Babies delivered in Pike County may be few and far between, but the folks at Southeast Alabama Rural Health Associates Department of Pediatrics want to provide some local services to moms-to-be. The Elba Highway clinic offered its first free class for expectant parents Wednesday evening. SAHRA’s Kady Pugh said it would not be the last one.

“We have two pediatricians here and we plan on continuing them,” she said.

Dr. Nola Ernest taught the first class. “Because we don’t deliver babies in Troy, we don’t have any prenatal classes in the area,” Ernest said.

The problem with not having the classes is those who do not have time to drive an hour away go without the class. Local classes would also be more of a convenience for Pike County parents and would give them an opportunity to get to know local pediatricians.

The initial class covered what parents could expect in the first eight weeks of life. She talked about breastfeeding, sudden infant death syndrome and ways to pacify a crying baby, which can cry up to five hours a day. Ernest talked about white noises (like dryers and running water) that would come the baby down and mimic what was heard in the room. She also shared examples of how the baby’s stool might look and opted not to use the real thing. “I made some teenagers do it using baby food,” she said.

Parents Chen Yi Zhu and Amy Hu said they learned a lot from the class. “It was very useful,” said Zhu.

Hu said the most helpful part covered how to pacify a baby.

Ernest passed out baby dolls and had expectant parents practice swaddling a baby.

Ernest’s ultimate goal was to relieve tension. She assured parents they would get better as time went by and said there were no cookie-cutter babies. “There is a wide range of normal, but just because it’s normal doesn’t make it easy,” she said.

The next class subject has not been determined. If those in attendance have any say, it will be about CPR. An overwhelming number of them requested the class on surveys taken at the end of the class.

To learn more about the classes or register for the next one, find SARHA on Facebook or call Kady Pugh at 670-6726 ext. 112.