There are whisperers for dogs, celebrities, houses, ghosts, and now we are on the second go-around for BABIES.

Dee Rule, yet another Baby Nurse to the Stars, has been referred to as such, although she is now marketing herself as a childcare schedule ruler. Is she a knight in shining armor who can take a newborn and, through her magical ways, eliminate baby boredom? (Does a baby even know boredom?)

She also claims to be able to deal with post partum blues and daddy depression, while trumpeting the names of the celebrities she has evidently taken through “creative parental imagination” to make them better parents.

In my 28 years as a childbirth educator, infant care specialist and lactation consultant, I have often provided my services to celebrities. I make it a point to respect the privacy of each of my clients and would never divulge a celebrity's name online or elsewhere to sell a book or program, even with their permission. What we do as infant care consultants is special and intimate. It requires a great deal of trust and discretion. To compromise that by using a celebrity name seems to me to be a risky marketing ploy at best.

Famous Or Not, Expectant Mothers Want Privacy And Deserve Tact


Is Jennifer Lopez hiding a pregnancy under her clothing? Is it anyone's business?
(LISA ROSE / AP / October 14, 2007)

It's difficult to peg exactly when the merry tide turned, but at some point in the last two weeks the Hollywood bump watch went from cooing and congratulatory to downright agitated.

First actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, she of midriff-baring fame, suddenly adopted an uncharacteristic fondness for loose and flowing caftans. Giddy speculation kicked into high gear that Lopez and husband Marc Anthony were finally expecting the family she had long talked of wanting.

Then, said caftan went windswept during Lopez' concert performance this month at Mohegan Sun, revealing an unmistakable bulge. Sweet curiosity turned into genuine irritation -- the same now directed at Christina Aguilera. In the past few weeks, paparazzi have snapped the tight-lipped singer shopping at baby stores with her husband, protruding belly in tow.

Fans, celebrity gawkers and the press at large have demanded to know: Why - just why! - are these women refusing to confirm their obvious pregnancies?

The hoopla has some mothers wondering in return: When did our pregnant bellies become public property?

"Everyone gets excited about people getting pregnant in general. With celebrities, the obsession just goes way beyond," says Carley Roney, editor in chief of TheNestBaby.com, a new website for expecting mothers spun off from the popular wedding-planning site, TheKnot.com. "But for a lot of women, there's just something nice about having this big, fat secret that's only yours and your spouse's.

"There are such few things that we have that are really private these days. So sometimes, you just want the time to indulge in this personal secret."

Apparently, even if the curve of your belly belies the flimsy secret.

(A note from Leslye Adelman, founder of GentleNurturing.com: Congratulations to Linda Perry and Peachhead Families for a great article, and even higher praise is extended to you for founding such an invaluable service! Other cities across the United States and beyond should look to the example of PeachheadFamilies.com and work to provide user groups that are so beneficial to the community-at-large.)

CITYWIDE -- Some say it takes a village to raise a child. In Elisha Lenders' case, the old adage has never carried so much weight.

From inquiring about disciplinary measures that are kosher to finding the best baby bottle, the Culver City resident refers to the same parenting resource without fail, tapping into a network of more than 6,000 parenting experts and novices.

"When I first became a mom, I didn't know a lot of people around Los Angeles and didn't have a lot of resources of what to buy and what to do when my kid was sick," said Lender, the mother of a 3-year-old daughter. "I found a great Yahoo group ... and was hooked."

The group she is referring to is the Peachhead Families, an online and off-line community of parents, providing resources on all things related to parenting, from finding the best pediatrician to warnings about the recent Mattel toy recall.

"We talk about nutrition, pediatricians, lawyers, problems with children, difficult moments," said Lenders, an interior designer who has been a Peachhead member for two years.

The Westside-based organization is among the many support groups guiding new moms through their early and most vital years of parenthood, utilizing the years of combined child-rearing experience and expertise that springs from such a large network of parents.