"My goal: Less guilt, more common sense  --  whether we're talking baby care, child care, elder care, or self care."
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About Paula Spencer Scott: I write, edit, speak, and consult about women's lives and relationships across the life stages, babycare to self care to eldercare. (See "Specialties," below.) My 11 books include Momfidence! and seven collaborations. I'm also a senior editor of Caring.com and often cover health and wellness.

My Woman's Day column, "Momfidence," ran from 2001-2010. I've been a longtime contributing editor to Parenting and BabyTalk magazines, and a contributor to many national media outlets, print and online. (I'm the former Paula Spencer.) I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.


Specialties:

Family Life / Eldercare

  • A senior editor of Caring.com, leading site offering advice and support on eldercare  -- the next huge topic in American family life.
  • Selected for 2011 Met Life Journalists in Aging Program fellowship, by the Gerontological Society of America and New American Media.
  • Developed "Steps & Stages" resource for Alzheimer's caregivers (9 weekly newsletters, symptom guide, self-staging tool, advice & support content), Caring.com
  • "Self Caring" and "fyiDaily" blogger
  • Guest editor of Touching Lives, nationally-distributed hospice publication (2010)
  • Presenter at Aging in America annual meeting (2010, 2011)
  • Expertise in Alzheimer's/dementia/cognitive health, caregiver stress and self care, senior health; special focus on the emotional/relational aspects of caregiving
  • Dozens of features for Caring.com, Touching Lives, msn.com, yahoo, iVillage, Parade, Arthritis Today, 50 Plus
  • Experienced caregiver (parents)

Family Life / Parenting

  • MOMFIDENCE book, column, website, and blog
  • Collaborator, NYT bestseller The Happiest Toddler on the Block with Dr. Harvey Karp
  • Coauthor, Bright From the Start with Dr. Jill Stamm
  • Author of three Parenting Magazine books & Parenting: The New Mom's Gift Kit
  • Wrote development content for BabyCenter.com's popular "My Baby/Toddler/Preschooler/Big Kid This Week" newsletter series, ages 1-8
  • Consultant to BabyCenter.com, Gerber, First Moments, Kajeet, and other family-friendly companies
  • Contributing editor for 15 years to Parenting and Babytalk magazines; "Relationships" columnist, Parenting
  • My parenting articles also in Family Life, Parents, Newsweek, Reader's Digest, Redbook, Grandparenting, Kiwi: Growing Families the Natural and Organic Way, whattoexpect.com, others.
  • Interviewed as expert source by Real Simple, Smart Parenting, Ladies Home Journal, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New Choices, Fit Pregnancy, WebMD, ParentCenter, MOMCentral, American Baby, "Meet the Peetes," many others.
  • Momfidence blog called one of "Great Blogs on Children, Health, and Parenting" in US News and World Report
  • Not least, mom of four

 Self Care / Women's Lives / Family Health

  • Coauthor, The V Book with Harvard's Dr. Elizabeth Stewart
  • Coauthor, Consciously Female with Dr. Tracy Gaudet, director of Duke Integrative Medicine
  • Dozens of bylined articles: Health, USA Weekend, Newsweek, Glamour, Redbook, Weight Watchers, Body & Soul, iVillage, msn.com, yahoo, elsewhere
  • Former "Suburban Farmgirl" columnist for MaryJanesFarm
  • Appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show"
  • Writing awards from American Speech, Language, Hearing Association; Arthritis Foundation; National Political Women's Caucus; others

Pregnancy

  • Author of 3 pregnancy guides: The Pregnancy Journal gift book, Everything Else You Need to Know When You're Expecting, and  Parenting's Guide to Your Pregnancy
  • Coauthor, Body, Soul and Baby with Duke Integrative Medicine director Tracy Gaudet, MD
  • More than three years of life spent pregnant!

 Member

 


Photograph by Charles Harris