Posted Friday, March 30, 2007 10:10 PM
Melissa Gould and Ellie Miller are the founding partners of The Baby Planners™, a nationwide baby concierge and consulting service that caters to the needs of expectant parents. Their company was developed to guide clients, whether pregnancy, adopting or using a surrogate, through the overwhelming amount of baby products and services in the marketplace.
Ellie and Melissa, proud moms of Tyler, Ben and Sophie, created this innovative service to provide parents-to-be with the research, recommendations and reassurance they wish they had when they were expecting. The Baby Planners' mission is to stay on top of the most current safety standards by tasting, touching, smelling, sleeping with, carrying, pushing and pulling every possible baby product and/or service available!
Ultrasounds, The Baby Planners' blog, is where new and expectant parents go for helpful tips, fabulous finds, product reviews and more. The Baby Planners offer nationwide consultations to parents-to-be and can be found at www.thebabyplanners.com.
Ellie and Melissa's Advice
Are Diaper Pails Necessary?
Cribs for Small Nurseries
Find out Gender?
Second Showers
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sure to include your user name. The Baby Planners are not able to provide
personal responses, and are not able to guarantee an answer to your
question. Please consult your personal healthcare provider with urgent questions and emergencies.
Posted Friday, March 30, 2007 10:11 PM
Dawn Davenport is a writer, attorney, researcher, radio host and speaker specializing in adoption and infertility. Her book (The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step by Step Guide to Finding Your Child), website (www.findingyourchild.com), and Internet radio show (Creating a Family: Talk About Infertility and Adoption) help families through infertility and adoption. And, perhaps most important, she is a mom of four by birth and adoption and cares passionately about the issue.
Dawn's Advice
Domestic vs. International Adoption
Foster Care Adoption
Partner Unsure About Adoption
Pursue Adoption and IVF?
Got a question for Dawn that isn't answered above? Send it to experts@thenestbaby.com
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sure to include your user name. Dawn is not able to provide
personal responses, and is not able to guarantee an answer to your
question. Please consult your personal healthcare provider with urgent questions and emergencies.
Posted Friday, March 30, 2007 10:13 PM
Conner Herman & Kira Ryan
Conner and Kira are the co-founders of Dream Team Baby, an infant and toddler sleep consultancy
based in Manhattan. They help families all over the country get some much
deserved rest. Their holistic approach to solving children’s sleep problems is
supported by a diverse board of experts from the medical and mental health
community, including a pediatrician, a lactation consultant and a
psychotherapist. When Conner and Kira aren’t teaching babies to sleep, they
enjoy planning the 2035 wedding of their toddlers, Wyatt and Emilia. Learn more
about their services at www.dreamteambaby.com.
The Dream Team's Advice
Day and Night Confusion
Decoding Baby's Cries
Helping Baby Sleep
Hunger vs. Fatigue
Naptime Schedule
Got another question for Conner & Kira? Send it to experts@thenestbaby.com
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sure to include your user name. Conner and Kira are not able to provide personal
responses, and are not able to guarantee an answer to your question.
Please consult your personal healthcare provider with urgent questions
and emergencies.
Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2007 12:05 PM
Q: "What are the best
ways, other than taking a class and/or reading a book, to prepare yourself
and your body for breastfeeding before you even give birth?” - jonnasue71
Andi Silverman: You are right that
it is a good idea to take a breastfeeding class while you are still pregnant. You’ll learn some basics and have more
confidence once your baby is born. Additionally, one of the best ways to prepare is to watch another mom
breastfeed. Of course not all babies are
the same, but it is nice to familiarize yourself with the process. There are also a lot of websites and blogs
that focus on breastfeeding -- you can
certainly check out my blog (address below).
Guest breastfeeding expert Andi Silverman is the author of Mama Knows Breast: A Beginners Guide to Breastfeeding and a mother of two. Read her blog at www.mamaknowsbreast.com, and send your questions to editors@thenestbaby.com
QA Index
Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2007 11:59 AM
Q: "I have fibrocystic
breast disease in both breasts with multiple 'lumps' and I am
wondering if this could hinder or cause problems/complications with
breastfeeding in any way?" - jonnasue71
Andi Silverman: Everyone’s breasts are different. Some women, who are prone to getting lumps,
may have a usually benign condition called fibrocystic breast disease. Any time you find a lump you should see your
doctor, just to make sure it isn’t something more serious. As for breastfeeding, the lumps shouldn’t be
a complication. You just want to make sure
that a lump isn’t a plugged duct that could lead to an infection, so definitely talk to your doctor and a
lactation consultant.
Guest breastfeeding expert Andi Silverman is the author of Mama Knows Breast: A Beginners Guide to Breastfeeding and a mother of two. Read her blog at www.mamaknowsbreast.com, and send your questions to editors@thenestbaby.com
QA Index
Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2007 11:19 AM
Q: "What's your general advice for new moms who will be breastfeeding?" -trishie7
Andi Silverman: My main advice for new moms, whether they are breastfeeding
or bottlefeeding, is to line up people who can help out around the
house. Certainly get your husband or
partner on board, and stagger visits
from friends and family in order to maximize their help. If everyone comes at once, you’ll just end up
entertaining people.
If at all possible,
hire someone to help out. A housekeeper
or cleaning lady is a great luxury; a post-partum doula can help you take care
of the baby and your house work; and a baby nurse is another option as
well. Just make sure that you follow
your own instincts when it comes to feeding the baby. If your baby is crying and hungry, feed her
“on demand.” Don’t let someone else put
her on a feeding schedule.
Guest breastfeeding expert Andi Silverman is the author of Mama Knows Breast: A Beginners Guide to Breastfeeding and a mother of two. Read her blog at www.mamaknowsbreast.com, and send your questions to editors@thenestbaby.com
QA Index
Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2007 10:52 AM
Q: "Should I start pumping immediately, or wait? I plan to stay at home for five months and then go back to work." -trishie7
Andi Silverman: You definitely want to get accustomed to using
your breast pump before you go back to work -- it can take a few tries to get the hang of it. But, there’s no rush.
Focus on developing your breastfeeding
relationship with your baby for the first few months. About a month before you go back to work,
learn to use your pump and start storing some milk in the freezer. It’s usually easiest to pump in the morning
when you will typically have a good supply.
Guest breastfeeding expert Andi Silverman is the author of Mama Knows Breast: A Beginners Guide to Breastfeeding and a mother of two. Read her blog at www.mamaknowsbreast.com, and send your questions to editors@thenestbaby.com
QA Index
Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2007 10:35 AM
Q: "How do I store pumped milk? Should it always go straight to
freezer, or does it go to the fridge first if I am using it soon? And,
how do you warm up pumped milk that is stored in bags?" -trishie7
Andi Silverman: Basically,
if you plan to use freshly pumped milk, you can store it in the refrigerator
for up to eight days. If you can’t
refrigerate it right away, it can stay at room temperature for roughly four to
ten hours, depending on how hot the room is.
To defrost frozen milk, thaw it in the refrigerator (not the kitchen counter!), which takes about 12 hours. After it's thawed, it can remain the fridge for another 24 hours, but should not be refrozen. You can also hold the package
under running water. To heat the milk,
put the package in a container of warm water.
You can also use a bottle warmer.
But NEVER microwave milk or heat it directly on the stove. Store
in 1-4 ounce portions to make thawing and warming easier, and make sure
to date the milk.
Guest breastfeeding expert Andi Silverman is the author of Mama Knows Breast: A Beginners Guide to Breastfeeding and a mother of two. Read her blog at www.mamaknowsbreast.com, and send your questions to editors@thenestbaby.com
QA Index