By Dave Schafer

Itanya Guliex always wanted to have four babies when she grew up: a boy, a girl and a twin boy and girl. Not toddlers, not labor pains or pregnancy discomforts.

Four babies.

At 23, Guliex decided to get pregnant. Halfway through the pregnancy, when the discomfort became noticeable, she realized she wasn’t just having a baby.

She was giving life to a human being who would rely on her husband and her for a healthy, happy childhood and the skills to succeed in the adult world.

And there was no turning back.

Guliex, who works in Human Resources’ temporary services, attended parenting classes and read pamphlets about how to raise a healthy child. She read the book, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”

That’s the right thing to do, experts say.

Itanya Guliex's healthy and precocious children, from left clockwise: TéJean, 3: DoroJean’a, 5; LaJean’é, 1; Jeanté, 7; and ChrisJean’a, 9.

In his book, “How to Raise a Healthy Child,” Dr. Lendon Smith writes that all newborns are entitled to certain rights: To be born to a loving family; to be delivered by a knowledgeable birth attendant; to have as few drugs as possible; to be held and stroked by parents as soon after birth as possible; to be spared unnecessary “routine” medical procedures; to be fed on demand; and to receive unconditional love. (See Seven Super Things box.)

Dr. Laeeq Khan, a pediatrician for nearly 40 years, said the most important thing parents can do is educate themselves. A lot of parenting is common sense. The more parents know, the more they become familiar with some common situations and how to handle them.

He recommends publications approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics and those provided by the pediatrician. Good books are “Caring for Your Baby and Young Child,” “Caring for Your School Age Child,” and “Caring for Your Teenager.”

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