There are now more places than ever to phone for help when mothers and fathers feel parentally challenge. And the explosion of parenting Web sites and newsgroups that’s taken place on the Internet over the last five years is connecting families from household to household the way the telephone did for the first time in 1876. Only this time the advance in communications isn’t just overcoming distance and isolation. It’s conquering stigmas.
Kate Ripley was nursing her newborn in her cabin half an hour outside Fairbanks, Alaska, when she found an online breast-feeding newsgroup. “I was really lonely,” she says. “It was a huge relief.” Now that Rory’s 9 months, the baby books are hinting that he’s eating too often. Ripley’s group (misc.kids.breastfeeding) says otherwise. “You don’t just want to have someone validate everything you think,” she says. “But it’s such a variety of voices, you can cull.” Even in Los Angeles, where there’s no such thing as a remote location, actor Brian Markinson logs on whenever he and his wife are stumped about their 9-month-old. “It’s another resource,” he says, “rather than call a doctor and feel like you’re being a pain.”
Technological alarmists, of course, take delight in warning that millions of modem-happy moms and dads will do nothing but produce millions of antisocial, monitor-gazing kids. A reliance on dial-tone parenting, they-insist, keeps families, friends and neighbors from trading advice the old-fashioned way: in person. But a glance at all the live, wired interaction out there suggests that, so far, the alarmists are wrong.,
Usenet
alt.parenting and misc.kids
Great places to start on the Usenet–the Internet’s collection of news groups–for discussions–on hundreds of topics from teething and breast-feeding to pets and snoring. Also, rec.arts.books.children is a 24-hour-a-day book group on children’s literature.
Childbirth.Org
Top discussion forums here, and a home page that gets right to the point on tough issues, including “Pregnancy & HIV,” “Having Your First Baby Over 35” and “Complications.”
Family.com
Disney’s new site has been criticized for being more upscale than helpful. But their bulletin boards and chat rooms are filled with the voices of intelligent, caring parents. They must be doing something right.
ParenTalk Newsletter
parentalk/index.html
Clearly written articles by physicians and psychologists. What this site lacks in graphic creativity, it makes up for in sheer mass of information.
ParenthoodWeb
Pediatricians and psychiatrists respond (in due time) to your e-mail. Meanwhile, they’ve posted their stock answers to anything-but-stock questions, including “Did we make a mistake by having a child?
Parenting Q&A
This site calls itself the only one on the Web “solely devoted to providing parents with answers to their most pressing questions.” It does answer questions faster than most other sites we tried. But it also offers essays on touchy subjects like spirituality, and suggests reading lists for kids, games for rainy days.
ParentSoup http://www.parentsoup.com/
Excellent discussion forums address everything from step-parenting and disciplining closely spaced siblings to premature babies and children with attention deficit disorder.
Zero to Three
The Washington, D.C.-based child-advocacy group has just launched its Web site. On it: a wealth of research and information on physical, cognitive and social development of infants and toddlers.
Child Care Aware
800-424-2246
Operators refer parents anywhere in the country to licensed and accredited child-care centers in their area. They’ll also send, at no charge, an information packet on how to choose quality child care. Coordinated by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. Weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CST. ChildHelp National HotLine
ChildHlep National Hotline
800-4-A-CHILD
Twenty-four-hour advice and referrals for children and adults with questions or in crisis. Staffers with graduate degrees in counseling field calls on issues ranging from child-abuse prevention to whether it’s normal for a 3-year-old girl to try urinating while standing up. (Yes, says a hotline counselor, it is.)
Gerber Information Line
800-443-7237
Tipper Gore’s recorded welcome message jolts you from thoughts of strained peas on this 24-hour consumer-info line (she reminds callers that doctors recommend having babies sleep on their backs). Morns, dads, grandparents–not nurses–work the phones, advising callers on nonmedical essentials like diapering, sleeping and “lots and lots of questions about food,” says one operator.
National Parent Information Network
800-583-4135
NPIN boasts the largest parenting database in the country. Researchers hunt down referrals, abstracts and answers–and send them free of charge–to hundreds of callers every month. Trouble with toilet training, the merits of co-op playgroups vs. private pre-schools, baby bowel movements: absolutely nothing is out of bounds here. Weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CST.
