Susan
Ann Stelfox is a first-time author and a first-time mother. After
a long bout with breast cancer, survivor Stelfox became pregnant at
age 40. Because of her health history and the lateness of her pregnancy,
she was extremely focused on the pregnancy and birth of her child.
When her baby arrived she was overjoyed and relieved. But she soon
found that she had a lot more to learn. In her own words, "I
naively thought that my mother's presence for the first week would
teach me everything I needed to know. I soon realized that I was
not prepared for the realities of life with a newborn and the changes
it brings."
Knowing she only had this one chance at parenting and wanting to
give her son the best possible start in life; she began a crash
course in baby care and development. She found the whole subject
fascinating, and soon read everything she could find on brain research
and infant development. Like many new parents, Susan invested in
many of the "super baby" products on the market.
After reading many wonderful parenting books, she often found herself
thinking, "I wish I had this information sooner." Through
her research she also discovered that you don't need hundreds of
expensive, special toys. What your baby really needs is lots of
loving interactions: Cuddling, talking, playing, singing, reading
and music.
Two years after sharing the idea with her pediatrician and other
new mothers, Baby Be Loved: Growing and learning together
during the first 24 weeks was born. It is the book
she wished existed when she was a new mother, all presented clearly,
simply and in one place. It saves new parents from ever having to
ask, "Now what?" It helps build parent-child bonds, and
provides support, and even inspiration, for new parents, whose lives
have just been turned upside-down and inside out.
In developing Baby Be Loved, a new career
has developed for this entrepreneurial mom. Susan
participates in parenting and publishing groups. She is a member of the National Association
of Women Writers, Women's National Book Association, the Mother's
Club of Palo Alto & Menlo Park and Mothers and More. Her essays
and articles on child development have been published in regional
parenting publications.
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