon for pregnancy products. The couple uses the baby bump speakers to play messages from Kole so baby can hear Dad’s voice.

What exactly are BellyBuds you ask? Think of them as special headphones for a pregnant belly that safely play music and sound to the womb.  Many researchers have found that babies recognize voices they heard in the womb after they are born, so BellyBuds are the perfect solution to introduce Dad and baby-to-be, even if he can’t physically be there.

VoiceShare® by WavHello makes recording messages for the newest addition to your family easy. It is our free mobile app that allows anyone you love to record messages, sing songs or even read books for a baby or baby-to-be. Compatible with both BellyBuds® baby bump sound system or SoundBub® Bluetooth music player and infant soother (Coming Summer 2016!), you can play this special content for baby before or after they are born.

We are on a mission to help families find new ways to connect. We are honored that Alyssa and Kole are able to use BellyBuds to connect while serving on active duty!

Do you have a story about how BellyBuds and/or VoiceShare impacted your pregnancy? Share it with us by going to www.wavhello.com/stories! Your story could also be featured to inspire our WavHello community.