Parents Anonymous
909-621-6184 (not toll-free)
The national office in Claremont, Calif., refers parents to 45 state and regional affiliates, which offer support groups, counseling, referrals. Weekdays, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. PST.
Single Parents Association
800-704-2102
This line, which has just gone national, helps parents find support groups and resources in their communities, fields questions on parenting skills and reminds single parents that they’re not alone. Weekdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. CST.
title: “Where You Can Turn” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-14” author: “John Reeves”
Web Siteswww.betterhealth.com
The Better Health channel in the iVillage network features information on recent medical research, a chat room and even a free virtual checkup.
A creation of the U.S. Public Health Service, the Web site links you to scores of federal agencies and publications as well as to private-sector organizations concerned with women’s health issues.
Produced by the Columbia University Health Service, the site gives you the chance to “Go Ask Alice” about your physical, emotional and spiritual health. Definitely for the young.
This national clearinghouse of information and resources about women’s health charges a nominal fee (about $8) for in-depth reports on specific topics.
Click on to the Mayo Clinic’s Women’s Health Center for news of medical breakthroughs, referrals to a comprehensive collection of articles covering health issues–and the chance to have your health questions answered by Mayo Clinic physicians.
A good starting point for the novice seeking nutritional advice. One key feature: a ratings guide to other related sites.
Produced by the National Sleep Foundation, this site covers everything from sleep patterns during your monthly cycle to Pregnancy: Sleeping for Two.
Toll-free NumbersAmerican Academy of Dermatology
888-462-3376
American Cancer Society
800-227-2345
American Dietetic Association Consumer Nutrition Hot Line
800-366-1655
Arthritis Foundation
800-283-7800
CDC Information Network (AIDS, STDs, TB)
800-458-5231
National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO)
800-719-9154
National Mental Health Association
800-969-NMHA (6642)
National STD Hotline
800-227-8922
Osteoporosis National Resource Center
800-624-2663
BooksNutrition for Women: The Complete Guideby Elizabeth Somer(Henry Holt & Co., 1993, $15.95)
Provides information on nutrition during pregnancy, breast-feeding, menopause and athletic competition, as well as diets for alleviating the impact of specific diseases.
Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century,by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective (Simon & Schuster, 1998, $24)
The original sourcebook on health written by and for women comes of age with this newly revised edition. For many readers it continues to be a bible in the field.
The Planned Parenthood Women’s Health Encyclopedia(Crown, 1996, $22)
A standard reference book, moving alphabetically from abortion to yoga. Each of its brief entries contains guidelines on whom to contact for further information on the subject.
Woman to Womanby Yvonne S. Thornton, M.D.(Dutton, 1997, $24.95)
A leading gynecologist tells all. Written in a down-to-earth, anecdotal style, the book covers both medical concepts and the workings of a woman’s body. Excellent chapters on pregnancy and childbirth.
The Women’s Concise Guide to Emotional Well-Beingby Karen J. Carlson, M.D., Stephanie A. Eisenstat, M.D., and Terra Ziporyn, Ph.D.(Harvard University Press, 1997, $14.95)
Looks at a variety of subjects–among them depression, anxiety and personality disorders–that influence a woman’s physical health.
Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Bookby Susan M. Love, M.D.(Perseus Books, 1995, 2d edition, revised, $17)
A full discussion of its subject, with chapters on women’s anatomy, common problems of the breast and how to live with breast cancer. Especially useful for women and families trying to decide on the advantages and disadvantages of various cancer treatments.
Woman’s Body: An Owner’s Manual,edited by Margaret Doyle (Contemporary Books,1999, $16.95)
Up-to-the-minute information about the female physique, causes of disease, the role of counseling and alternative medicine.
The PDR Family Guide to Women’s Health and Prescription Drugs(Medical Economics, 1994, $24.95)
A comprehensive guide to a wide variety of health concerns, plus detailed information on the prescription drugs women use most.
American Medical Association Complete Guide to Women’s Health,edited by Ramona I. Slupik, M.D. (Random House, 1996, $39.50)
Carrying the imprimatur of the nation’s most established medical organization, this is a comprehensive, highly illustrated guide that will be useful for women of all ages.
