Ask the Experts
Welcome to your experts section! Whether you're looking for a midwife, doula, lactation consultant, or even have basic questions about work and family, pets or fitness, here's where you'll find a panel of experts to address your questions, challenges, and concerns.
On each expert’s page, you’ll see the current links to answers so you can see what has been asked already. We ask that you please take a moment to read through what we have first before submitting a new question to one of our experts. If you don't find the answer you're looking for, click on one of the experts to submit a question, taking care you select the correct one. We can't guarantee that they'll answer your particular question, however, all our experts do the best they can at any given moment.
Ask Mr. Dad
Fatherhood...there's no question that dads are important. Kids with active fathers are happier and better adjusted than those without. Nevertheless, we're bombarded with images of neglectful, uninterested, deadbeat, and lazy dads. These images begin with the announcement of the pregnancy, through childbirth and into the childrearing process. The impression one gets is that fathers aren't nearly as important as mothers. The truth is that men and women make different -- but equally important -- contributions to their children's development.
Ask the Child Psychologist
A good relationship with your children gets you through the hard times and creates more frequent good times. It helps you listen to, learn from, and meet the unique needs of your growing child. It doesn't change your kid's personality, but it makes it easier for you to influence him, so he's more cooperative and discipline isn't as much of a challenge. What's different about Connection Parenting is that it's about the relationship with your child, rather than a set of "skills" to make you a better parent.
Ask the Doula
Now is your opportunity to ask our doula about your upcoming labor and delivery, what you can do to get prepared, all the "what is a...," "what should I..." type questions or whatever is on your mind that's related.
Ask the Family Activities Expert
At your wit's end after hearing "I'm bored" one too many times from your kids? Looking for ways to inspire imagination and creative play? Need suggestions for celebrating an upcoming holiday or obscure feast? Kas Winters has thousands of ideas to help you and your kids make the most of every day together.
Ask the Family Pet Expert
Now is your opportunity to ask our family pet expert about all your concerns and worries. Do you wonder exactly what is involved in getting a new pet? Are you worried that your dog may not welcome the new baby as enthusiastically as you and your partner? Does your cat think the crib is the most comfortable place to sleep? Get answers to questions of this nature and more from Family Paws™ creator, Jennifer Shryock.
Ask the Fitness Expert
Now is your opportunity to ask our fitness expert about your exercise routine and nutrition concerns, what you can do to get prepared for labor, all the "what if...," "what should I..." type questions or whatever is on your mind about creating a healthier lifestyle for yourself and for your family. You'll get real and honest answers.
Ask the Lactation Consultant
Now is your opportunity to read what our lactation consultant has answered. Your concerns and worries, questions about getting started, latch/position, pumping, nutrition or whatever is on your mind that's related.
Ask the Midwife
Now is your opportunity to ask our midwife all your health concerns and worries, questions about your pregnancy, nutrition or whatever is on your mind that's related. You'll get real and honest answers.
Ask the Nutrition Expert
Choosing foods and initiating a healthy lifestyle for your family can be a weighty (no pun intended) obligation. What should you buy? Does it matter how it is prepared? Are some foods unsafe for babies or during pregnancy? Deborah A. Klein, MS, RD, our "Ask the Nutrition Expert," will be helping you sift through the tons of available information to find the best balance in food choices for you and your situation.
Ask the Relationship Expert
Happily Married...with kids! If you are like many parents, that phrase feels like a long lost dream. Along with that tiny bundle of joy comes a pile of new priorities and a required shift of lifestyle. As more demands are made on families, many couples may sense they have married a stranger. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be a fairy tale! Carol Ummel Lindquist, Ph.D. is here to offer you guidance through the pitfalls of marriage and family. Submit your questions on improving communication, balancing work and family, enjoying your kids, reviving your sex life, and more!
Ask the Ultrasound/Dreams Expert
Now is your opportunity to ask our ultrasound expert about what to expect or what your results mean, what you can ask your doctor, all the "what if...," "what should I..." type questions or whatever is on your mind about ultrasounds.
Anai Rhoads: Researcher/Writer
From the politics of the body, to the politics of food, Anai has contributed some thought provoking articles that will stimulate and educate.
Ann Douglas: TTC to Teens
You'll find resources dedicated to preconception, conception, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged kids, preteens, teens, and, of course, their moms and dads.
