From the WBWC Blog:

Month: December 2011

Birthing a New Birth Center

      You may not be seeing as much of Maureen Darcey, CNM around the birth rooms in 2012, but that doesn’t mean she’s not as busy as ever!  Starting in January, Maureen is going to be shifting her role at WBWC to help adjust to the changing needs of our growing birth center.  She’ll still be catching the occasional baby as back-up midwife during weekday business hours.  However, her new duties will be primarily administrative.  Additionally, she’s ready to focus her full attention on her long-standing goal: building a new birth center.  “My new job will be birthing the new birth center,” says Maureen.    This is no small task, and would be impossible while also continuing the 24-hour on-call shifts that our midwives work.  As you may know, the search for land on which to build the new facility is underway.  There’s still an enormous amount of work to be done in the way of fundraising, planning, and logistics over the next several years.  With her years of experience and her passionate vision for the birth center model of care, Maureen hopes to guide WBWC through this transition period into an even stronger future.   

Maji: The Gift of Life

(Maji: Kiswahili = water) by Kerrie Kurgat Deep inside of me, a stirring. Undulations. I didn’t know who, just as I hadn’t known for my previous two births. We would embrace a son or a daughter: joys, challenges, idiosyncrasies and all.   I had requested gender anonymity from the sonographer, who remained neutral, even in the ultrasound report which stated: “gender – normal.” Despite my protests, the test was requested by a midwife to confirm gestational age. It was more detailed due to my age (over 35 years), and I was grateful for the reassurance and levity that Dr. Wolfe proffered: “Can you believe they think you’re ‘old’?!”             It was the evening of October 5, 2010, my due date. I had taught my ESL classes as usual until two in the afternoon. Our children were already asleep while my husband and I prepared for bed. The painful contractions I was experiencing were not new; they had been percolating for weeks – precursors of the intense pressure that would thrust my baby into, I hoped, the warm water of the birthing tub.                         I lay in bed and jotted down the intervals of the contractions on yellow post-it notes: 11:56pm, 12:17am… In the early morning hours on October 6, I contacted the on-call midwife. “I’m having contractions – nothing longer than 25 seconds. Just wanted to let someone know.” She listened dutifully as I recited my contraction frequencies. “Why don’t you drink some tea and take a bath? Then try to get some sleep,” she suggested. I took her advice about the tea, but skipped the bath. At long last I slept.                         For a stretch of over an hour I felt no tensing or tightening. Then, rogue contractions periodically. Back to sleep. Jolted by pain in my lower back, I called WBWC and spoke with Allison. Though the labor was prodromal in nature, she validated my labor contractions. I asked her opinion about whether or not I should teach that morning. She supported the idea of canceling classes. Since I tested GBS positive, she recommended I come in early for a round of antibiotics.             At 11:45am, my husband and I were ushered into the blue room on the first floor. Sun streamed through slats in the blinds. Helen, the nurse, bustled about readying birthing equipment.      Five years ago, my son Nicholas had been born in … Read More

New Arrivals

  Top row: Isis Barbour, May Scudellari. Bottom row: Ari Morrow, Atticus Harkey, Jordan Gates  Violet Clove Sterner Miller – 7 lbs., 13 oz. – September 25May Elizabeth Scudellari – 8 lbs., 8 oz. – October 25Jordan Langdon Gates – 7 lbs., 8 oz. – November 5 Phoebe Rose Studson – 5 lbs., 5 oz. – November 7Kieran Leo Marchetti – 7 lbs., 15 oz. – November 10Atticus Larry Harkey – 8 lbs., 9 oz. – November 11Seth Smith – 8 lbs., 7 oz. – November 11Marlow Quinn – 8 lbs., 13 oz. – November 12Vera Lynn Caron – 7 lbs., 12 oz. – November 14Zoey Isabella Pilkington – 7 lbs., 14 oz. – November 15Sydney Devon Bridges – 6 lbs., 4 oz. – November 15William Lafayette Clements – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – November 17Isis Avani Barbour – 8 lbs. – November 18Kahlan Noelle Green – 8 lbs., 13 oz. – November 19Adlai Escher Naimi – 8 lbs., 10 oz. – November 19Malachi Liam Davidson – 8 lbs., 12 oz. – November 21Aram Gatling – 9 lbs., 5 oz. – November 23Adeline Mae Butler Grover – 8 lbs. – November 23Aspen Vivian Thomas – 9 lbs., 2 oz. – November 28Reed Elizabeth Mason – 8 lbs., 8 oz. – November 29 Ari Lincoln Morrow – 6 lbs., 15 oz. – November 30 Welcome to the world, Little Ones! If you would like your baby’s birth announced in the next newsletter, send an email with baby’s name, birth date, and weight to missy_swanson@hotmail.com.  You can also include a picture if you’d like!

