Program supports new, expecting parents

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Sarah Gregory
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Aviano Air Base, Italy --  New and expecting parents can feel overwhelmed when dealing with the demands of a newborn or a pregnancy, especially when living overseas. Having a deployed spouse or other children in the home can only increase the stress a parent already feels.

That's where the New Parent Support Program can help alleviate some concerns.
"The purpose of the program is education and the key focus is to help with stressors and decrease incidents of maltreatment within families," said Marisha Grimley, 31st Medical Operations Support Squadron registered nurse. "Under that guise, we do a lot of other things. We offer prenatal and parenting education in the home."

Although the name suggests the program is only for new parents, Ms. Grimley said it's open to all families with young children.

"The name scares a lot of people away, because a lot of times people have two or three kids and think they can't utilize the program, but it's for anybody who has a child age three or under, no matter how many children they have," she said.

Emphasizing education and support, the NPSP can help with a variety of stressors - everything from sibling rivalry to coping with post-partum depression. This type of educational assistance is especially important, Ms. Grimley said, because there isn't a lot of resources available here.

"There are not a lot of services for pregnant woman, so that's a big obstacle [for them,]" she said. "There aren't resources like there are in the states."

To better educate parents, the NPSP has several ways to get their message out.
"Normally, when someone gets pregnant, they attend OB orientation and that's our first opportunity to enroll them," said Ms. Grimley. "We brief at the orientation and if we miss them there, hopefully they'll take one of the classes."

If the NPSP staff misses parents at the classes, they have a chance to catch them right after delivery. Pediatrics does a well-baby check at two weeks and can refer parents to the program. The nurses do everything they can to advertise their services in an effort to prevent stressors from developing into a problem.

Another condition that can lead to stress is the amount of first term Airmen stationed here with their families.

"We have a lot of really young families here. A lot of first term Airmen come here with families and, because of a lack of resources, there's even more stress," said Ms. Grimley. "People don't realize it's harder to get a phone here; you may not have internet where you're living; you may have a cell phone and not a home phone. Its those types of things that you don't comprehend about life in Italy."

If parents enroll in the program, they see a nurse twice a month, whether in the home or at the NPSP office. A parent can stay enrolled as long as they need to and there's no minimum requirement. While a parent can come in with their child, NPSP program assistant Kristina Garcia said it's more beneficial for the nurses to visit families at their homes.

"It's better if we can see them there because it's more relaxed that way, more in their comfort zone," she said. "It's also a way to interact with them and spot potential stressors."

Completely separate from life skills, NPSP can do the same types of stress counseling as life skills without generating a life skills record.

"We keep our own records under double lock and nobody has access to them - not commanders, supervisors, first sergeants, not even doctors at the medical group - it's a completely separate entity," said Ms. Grimley.

The nurses that work for the congressionally-mandated NPSP are required to have bachelor's degrees in nursing and at least three years experience in community health or maternal child care such as obstetrics or pediatrics. The Air Force is the only military branch that specifically uses registered nurses.

"People think that we're there to check on them but that's really not the case. We're just here to help," said Ms. Grimley. "We're someone you can call if you have questions at any time."

For more information on NPSP classes or playgroups, call Ext. 5667.