From the WBWC Blog:

Month: September 2012

New Arrivals

Hiyanna Demetria-Reneé Shjjad – 8 lbs., 1 oz. – July 17 Finnley Haywood Tucker – 5 lbs., 11 oz.- July 26 *Jack Andrew Hafner – 7 lbs., 9 oz. – July 26 *James Daniel Kyburz -7 lbs., 6oz. – July 31 Adicus William Martin – 10 lbs., 3 oz. – August 1 *Andrew Miles Abbason – 8 lbs., 13 oz. – August 1 Valerie Rose D’Amato – 5 lbs., 14 oz. – August 1 Ryen Siri Wilkins -6 lbs., 9 oz. –August 1 Drake Alexander Leaman – 7 lbs., 5 oz. – August 2 Ayla Maryam Gulbeden – 7 lbs., 5 oz. – August 4 Kenneth Benjamin Koch, Jr. – 9 lbs., 9 oz – August 5 Jazrah Shasmeen Allen – 7 lbs., 2 oz. – August 6 Zoe Marie Myers Harris – 7 lbs., 12 oz. – August 7 Stephen Otis  Rongitsch – 8 lbs., 2 oz. – August 7 Harper Rose Cantalupi – 8 lbs., 3 oz. – August 7 Stella Marie Childress – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – August 7 *Alexandra Crane Vogel – 6 lbs., 13 oz. – August 7 *Jackson Cecil Greer­ – 7 lbs., 9 oz. – August 8 Audrey Ann Wales – 8 lbs., 11 oz. – August 11 Ada Melisa Mangum – 6 lbs., 9 oz. – August 11 *Sarah Isabella Ruiz-Ortiz – 8 lbs., 7 oz. – August 11 *Maya Ovadia Grass – 7 lbs., 1 oz. – August 12 *Jonas James O’Brien – 8 lbs., 2 oz. – August 17, 2012 Riley Madison Code – August 17 Helen Marie Williams – 7 lbs., 7 oz. – August 20 Max Russell Gillmor – 6 lbs., 13 oz. – August 20 Elsa Lou O’Brien – 7 lbs. – August 23 Anne Bradford Carpenter – 7 lbs., 14 oz. – August 24 Castor Lee Hardy – 6 lbs., 6 oz. – August 24 Amy Joy Smith – 8 lbs., 13 oz. – August 27 Parker Miller Foust – 8 lbs., 2 oz. – August 28 Gideon Caide Burbach – 7 lbs., 3 oz. – August 28 Vienna Hazel Fielhauser – 7 lbs., 8 oz. – August 30 Welcome to the world, Little Ones! If you’d like your baby’s birth announced in the next newsletter, send an email to cmckiernan@yahoo.com with baby’s name, weight, and date of birth.  Feel free to include a picture. We’d like to hear from all WBWC moms, whether your … Read More

The Birth of Cage Walter Brockman

by Danielle Brockman When I found out I was pregnant, I was super excited. I couldn’t wait to see my husband when he got home from work. I called and told him on his lunch break; he texted me saying he was trying  not to cry he was so happy. So we kept our little man a secret until Thanksgiving. We wanted that time to ourselves, so Thanksgiving we went to my grandma’s first, as always. I had a fortune cookie made that was as big as my belly, and I had my grandma and dad open it together as we all sat in the kitchen after eating. My grandma pulled the little poem out and read it; she cried, saying, “YOU’RE TRYING TO TELL ME YOU’RE PREGNANT!”  As I looked at my dad, we were both teary eyed. I knew the excitement they had was priceless. Once we got to Sean’s mom and dad’s (where we were staying at the time til we got our place finished) everyone was there. Time to eat came around and everyone had to say what they were thankful for, so when it was our time we had his mom go into the kitchen and open the oven and a small bun awaited with a saying inside. After about three times of reading it she just yelled in joy, “You’re pregnant!”  over and over again. The joy of being able to finally tell everyone was out. I was 9 weeks or so, I believe.           I had called the Birth Center before anyone knew and set up a tour. We had to beat around a bush so no one could figure it out. We loved the place and staff the minute we walked in. It was so home-like and child-friendly, which is awesome.  At our first appointment, we got to hear that tiny heart beat where my little man stayed on my left side for a long time. Allison did my exam, and she guessed I was 11 weeks. Well, on December 30 I had my first ultrasound at UNC, and I turned out to be 14 weeks along, so I was then due June 20th. At the first ultrasound, I will never forget the lady saying, “Promise me if I tell you this, you won’t go out and buy anything.”  I said, “Sure, what’s wrong?” She showed us it was a boy. Already we could … Read More