Cathy Winks and Anne Semans - Sex Experts
Do you have a question about your sex life? Wondering how to add some spice to those cold nights? Seeking advice on how pregnancy and parenting will affect your relationship, what sexual positions to try when your body is changing, or simply how to find the energy for romance? No question is taboo for our "Sex-perts," Anne Semans and Cathy Winks. They've read it all! Although Anne and Cathy are no longer answering new questions, we have posted links to past questions and answers on this page so you can see what they have been asked already.
Chick Moorman: Parenting
Chick Moorman provides practical, entertaining, and thought-provoking workshops, seminars, keynote addresses, and coaching for parents and educators. Whether addressing 10 or 10,000, his mission is to empower parents and teachers so they can in turn empower others.
Colette Bouchez: Women's Health
As the author of 7 books on women's health, including an international best sell, Colette Bouchez has become one of the most widely read journalists on the internet. There are currently some 100,000 pages of references to her work in major search engines, resulting in more than 1 million individual articles and book excerpts.
Davis and Stein - Pregnancy Infancy Crisis
If a crisis occurs during your pregnancy or your baby's infancy -- pregnancy complications, postpartum depression, prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of problems with the baby, premature delivery, hospitalization, life-and-death medical decision-making, pregnancy loss, infant death -- your emotions can be intense and overwhelming. No crisis is too big or too small, because crisis encompasses loss and grief at a time when you expected only joy. Every question is welcome, because your experience counts. Here is where you can find reassurance that your reactions are normal and you are not alone.
Dr. Mark Moore: Pregnancy and Pediatrics
Dr. Mark Moore is an experienced, private practice Anesthesiologist, delivering anesthesia services and pain management to patients at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. He has sub-specializations in obstetric and gynecologic anesthesia and pediatric anesthesia and triple Board-Certifications in Anesthesiology, Pain Management, and Pharmacy. Dr. Moore writes articles on pregnancy, pediatrics, pain management and anesthesia.
Elizabeth Pantley: Babies and Sleep
Get advice, solutions, links and books about parenting. Raise children with love, compassion, respect and consistency and learn to be a confident and joyful parent.
Jack Newman: Breastfeeding
If you're having difficulty breastfeeding, there are many places that you can get help. Jack Newman gives excellent advice. You can read his articles, go to your Pediatrician and/or Ob, a lactation consultant, and breastfeeding support groups. Not all health care professionals are supportive of breastfeeding. If your doctor can't help you to effectively breastfeed your infant, then look for a certified lactation consultant in your area.
Jody Pawel: Practical Tools for Parenting
Don't you wish children came with instructions? Since they don't, Jody Pawel can help! Her goal/philosophy is to empower parents to think for themselves by teaching them a unique, reliable problem-solving method that helps them find individualized solutions to their parenting challenges. Parents get practical solutions they can use every time, every day with lasting results! With over 10 years outcome-focused skill assessment results and long-term follow-up, Jody's model has been proven effective with thousands of parents nationwide.
Kimberly A. Tessmer - Nutrition
Are you seeking reliable data concerning proper nutrition for you and your family? Should you count calories? Watch out for fat content? Exactly where is the food pyramid these days? Kimberly A. Tessmer, RD LD, our contributing nutrition expert will help you sift through it all and find the best balance in food choices for you and your situation.
Melissa Stanton: Stay-at-Home Motherhood
Being a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) in today's world is filled with challenges and expectations that you have time to "do it all." Add to the mix the constant demands of their newborn, infant, or toddlers, older kids various activities schedules, and the housework that never ends. "Free time" you hear rumors about is just that. For those opting to stay at home with their children, despite all of the obstacles and challenges this "job" entails, there is no "job" with higher "benefit pay"!
Pregnancy Partners: Blokes, Babies and You
Being a dad is the most important job in the world and starts the minute you find out that you're pregnant. Times have changed and men want to be better dads and great birth partners! It takes both mom and dad to be informed and inspired to have a happy birth. The "Being Dad" team gives men tools and permission to be proud for wanting to be a great dad. They help women understand their men and encourage them become great partners in parenthood.
Rick Hanson: Mother Nurture
Today mothers juggle more tasks, work longer hours, and sleep less than their own mothers did. Yet the self-healing revolution has overlooked the most significant issue in the lives of some twenty million women: how to cope with the relentless, overwhelming stresses of raising young children. Rick and Jan Hanson give you practical help for parenting, lowering stress, increasing energy, lifting your mood, building teamwork with your mate, and staying intimate friends.