‘Tis the Season to Keep Everyone Busy!

by Claire C. McKiernan           I’d love to tell you the following advice is from professionals and experts, but I can’t. I’m too busy right now to interview anyone. So here are tips from a mother of four young children (me) on learning to let go a little (I’m a perfectionist, so this didn’t come easy) and, with some luck, getting your kids to cooperate this season. One caveat, you know your kids best, so my age suggestions may not be appropriate for all kids. Shopping           If you can’t leave the kids at home, stash snacks in your purse, no matter what time of day you go out or how close to the next meal. Food does wonders! Even better if there are special snacks that they only get when you go out shopping.  I keep baggies of raisins, mini-marshmallows, pretzels, goldfish crackers, or animal crackers in my purse. Lifesavers are good if your children are old enough to suck on one instead of crunching through it and asking for more every ten seconds. Be on the lookout for surprise freebies, especially in grocery stores, such as cookies, cut-up fruit, and cheese samples. Sometimes things they won’t eat at home are suddenly appetizing when your kids are bored, and the item is presented in a cute little sample cup.  An important note: in my experience, bribing them with food (“If you’re good, you’ll get these”) rarely works and often gives you a bigger head ache than before. Be pre-emptive and give them a snack while everyone is happy and before the kids get out of hand. Holiday Cards           Can’t seem to get the cards done while the kids are awake, and by the time they’re in bed, you’re spent, right? If you enjoy writing out the cards and making them “just so” like I do, then the next bit of advice is going to require some yoga-like breathing. Let the kids help. Let your 2-year-old scribble in the cards to your closest relatives who will undoubtedly find it cute. Or just give her a brand new card with which to do whatever she likes. If you’re lucky she will scribble in it and give it to you. If you’re not so lucky, you’ll find it in the toilet. Let your 4-year-old work next to you making his cards out of construction paper. If he’s making them out to the … Read More

Leigh Ann’s Oatmeal Cookies

Leigh Ann Joel, CNM has spent years perfecting her oatmeal cookie recipe, and now she has been kind enough to share it with us.  These cookies have passed her kids’ rigorous taste-testing, despite the fact that they contain some healthy ingredients. Enjoy!  And let her know how yours turn out next time you’re at the Birth Center. 3/4 cup salted, softened butter1/4 cup olive oil (not extra virgin, needs to be mild)1 cup packed light brown sugar3/4 cup granulated sugar1 tsp vanilla2 large room-temperature eggs3 cups old-fashioned oats, not quick cooking1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, plus 3 tbsp all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup milled flax seed or wheat germ1/3 cup flax seed1 1/2 cups craisins2 cups finely chopped walnuts Cream butter, oil and sugars with mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and mix on high until combined, then add vanilla. Combine flours, milled flax, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture. Add oats, flax seed, craisins, and nuts, and mix by hand. Drop on parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake. (I use a little ice-cream scoop, maybe tbsp sized.) A small advantage may be gained in cookie texture if the batter sits for a while. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes.

WBWC Board Update

by Kaaren Haldeman The WBWC Board of Directors will be expanding in the new year! We are excited to welcome new board members as we energize our efforts to envision and plan for our new space. As part of the nomination process, board nominees will be interviewed by staff representing all strata of the WBWC workforce. Our hope is to have new members voted onto the board early in the new year. Many thanks to you all for your patience in this process. We are so pleased to bring on a highly motivated and diverse group to help us plan for our future. Connie, Meredith, and I would like to wish you all at WBWC a safe, healthy and happy holiday season! Powered by bank ifsc code