No topic was off limits for the new and expectant mothers who attended FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital’s Pregnancy Fair Tuesday night.

From breast feeding to birth certificates to baby regularity, experts provided answers for the kind of questions that matter to anyone with an infant.

“I came to brush up,” said Lynn Wallace of Norman, a mother of two who is now expecting another child. “My youngest is four so it’s been a while.”

Local medical professionals provided demonstrations and gave interactive lectures on labor pain management, baby nutrition, child safety, health department resources, proper diapering and swaddling techniques, what to expect during the delivery process and when to call a doctor.

“Childbirth defines us as women,” said Registered Nurse Ann Beth Simmons. “We carry it with us our whole lives. If things don’t go as planned, or like you saw on TV, or how your mama told you it would go, you carry that experience with you.”

The overall goal in each presentation was to simplify the whole process. For some mothers, that meant clearing up the kind of details that have the potential to turn into afterthoughts and inconvenient surprises.

“I came to learn about breastfeeding,” said Tami Smith, a mother of two twin girls who is getting ready to have a son. “But the main thing I’ve learned is that they don’t circumcise (right after delivery) at the hospital. You have to wait two weeks, and insurance doesn’t always cover it.”

Another young mother, Kandi Holmes, joined the conversation when she heard Smith speaking her language.

“Medicaid doesn’t cover it either,” said Holmes, now pregnant with her second son. “I’ve been saving up my money ever since I found out what I was having.”

The relatively balanced demographic of veterans and first-timers proved useful for networking, peer learning and encouragement.

“I learned a lot about breast feeding,” said Angela Leak of Ellerbe, who is pregnant with her third child. “I plan on doing it this time.”

Some mothers left with door prizes and, hopefully, fewer worries.

“Once you get here to deliver, you’re excited and you have family visiting and everything gets a little more hectic,” said FirstHealth Outreach Manager Amy Hamilton while planning for the event. “If you’re a first time mom, and especially sometimes with the younger teen moms, its a good experience to see someone demonstrate what needs to happen,”