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William Sears, M.D., has been a pediatrician for 20 years. He received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical Schools Childrens Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the largest childrens hospital in the world. Dr. Bill, as his young patients call him, has been a guest on over 100 television programs and is a medical and parenting consultant to several national magazines, including Redbook, Baby Talk, and PARENTING. In addition to the titles shes co-authored with her husband, Martha Sears is a certified lactation consultant, La Leche League leader, and director of the Breastfeeding Center in San Clemente, California. Shes also a popular speaker and media guest, and until recently, she cohosted the weekly radio program, Ask About Your Baby.
The Searses are the parents of eight children: When you say eight children, people conjure up eight little heads bobbing along, says Martha, but theyve been spaced well enough that weve never really felt the crunch well, OK, there have been moments. Their kids ages 4 to 29 represent the gamut of the parenting experience: boys and girls, one child with Down syndrome, and one whos adopted. The two eldest are studying to be pediatricians, just like Dad. Theyre also the grandparents of three. Martha Sears spends a great deal of time answering letters and phone calls from parents all over the country, and she is especially eager to lend a helping hand via the Internet. Weve reached a lot of people one-on-one and thats great, but it expends a lot of time and energy that only one person can reap from, she says. When our e-mail responses can be read and our live chats give a chance for some back-and-forth dialogue it will help so many more people. |