When a couple finds out they are pregnant, the mood can quickly go from exhilaration to inquiry. As the laundry list of questions grows, expecting dads often find few resources for the answers they seek. That is why UC Health is offering Boot Camp for new dads.
Beginning April 3, classes will run weekly on Mondays from 4-7 p.m. at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Daddies-to-be can join veteran dads (with their babies), who will share how they managed the first months of parenthood and became confident, on-the-job fathers. In this men-only environment, no question is stupid, and no topic is off limits, including:
- *How to handle a baby;
- *Safety issues;
- *Changes in new mom and changes in your relationship;
- *Dealing with friends; and,
- *Breastfeeding and how dad can be supportive.
Boot Camp is a research-based, national program that has been named a best practice by many organizations. Founded in 1990, the non-profit Boot Camp for New Dads has graduated more than 325,000 men, making it the nation’s largest program for new fathers, and is now offered in 44 States, on U.S. military bases, Canada and the U.K.
The program is another example of UC Health’s commitment to helping area parents give their babies the best start in life. UC Medical Center is the first hospital in the region to offer a dedicated Obstetrics Emergency Care Center for expectant mothers 20+ weeks gestation in need of immediate care 24/7, home to the only certified Joint Commission Perinatal Treatment Center, a Level III NICU and the regions only high-risk OB transport service.
