A Father's Perspective: Parent-Baby Classes
Brian Schafer and his wife, Andrea, are avid travelers, living in Lynwood, WA and enjoying life as new parents to their eleven-month-old daughter, Hazel.
Andrea was on maternity leave, and Brian was working remotely, he began listening in on the EvergreenHealth Parent-Baby Classes that she was participating in. Soon, Brian would go from a fly on the wall to a full fledge parent-baby class goer.
"At first it was, ok I'll listen in it can't hurt and then after a couple times listening in, I thought wow this information is relevant," says Brian. "It was one of those things where it became helpful, on an emotional wellness level, knowing it's not just me…this is actually really hard."
After the initial new parent-baby class, Brian started joining all classes that were available, including Screen Savvy Parenting and the Starting Solids class.
"Both my wife and I grew up in the 'clean plate club', so you have to finish everything and there is a specific way that you had to eat your food to grow," says Brian. "When we introduced Hazel to solids, there is nothing we were trying to project at all. The classes helped put us into a routine by taking out some of the fear. No pressure on anything and the child, in theory, should lead it."
Eleven months later, Brian and Andrea continue to join parent-baby classes and have found a care support group among other families.
"It's comforting to know that other families are experiencing the same things we are," says Brian. "Even if we didn't learn anything new in a class, there is still the opportunity to be there for other families going through the same thing. We could offer what worked for us or let them know we understand their struggle."
EvergreenHealth has offered Parent-Baby Groups since 1991, creating a community that fosters lifelong friendships as well as educational sessions covering things like feeding, relationships, postpartum changes and everything else you need to know as a parent.
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