I would have liked to see the navy have a schedule that works better for parents, as the Coast Guard has, something such as three months on and three months off. That is something I can do. I can fly my son back and forth with that.
The way the navy works, you sail for one day and come back for 10. You sail for a month and come back for three months. You sail for 10 days and come back for a year. It's just all over the place, so it's nearly impossible without having a husband or a lot of money to have a live-in nanny, which some people did.
That's something that would have certainly worked. If not, then when I had to hand in my “I'm sorry, I just can't do this because of my son”, I would have liked there to be a policy in the military for women such that when they go to the BPSO and say they have a baby and no other option, there is a way for the BPSO to say, “Sure, we'll switch your trade. Let's look at what you're good at.” Then I would have been able to stay in, because there are so many jobs I could have done in the military.