Say ‘Aaah’ : Your Health Online : Net Crib Sheets for New Parents

When my brother and sister-in-law called me recently to share the news that she’s pregnant with their first child, I was, of course, ecstatic. A wanted pregnancy is truly one of life’s greatest miracles and an occasion for celebration. But for most people, a first pregnancy is also a time of anxiety, stress, wonder and doubt: Am I doing the right things for the fetus? Will I be a good parent? Am I in good enough shape? Should I have an amniocentesis?

Combining my excitement at being an aunt-to-be with my work online, I offered to point my brother and his wife to Internet sites that could address their questions and concerns.

Parents.com (https://www.parents.com), the Web site from the publishers of Parents, Child, Family Circle and McCalls, is one of my favorite commercial sites, and one of its seven main sections is dedicated exclusively to pregnancy. The section includes an obstetrician finder, childbirth planner, naming sites, pregnancy journal, an “Ask the Ob/Gyn” feature, and magazine articles on such topics as birth control methods and whether to circumcise your baby boy.

Then there are the ubiquitous baby.something shopping sites, specializing in toys, clothes, furniture and the like. Even when you type https://www.pregnancy.com into your browser, it takes you to a commercial site--babycenter.com. Sure, these sites include products, articles, information, due-date calculators and the like (there are plenty of opportunities to sign up for freebies), but that wasn’t what I was after.

I was looking for something with more substance than the commercial sites typically offer; enlightening content on pregnancy, childbirth and impending parenthood (for both moms and dads), but with trusted credentials behind it.

Of course, for substance you can always turn to the old standby, “all-health-all-the-time” sites: drkoop.com (https://www.drkoop.com/conditions/Pregnancy/) and MayoHealth (https://www.mayoealth.org/mayo/common/htm/pregpg.htm).

And there are plenty of multimedia pages. “First 9 months,” https://www.first9months.com/, is a multimedia “journey through the first nine months” as told in words and pictures, on the Parentsplace.com Web site. And https://www.asoundbeginning.com lets you listen to sounds heard inside the womb.

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After a fair bit of digging, I started to get hot. Childbirth.org (https://www.childbirth.org), founded by a doula (a Greek word for a woman who helps birthing mothers), gave me substance, credibility, comprehensive content, plus a warm, personalized look at pregnancy and all the questions it raises.

Developed by midwives, childbirth educators, obstetric and maternity nurses, lactation consultants and doulas, this site provides an extensive list of resources (and links) from chat rooms to online birth announcements to basic information about pregnancy, exercise, fertility, caesarean sections, and episiotomies. The site also offers an excellent Q&A; section.

Childbirth.org avoids pushing a particular birthing philosophy and will even mail you an interactive birth plan after you select who you want in the room, mark your anesthesia preferences and make other choices about your environment (such as music or dim lights).

There are also a couple of really fun features. The interactive gender test lets you apply a variety of old wives’ tales to your pregnancy and guess your baby’s sex. Just answer a series of questions (Where are you carrying your extra weight? What color is your hair? Do you look particularly good or not so good?), and you’ll find out what the likelihood is of having a boy or a girl and an explanation. The equally fun-but-dubious Mystic Baby Namer points you to the name that reflects the characteristics you’d like your child to have. (Speaking of selecting a name, another site, https://www.babynamer.com, lets you listen to how the name is pronounced.)

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Another site to check out, especially for fetal development, is https://pregnancy.miningco.com/, where you can find a slew of articles, resources and links, including a week-by-week fetal development calendar (complete with photographs), a “Fathers Only” section and the “Belly Gallery.” That’s right--a collection of photographs of pregnant bellies.

One of the more unique sites is the new UrbanBaby Network which last month launched the first of its local sites, NewYorkBaby.com, a network of resources, Web sites and information for expectant and new urban parents. Not to worry Angelenos; the UrbanBaby Network has got you covered. LosAngelesBaby.com will go online Nov. 15, and you can sign up now for an e-mail announcement of the launch (https://www.losangelesbaby.com). The site will be similar in style to its East Coast sister, but it will be tailored to L.A. parents. You’ll find articles about such topics as car seat safety as well as lots of hip, trendy and urban content.

LosAngelesBaby.com will bring you localized information on obstetricians and pediatricians, the best parks and playgrounds for your kids, and local contacts for baby gear, maternity clothes and day care. There’ll be a section on the most popular baby names in various L.A. neighborhoods. And you gotta love this: an online garage sale for baby equipment.

By the November launch, you’ll be able to shop online for unique products from your area (as well as purchase gift certificates to local “mommy and me” exercise-bonding classes), and register for shower gifts.

Every pregnancy is unique. Different people will gravitate to different sites. Now I just need one that will help me contain my excitement for the next seven months while I wait for a new niece or nephew!

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Marla Bolotsky is managing editor and director of online information for the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. She can be reached by e-mail at marla.bolotsky@latimes.com.