From the WBWC Blog:

Month: March 2012

New Arrivals

Left to right: Laura Williams, Saibh Bradley, Eleanor Roybal, Cadel Strummer Everett Grey Edmiston – 8 lbs., 14 oz. – October 16 Cadel Strummer Jahannia – 7 lbs., 7 oz. – December 28 August Edward Stohrer – 6 lbs., 13 oz. – February 2 Opal Kate Dudek – 7 lbs. – February 3 Eleanor Dae Roybal – 8 lbs., 4 oz. – February 4 Orin Desmond Englebretson – 9 lbs., 3 oz. – February 8 Link Blount Pelto – 7 lbs. – February 8 Saibh Róisín Shannon Bradley – 8 lbs., 15 oz. – February 9 Owen Vincent Welsh – 10 lbs., 1 oz. – February 10 Micah McAlister Stewart – 10 lbs., 5 oz. – February 11 Omri Elias Baehr – 7 lbs., 6 oz. – February 12 Laura Claire Williams – 8 lbs. – February 19 Michelle Caroline Warner – 7 lbs. – February 19 Macaulay Anna Mitchell – 9 lbs., 3 oz. – February 20 Emmeline Jewel Eason – 8 lbs., 8 oz. – February 21 Yusuf Michael Griffin – 7 lbs., 8 oz. – February 26 Boone Campton Mayfield – 10 lbs, 2 oz. – February 26 *Yes, you read that correctly – there were 3 babies born in February who weighed more than 10 pounds!* If you would like your baby’s birth announced in the newsletter, send an e-mail to missy_swanson@hotmail.com. Be sure to include your baby’s name, weight, and birthdate; feel free to attach a picture! We’d like to hear from all WBWC moms, whether your baby was born at the Birth Center or UNC.

Spotlight: WBWC’s Nurse Practitioners

Deborah Adler, WHNP, and Rachel VanBree, FNP/WHNP Just because you’re not pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t get your primary care at WBWC! Our two nurse practitioners, Rachel VanBree, FNP/WHNP, and Deborah Adler, WHNP, provide a full spectrum of well-woman care for women from puberty to post-menopause. In addition to your annual PAP test and gynecological exam, you can also get a complete yearly physical with our NPs. Deborah and Rachel also treat respiratory and urinary tract infections, as well as minor gynecological problems; prescribe medications and order lab work; provide menopause consultation and support; and assist with family planning and birth control needs — in short, anything you would need from a primary care provider.       Both Deborah and Rachel have extensive backgrounds in Women’s Health.  Deborah started her career with a psychology degree and spent time working on a research study on premature babies.  She changed paths, however, and earned her Master’s degree as a Women’s Heatlh Nurse Practitioner from Vanderbilt University in 1998.  She worked for several years as a WHNP in an outpatient clinic in Durham, seeing a wide range of patients, from menarche through menopause.  In 2002, she moved with her husband to California, where she worked at an inner-city hospital as labor and delivery nurse and at a clinic as a NP.  She later moved to Tennessee, where she taught at East Tennessee State University, and gave birth to her daughter.  Deborah moved back to NC in 2006. She gave birth to her son in 2007 at WBWC with the loving guidance of Maureen and Ellen.  She taught online nursing classes before joining the WBWC staff in August 2010.  She’s currently working on her Lactation Consultant certification, and will sit for the exam this summer. You’ll find Deborah in the WBWC on Fridays.      Rachel entered the health care field as a nurse in the intensive care unit.  After a few years, she began working as a labor and delivery nurse, both at the hospital and at WBWC.  Her experiences working with laboring women at WBWC encouraged her to pursue graduate studies in women’s health, and she earned her Family Nurse Practitioner/Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner degree from UNC Chapel Hill in 2004.  As an NP at the Chatham County Health Department, Rachel provided primary and obstetric care for a variety of patients.  Rachel gave birth to her first daughter at WBWC in 2008, with the guidance of Maureen and Jewell.  She returned to WBWC as a Family and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner … Read More

Recipe: Dal

Emily Joubert, CNM, one of our resident cooking enthusiasts, has shared with us her tasty dal recipe.  This flavorful lentil dish that provides you with lots of fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium – all important nutrients for growing a baby or maintaining a healthy lifestyle! 2 cups yellow lentils ½ tsp dried red chile pepper 2 tsp mustard seeds 4 tbsp vegetable oil 2 plum tomatoes, chopped 2-inch piece fresh ginger 1 Serrano or other spicy green chile 2 cloves garlic ½ cup cilantro, chopped salt Rinse lentils under cool running water. Place lentils and dried red chile in a heavy bottomed pot. Cover with 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a simmer. Cook until lentils are tender but not mush, about 25 minutes; add more water if needed while simmering. While the lentils are cooking, grate ginger and finely dice the Serrano chile. When the lentils are just tender, add the tomatoes. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Add mustard seeds carefully, as some will pop out of the pan! Once the mustard seeds have popped, about 1 minute, add the ginger and chile. Sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add mustard seed mixture to lentils, adjust salt and simmer for about 15 more minutes. Add more water if the mixture seems dry. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve with jasmine or Basmati rice. Serves 6

Child Abuse Awareness in April

by Brianna Honea Women’s Birth & Wellness Center is a member of NC Prevent Child Abuse. In the month of April, we will plant a pinwheel garden to help boost community-wide public awareness. Birth center children are welcome to help “plant” the pinwheels on our front lawn. The planting will begin in April. Stop by the Birth Center for a pinwheel to plant.

