Well known pediatrician and author visits Dyess

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Robert Hicks
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  More than 50 Airmen, spouses and children attended a seminar by Dr. Harvey Karp, well known pediatrician and author, on how to care for babies and toddlers at the Heritage Club here Sept. 25

"I'm very excited to speak at Dyess Air Force Base," Dr. Karp said. "I appreciate Dyess welcoming me here to give the seminar to the Airmen and spouses. I love to give back to the military, when I can, for the things they do for the country."

Because of the military lifestyle, parents have a more difficult time raising their children.

"It's a lot tougher for military parents to raise children," Dr. Karp said. "They have to deal with the stress of deployments and moving around, but the military has a strong community that lends a helping hand."

During the seminar, Dr. Karp explained five steps that trigger the calming reflex of an infant: swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking.

"If Airmen and spouses use the five S's they will become successful with their newborn and build a strong foundation for the home," Dr. Karp said.

Two examples of the five S's are swaddling and side/stomach positioning. Tight swaddling provides the continuous touching and supports the fetus experience while still in mother's womb. Side/stomach position you place your baby, while holding her, either on her left side to assist in digestion, or on her stomach to provide reassuring support. Once your baby is happily asleep, you can safely put her in her crib, on her back. For more information on the five S's, click here. 

"Fathers have the ability to calm their baby better than the mother can," Dr. Karp said. "With this ability, males can be very supportive of females during stressful times."

Several military installations offer training classes for dads taught by dads to help assist the mothers with the children. For more information on the dads taught by dad's course, call the Family Advocacy Center (325) 696-5380.

"We were truly honored and extremely appreciative when a nationally renowned pediatrician such as Dr. Karp takes time out of his busy schedule to support our team Dyess families," said Col. Kenneth Tatum, wing vice commander. "His seminar provided our Airmen and their spouses a series of smart, easy to follow techniques for making happy babies and thus ultimately happy parents. In fact, his presentation was so commanding that, while I know it will benefit every family that attended, I also think they will spread the word about his techniques throughout team Dyess and our local community."