FORT SILL, Okla. (Nov. 7, 2013) -- Officials from Reynolds Army Community Hospital's Pregnancy and Postpartum Physical Training Program (PPPT) honored new and expecting fathers with an appreciation breakfast Oct. 31, at the Graham Resiliency Training Center. They also used the social to surprise new Soldier-moms and moms-to-be with a baby shower, and invited unit leadership and guests from the PPPT support programs.
Guyon DuPree was one of about a dozen dads honored; he was there with his wife, Spc. Brianna Justice-DuPree, 529th Network Support Company, 168th Brigade Support Battalion, and Guyon jr., age 4 months. Guyon attended the PPPT education classes with Brianna.
"The program gave me a stronger sense of togetherness with my wife, and gave me a lot of good information about pregnancy in general," he said. "It's a pretty cool program, I enjoyed it."
PPPT
The postwide Pregnancy and Postpartum Physical Training Program is a mandatory Army program for pregnant Soldiers and has been at Fort Sill for about one year, said Capt. Jasmin Gregory, RACH Public Health nurse and PPPT officer in charge. It helps keep Soldiers fit during pregnancy and after childbirth so that they can return to work.
"If we focus on our physical fitness now, the recovery period won't be as difficulty," Gregory said.
Four days a week from 6-7 a.m., Soldiers form up at Rinehart Fitness Center to begin an exercise regimen that emphasizes arms, shoulders and back muscle strength training, cardio and stretching, said Claudia Mejia, Garrison fitness coordinator and trainer of Soldiers, who lead the PT.
"The back is bearing a lot of the weight as the belly is getting bigger, and the arms and shoulders will be used a lot once the baby arrives," she said. Cardiovascular workout routines vary from Zumba dance, to walking to pool workouts.
The program also prepares Soldiers mentally for the stresses of childbirth, said Staff Sgt. Tasha Spears, PPPT program non-commissioned officer in charge.The fifth day is reserved for education classes covering a range of pregnancy topics, and husbands and partners are welcome.
After giving birth, the Soldier is provided a six week at-home PT program to follow, and some Soldiers supplement it by going to the gym, Spears said. After that the Soldier returns to the PPPT to ease her back into regular unit PT. A Soldier is typically in the program 15 months.
UNIT SUPPORT
Gregory said it is critical that pregnant Soldiers get the support from their units. That's why she invited unit leadership to the breakfast.
Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Neal, 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery Advanced Individual Training instructor, was one of the senior NCOs who attended the breakfast.
"The reason this program is so important is so that we can have these Soldiers get back to the unit, get back to the fight, and it also helps retain them in the Army," Neal said.
PPPT PARTNERS
Two of the PPPT programs partners, the New Parent Support Program and Operation Homefront also attended the appreciation breakfast.
The New Parent Support Program is a free program that provides home visits to pregnant, and new mothers, said Sam
Atchley, NPSP lead home visitor. The Army Community Service program also provides playgroups on post for children up to age 3.
Carol Herrick, Operation Homefront Souther Plains Field Office executive director, led the left-right game. Participants had to pass gift bags to their left or right to other people whenever Herrick said "left" or "right" as she narrated a story.
Operation Homefront provides grants and critical baby items to military families and has an office in downtown Lawton.
Both organizations provided giveaways and door prizes to the Soldiers and dads.
New mother Spc. Meredith O'Connor, A Company, 100th Brigade Support Battalion, is in the PPPT program. She joined when she was five-weeks pregnant.
"My biggest concerns were going through my pregnancy and getting out of shape for nine months and not being able to come back," said O'Connor, a truck driver. "But the workouts were good, and the program was really nice."
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