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Oh, Baby, Dads Have Lots To Learn

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 28, 2007

Updated: 11/26/2007 06:22 pm

BRANDON - Sean Riley said he and his wife had no intention of having children. That is, until they got the news that Jack Aubrey Riley would be arriving in February.

"We are very excited," said Riley, of Dover. "We couldn't be happier."

But he needed a crash course in fatherhood. So this month he surrounded himself with other fathers-to-be during a "Boot Camp for New Dads" sponsored by the Fathers Resource & Networking Center in Tampa.

"I want to make sure I have all the basics, so I don't do the knucklehead thing," Riley said.

For example, knowing that holding a baby incorrectly could cause paralysis is a scary thought, he said.

With his son Ethan Randall on the way, Brian Martz needed guidance, too.

"I'm trying to get a better idea of what I'm in for," said Martz, of Riverview, who is excitedly awaiting the arrival of his first child.
Mark McClure of Tampa and Omar Romero of Riverview learned recently they will soon be raising daughters. With the right tools, trainer John Roth told them, they will be awesome dads.

Roth has two sons. A program manager for the Fathers Resource & Networking Center, which offers support programs for dads, he shared his personal and professional knowledge during the three-hour boot camp Nov. 17 at Oakfield Medical Plaza.

He covered everything from the pros and cons of breast feeding versus formula feeding and whether babies should sleep in their parents' bed or in a crib to diaper changing, nurturing the baby's mom and the dangers of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and shaken-baby syndrome.

"There's really no right or wrong with so much of this stuff," Roth told the group. "A lot of it is cultural."

Some rules apply to everyone, especially the ones parents must follow to avoid harming their children, he said.

Nurturing is important not only for the new baby, but also for the mother facing many hormonal changes before and after giving birth, Roth said.

"The first most important day of your baby's life is the first day," Roth told the group. "The second most important day of your baby's life is the second day."

He advised the dads to spend as much time during those first days with the baby as possible.

"The moments you can be there are very precious," he said.

Showing off some of the tricks learned in the class, he said, will most certainly impress the new moms.

Jimmy Dolin of Palma Ceia, a veteran of the Boot Camp for New Dads, helped Roth out with his 3 1/2 -month-old son Jake. Dolin taught the men cleaning, diaper-changing, nurturing and feeding techniques.

He also taught them one of his favorite tricks: how to make a "baby burrito." Folding a blanket around the baby, much like one would fold a burrito, gives infants a warm, snuggly feeling similar to being in the womb, he said. Moments after wrapping Jake in that fashion, the baby fell fast asleep in his arms.

"You do this one in front of your wife, and you're getting some brownie points," he said with a wide grin.

Dolin described what it was like when the golden moment arrived for his family.

"When you look down into your baby's face for the first time," Dolin said, "it changes your life forever."

DAD'S SPACE

The following support programs and resources are offered for new and veteran dads by the Fathers Resource & Networking Center, a program of the Child Abuse Council of Hillsborough County:

NURTURING DADS: A course that assists dads to be the "best fathers they can be."

BOOT CAMP FOR NEW DADS: Uses veteran fathers to orient "rookie" dads expecting their first babies.

DADS DINNERS: Informal monthly gatherings where dads hear about important fathering topics, receive advice and support and plan recreational outings with their children.

NURTURING PARENTS: Designed to strengthen families by encouraging empathy, caring, responsibility, discipline and family growth.

For information, call the center at (813) 356-1293.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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