Recipe: Nikki’s Healthy Cookies

recommended by Courtney Scott Courtney has been singing the praises of these delicious little cookies!  She found the recipe on www.101cookbooks.com, a cooking blog by Heidi Swanson, and thought it was too good not to share. You can use unsweetened carob, or grain sweetened chocolate chips, or do what I did and chop up 2/3 of a bar of Scharffen berger 70%. I sort-of shaved half the bar with a knife and then cut the rest into bigger chip-sized chunks. You can make your own almond meal by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand – don’t go too far or you’ll end up with almond butter. And lastly, the coconut oil works beautifully here, just be sure to warm it a bit – enough that it is no longer solid, which makes it easier to incorporate into the bananas. If you have gluten allergies, seek out GF oats. 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm – so it isn’t solid (or alternatively, olive oil)2 cups rolled oats2/3 cup almond meal1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt1 teaspoon baking powder6 – 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third. In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don’t worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect – just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven. Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies. from www.101cookbooks.com

News from the WBWC Board

by Kaaren Haldeman      Happy fall to all of our staff and clients! Cool weather is (mostly) upon us! The WBWC board has been meeting every two months, with the last meeting held on September 19. We are looking forward to an October filled with possibility and will see many of you at the annual birthday party this month.      We’d also like to wish all of our midwives and staff a happy National Midwifery Week (October 7-13). Thank you for your kindness and care, the endless hours you work, your listening ears, and your skilled hands that draw women and families to our freestanding birth center. You are the reason we continue to grow and thrive.      Finally, we would like to thank Kia Caldwell, PhD for her service to the board and the birth center over the last 6.5 months. Kia has decided that she must leave the Board and commit to other professional and personal pursuits. We wish her all the best. Warmly, Kaaren

Don’t Forget to RSVP!

WBWC’s Annual Birthday Party October 21, 2 PM-5 PM Sertoma Arts Center 1400 West Millbrook Road Raleigh, NC RSVP by October 14th – women@ncbirthcenter.org or through your Evite Tax-deductible donations are appreciated but not required! We are a 501 (c)3 charitable organization and all contributions to our center are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. To make a donation now, click here and scroll down to “Donate”

Fun with ASL!

by Claire C. McKiernan I shamefully admit that I did not get into signing with my baby until I had my fourth child. (This confession is also my disclaimer that I am not an expert, but a more recent convert sharing her experience and advice, for whatever that’s worth.) I had an initial interest in signing with my firstborn, but at the time I was reading articles indicating that signing with kids might delay speech. Additionally, my chatty first born was speaking in sentences at 15 months, so it seemed unnecessary, and I dropped the idea.  When I had my first three children in the space of four years, time sped by, and I just didn’t get the chance to revisit the topic. I’m sorry I didn’t. As it turns out, the theory that signing delays speech is spectacularly wrong. I had known this for a couple years, but it wasn’t until I had my fourth child, Rosie, that my interest was renewed. When she was not yet a year old, I stumbled upon a used book for sale at the library titled Sign with Your Baby by Dr. Joseph Garcia. I found it so fascinating and provocative that I picked up my interest where I had left off seven years earlier. Delightfully, studies show that signing helps children to speak earlier since they realize early on the wonderful benefits of clear communication. As it happens, the author of the book I found, Dr. Garcia, was one of the pioneers of baby signing back in the 1970’s, and he teaches true-to-ASL signs (American Sign Language).   Communication Likely your main goal is early communication with your baby. Prior to having Rosie, I had seen friends use the basics (more, please, and thank you), and I had used the potty sign with all my babies with the result that at eight months of age my son signed to me that he had to poop (see my article Give Infant Potty Training a Try! posted on the blog May 6, 2012, if you want to learn more.)  He only did it sporadically, though (the potty sign, that is, not the pooping). I noticed with Rosie that she was not only a great mimic, but she had invented her own signs for nursing and dirty diapers. After reading Garcia’s book, Rosie and I were officially signing in no time. I soon purchased a … Read More

A Durham Author’s Memoir on Pregnancy Loss

      On October 10, Durham author Dipika Kohli will release her book The Dive, the third part of a four-volume memoir series.  This book deals with her experience with pregnancy loss and the complicated decisions involved.  The release of The Dive is being timed to bring attention to National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, which is October 15.  Dipika is passionate about raising awareness of miscarriage and infant loss and opening the lines of dialogue about this painful topic.  Through sharing her own experiences and examining the surrounding issues, she hopes to help other mothers who have experienced loss feel less isolated.  Dipika, whose work has been featured on WUNC’s The State of Things, will be speaking October 13 at TedxRaleigh, and will be giving a reading on October 15 via Web stream. For more information about Dipika and pregnancy loss awareness, click here: http://www.kismuth.com/dive To order The Dive (starting October 10), click here: http://www.kismuth.com/dive To register for the free Web stream of Dipika’s reading, click here: http://thedive.eventbrite.com/#