BORN WITH THEIR OWN WEB PAGES

MARY AMOROSO
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
09-15-1996
BORN WITH THEIR OWN WEB PAGES
By MARY AMOROSO
Date: 09-15-1996, Sunday
Section: LIFESTYLE
Edition: All Editions -- Sunday
Column: THE PRESSURED PARENT

My friend Blanca just gave birth to a little boy. The birth
announcement included not only Brian's place and time of birth and vital
statistics, but also the address of a Web page with more information on
the little boy.

Welcome to the brave new world of cyber babies.

The Record's computer guru, Rob Gebeloff, took me surfing the
Internet in search of cyber babies, and what a world we found.

Not only do proud mama and papa computer nerds display pictures of
their babies on these Web pages, but they chart their offspring's
development, his attachment to Grandma, his remarkable ability to smile
within a couple of weeks ... often in multimedia. If you have the right
equipment, you can click to hear the little guy gurgle or say "Uh-oh,"
or call up a video clip of baby kicking his legs.

Some of these pages start as soon as the pregnancy test turns up
positive.

David and Margie Klucznik, who are in their mid-20s and live in
Pennsylvania, have a Web page that urges "Come Watch Our Family Grow!"
Margie's in her ninth week of pregnancy.

David, who does graphic design for a company that produces bar
codes for products, included a sonogram picture of their baby at seven
weeks' gestation, complete with simulated beating heart.

I e-mailed David, and we chatted by phone about their plans for a
month-by-month Internet journal of the pregnancy, complete with pictures
of Margie's expanding belly.

"We had problems getting pregnant," David said. "We went to a
reproductive endocrinologist, and we ended up doing an IVF [in-vitro
fertilization].

"The main reason we're charting the pregnancy on our Web page is,
1. I think it's kind of cool, and 2. Margie was very involved with a lot
of Internet message boards as we tried to get pregnant. Through the
message boards, she's networked with a lot of women going through the
same thing. We're saying, `Keep an eye on our Web page; follow Margie
through her pregnancy and let her be a beacon of hope.' "

Another pregnancy Web page charted the following developments:

"January 26, 1996: Anticipated due date is September 7, 1996.

"February 7, 1996: New due date of September 5, 1996. Able to hear
the baby's heartbeat now at 10 weeks.

"March 7, 1996: Everything is fine, lost 11 pounds, and nausea is
finally going away."

The last entry when we looked last week was this: "September 6,
1996: Day one overdue, everything okay, doctor again in a week,
hopefully we won't make it that long."

I guess they had the baby. No more time to tend the Web page.

Several pregnancy Web pages encourage visitors to help name the
baby.

One page amassed 41 printed pages of suggested names for unborn
baby Gibson, everything from "Aahkmed Kwaawuu Gibson" to "Imperial Teen
Gibson" to "Lai-Fu Rinkie Gibson" ("Lai-Fu is a Chinese word that means
the one who brings good luck or good things," wrote the suggester.)

And a fan of the sitcom "Friends" recommended "Monica-Phoebe-Rachel
`Friends' Gibson" if it's a girl.

There's a Web page in French for young Geraldine Chebat: "Toutes
les informations inutiles sur Geraldine Chebat depuis sa naissance le 30
mars 1996."

And one for Adina Dorothy Spertus Melhus titled "Big name, little
baby."

The Web page for Australian-born Baby Morgana even includes a baby
computer game "suitable for any babies who would like to learn that
pressing keys on a keyboard makes the screen do things!" Morgana's page
refers to her dad as a "big silly billy."

Dr. Paul Mendelowitz is the Webmaster for Holy Name Hospital's
"Cybernursery," Web pages with birth announcements and pictures of
families who've delivered at the hospital.

He doesn't surf the Internet much anymore, but he said, "You'll go
to people's Web pages who dump their lives out there. On one hand, you
almost feel like you're a voyeur; on other hand, it's like recorded
history."

So far, about 25 families have taken advantage of the
three-month-old Internet birth announcement service at the hospital.
Mendelowitz estimates that the page receives about 1,500 visitors a
month.

To provide security and confidentiality, the page uses only the
parents' and baby's first name and last initial.

"Probably the most dramatic of these birth announcements for me
personally was Baby Boy G.," Mendelowitz said. "Because Baby Boy G. was
Jewish, he didn't have a name until the bris. I created the Web page in
labor and delivery, and when I was done, I walked back to the room to
tell the father it was done. When I walked into the room, they were on
the phone with relatives in Israel who were already looking at the page,
and telling the couple how beautiful the baby was."

* * *

Susan Waraska, a teacher in the Demarest school system, called me
to urge parents to attend their children's "back-to-school" nights.

She says it's a simple way to introduce yourself to your child's
teacher, and to find out how you can get in touch if you have questions
or problems.

"It's also important for the teacher to know if there's something
going on at home -- an ill relative, a separation, Mom going back to
work, a new sibling, death of a puppy."

If you can't make "back-to-school" night, Waraska recommends you
set up an introductory appointment with your child's teacher at some
other point, or find out how you can reach the teacher by phone.

* * *

Coming Thursday: Day care for your elderly relative.

* * *

Due out in a couple of weeks is "The Pressured Parent's Baby
Book," which I hope you will find a useful compendium of columns and
resources for everyone from prospective parents to those contemplating
kindergarten.

The book costs $4.95, payable by check or credit card. To order,
call our Customer Service representatives at 646-4444.

Keywords: FAMILY. BABY. COMPUTER

Copyright 1996 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.