Express Yourself!

     Our WBWC lactation consultants have put together a new monthly breast pumping class called Express Yourself! This class will take place on the 4th Thursday evening of each month. The first one will be held April 26th at 7 PM at the WBWC Boutique. The cost is $10. Breastfeeding Basics is a prerequisite.  For more information, or to register for the class, stop by the front desk or call us at (919) 933-3301.

“HUG Your Baby”: Reading Your Baby’s Body Language

Jan Tedder, BSN, FNP, IBCLCUNC Family Medicine CenterChapel Hill, NCjtedder@unch.unc.edu919-923-8295 The first few weeks of a baby’s life is exhilarating, magical, precious and, at times, overwhelming. The HUG Your Baby educational session I offer at WBWC is an effort to give expectant and new parents tools and techniques to prevent and solve problems around a newborn’s eating, sleeping, crying, and attachment. Here Jessica and Bill (not real names) share their experience with the HUG Your Baby ideas and resources. New parents, Jessica and Bill, had attended the HUG Your Baby program at the WBWC. But, that was two months ago – a lifetime ago since the birth of their newborn!  Today they are in my office for their newborn’s first checkup. Mom seems anxious.           “I put her to my breast, but she falls back asleep,” Jessica sighs deeply.  “When she seems sleepy, I lay her down. Then her eyes spring open and she seems to wake up.  I can’t tell what she’ll do next!” These parents, like most new parents, are confused about what “Zone” their baby is in. The HUG describes three newborn Zones: the Resting Zone (the sleeping baby), the Ready Zone (the baby ready to eat or play), and the Rebooting Zone (the fussy or crying baby). Babies move between these Zones many times throughout the day, and sometimes within the same hour! Zone organization reflects the baby’s developing neurological system. New babies, and especially babies who are born early or with physical challenges, are still developing clear and distinct Zone cycles. Parents can learn to “read” their baby’s Zones and help her move to the best Zone for eating, sleeping, and playing. After reviewing the information they had previously seen on the HUG DVD, Jessica is smiling when she sees me the following week. “Now, when it’s time for my baby to eat,” she says, “I get her to the Ready Zone.” With considerable enthusiasm, she continues. “I undress her and put her against my chest, skin-to-skin. She squirms and opens her eyes.  I sway her gently or let her suck my finger a minute until I see her eyes brighten up to that Ready Zone.” Next Jessica describes helping her baby to sleep. “I’ve learned that she has two types of sleep: light and deep. In light sleep she wiggles and squirms.  Her eyes flash open and she makes those sweet, baby sounds. … Read More

News from the Board

by Kaaren Haldeman               We officially voted in our seven new board members at our first full board meeting on March 21. We have a great new group that is eager to begin working for the WBWC! In keeping with our goals for enhanced board development, we will all be attending a half-day board orientation March 31 at the Stone House in Mebane. We look forward to introducing everyone to staff in the coming months–pictures and bios are on the way. Happy Spring, everyone!

International Women’s Day

by Martha C. Carlough, MD, MPH           March 8th was the 101st time International Women’s day has been celebrated (first marked in 1910 in Germany by a political leader of the Social Demographic party). What began as a political movement has become an opportunity to annually mark progress (and lack of) towards better health and equity for girls and women around the globe.     But as we all know, there is still a lot that needs to be done. In the words of Dr. Mahmoud Fathalla, Founder of the WHO Safer Motherhood Initiative: “Women are not dying because of diseases and problems we cannot treat, they are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.” Ten key facts (according to WHO, UN, UNESCO, UNAIDS  and UNICEF):1.    There are currently 17 countries with women as head of government, head of state, or both, which, according to the UN, has more than doubled since 2005 but there are still six countries where women are not allowed to vote (Bhutan, Lebanon, Brunei, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Vatican City) and women hold only 17% of parliamentary seats worldwide. 2.    Approximately 358,000 women die annually of complications during pregnancy or childbirth, which represents a decline of almost one-third in the last 15 years, but is still far less than the 5% decline annually that would be needed to reach MDG5 (the reduction of maternal deaths by 75% by 2015).  Though not preventable, most of these deaths are avoidable, as the necessary medical interventions exist. The key obstacle is pregnant women’s lack of access to quality care before, during, and after childbirth. 3.    On average, women live six to eight years longer than men, but there continue to be vast geographic discrepancies with life expectancy of more than 80 years for women in 35 countries, and less than fifty years still in others (largely Sub-Saharan Africa)4.    Globally, cardiovascular disease, which is widely considered a male problem, is the leading cause of death for women overall (and responsible for 40% of deaths to women over 60 years of age). For women of reproductive age, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death.5.    In 2010, UNAIDS estimated that of the 34 million people living with HIV/AIDS, half are women. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where 75% of people living with HIV/AIDS are, there are an estimated 12 million women with HIV/AIDS (compared to 8.2 million men) … Read More

Tell Me Your Food Cravings!

By Claire C. McKiernan      I am working on a future article about the weird and wonderful food cravings of moms-to-be (both past and present). Please feel free to email me at cmckiernan@yahoo.com . Title your email ‘WBWC: Cravings.’  You can also post your craving on our blog or Facebook page.      I will not use any names in the article! However, if you have a specific anecdote to share and want me to use your name, let me know.  Thanks!