IN Bethel Park Fall 2019 | Page 56

THE BABY GURU Dottie Barrett’s love for babies shows in her 25 years of teaching new moms and dads. BY W.B. FRESA “It’s amazing to me the products new moms think they need when, in fact, not much is needed.” D ottie Barrett knows a lot about babies. She’s been taking care of them since she was a little girl, and she and her husband, George, have raised four daughters of their own. Now, beginning her 25th year as a volunteer at the Women’s Care Clinic of Pittsburgh, she’s still happy to go to work and share her love and knowledge with everyone welcoming a new life into the world. “When WWII ended, my family moved into new Army housing in Harrisburg and our neighbors were expecting their first child,” says Barrett. “[The mom’s] name was Patsy Cavanaugh and she taught me everything about babies—how to diaper them, feed them and burp them. The following year she had another baby, and the year after that, another! My mother kept telling me I shouldn’t be spending so much time at Patsy’s house, but Patsy admitted she needed my help and I learned so much from her.” By the time the Cavanaughs had their third baby, she was 10 and taking the two older kids for walks in a stroller. “I loved tending to them,” says Barrett. “But we moved that same year and I began babysitting kids in our new neighborhood, including the children of our pediatrician. “Back in the mid ‘50s, I got paid about $.50 an hour, but the doctor paid me well. I made enough money to buy my own clothes. He and his wife would even change their night out so I could attend my school dances on Friday nights and then babysit for them on Saturdays.” Eventually, after she and her husband were well into raising their own kids, and fostering some along the way, Barrett decided it was time to share her love and knowledge of babies with those who needed it most, young moms and dads. “I began volunteering at the Women’s Care Clinic of Pittsburgh in 1994. The director of the clinic was a member of my church,” she recalls. “I started as a counselor to young moms for a couple of years and then the role of ‘parenting instructor’ became available. Of course, I was a grandmother by then and all the memories and skills were fresh in my mind. And because my husband and I had been foster parents, we had already taken all the necessary classes through Children & Youth Services. I think all of my time taking care of babies and kids has led me here.” 54 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE ❘ icmags.com Over the years, Barrett has developed a parenting course that includes four classes, each about two hours long. “The first is called ‘Welcome Home Baby,’ and teaches how to care for your newborn once you get home from the hospital,” she explains. “I teach moms and dads how to clean the umbilical cord or circumcision, bathe the babies, diaper them and launder their clothes. We also cover things like the first 24 hours, jaundice, colic, nursing or bottle-feeding and how to handle a crying baby. It’s all things new parents have never learned before and they’re grateful to have the information.” The second, third and fourth classes cover a myriad of topics, including everything from how to keep a baby healthy, SIDS, and helping to develop a baby’s personality, to safety tips, rules for raising kids, how to manage a good “time out” and proper clothing, furniture and baby gates. “It’s amazing to me the products new moms think they need when, in fact, not much is needed, and we cover that in class,” Barrett notes. And for the dads, she has developed “12 Steps to Being a Better Dad,” and says, “I’m always amazed at the dads who come to class. They’re very respectful, look me in the eye and take what I’m saying seriously.” Barrett is proud that her parenting course guidebook is used by three other Women’s Care Clinics in the U.S. She’s also been the recipient of two awards for her volunteerism—the 2007 Jefferson Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award, for which she was given a certificate signed by President George W. Bush that read, “In recognition and appreciation of your commitment to strengthen our nation and make a difference through volunteerism.” After recovering from a broken leg late last year, Dottie Barrett is happy to be heading back into the clinic and watching the soon-to-be moms mature into new parents. Women’s Care Clinic of Pittsburgh is located in the South Hills. In addition to the classes, the clinic offers lab-grade pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STD testing and treatment. For more information, call 412.833.7445.   ■