From the WBWC Blog:

Month: December 2012

New Arrivals

*Ever Bloom Lubenow – 9 lbs., 14 oz. – October 1 *Westley Francis Meints – October 7 *Daisy Anne Austin – 6 lbs., 13 oz. – November 3 Killian Annabeth Whitley – 7 lbs., 14 oz. – November 4 Samuel David Cudd – 8 lbs., 2 oz. – November 5 Aven Bauer Fitzsimons – 7 lbs., 10 oz. – November 5 Cosima Sophie Wynne Everett – 7 lbs., 13 oz. – November 6 Soren Donovan Landfried – 9 lbs., 2 oz. – November 8 Cotton Hatch Carter – November 9 Marin Emily McLaughlin – 8 lbs., 1 oz. – November 9 Isaiah Leon Urrutia – 7 lbs., 2 oz. – November 9 Audrey Elizabeth Otero – 7 lbs., 5 oz. – November 10 Ocean Tinotenda Anderson – 9 lbs., 3 oz. – November 12 Arilynn Jayde Jones – 11 lbs., 4 oz. – November 12 Sonali Noelle Anand Paleja – 6 lbs., 6 oz. – November 12 Ali Khalifa Mohamed – 8 lbs., 15 oz. – November 13 Trey Herbert Hancock – 9 lbs., 13 oz. – November 17 Benjamin Wyatt Hancock – 7 lbs. – November 20 Jasper Isaiah Reisdorff – 6 lbs., 12 oz. – November 20 Abigail Glory Plating – 9 lbs., 7 oz. – November 23 Tyson Hevshel Mottershead – 8 lbs., 5 oz. – November 23 Clara Luz Jacobs DeSouza – 7 lbs., 2 oz. – November 25 Lily Victoria Siu – 8 lbs., 15 oz. – November 27 Alexander Henry Grossman – 6 lbs., 13 oz. – November 28 Judah Holm – 9 lbs., 11 oz. – November 30 Katelyn Elizabeth Williams – 8 lbs., 1 oz. – November 30 Welcome to the world, Little Ones!     If you’d like your baby’s birth announced in the next newsletter, send an email to missy_swanson@hotmail.com with baby’s name, weight, and date of birth. Feel free to include a photo. We’d like to hear from all WBWC moms, whether your baby was born at the birth center or UNC!

The Birth of Oliver William Swanson

by Missy Swanson  I was hopeful when I found out I was pregnant with my third baby.  I thought, “Maybe this will be the one!”  I wanted to enjoy my pregnancy and have a calm, beautiful birth. I’ve always dreamed of being one of those graceful, “magical-life-is-growing-within-me” type of pregnant ladies.  As a birth center nurse, I see inspiring, beautiful laboring women all the time, but so far, that hasn’t been in the cards for me.  My first two pregnancies and births were pretty straightforward, but 42 weeks of pregnancy with each child reduced me to a miserable, whiny lump.  With my third pregnancy, in addition to the normal pregnancy complaints, I developed gestational diabetes and placenta previa, and my baby preferred to hang out sideways in my uterus.  Since I had two complications that made vaginal birth impossible, I was sure I’d end up with a c-section. And if I didn’t need a c-section, I was concerned about getting the baby delivered by 41 weeks, which is the recommendation for moms with gestational diabetes.  So picture a worried, exhausted, night-shift-working, pregnant mom with two preschoolers.  Then take away her donut.  Graceful?  No. I was just trying to get by.  Everyone reassured me the placenta previa would probably resolve by 28 weeks, but at 32 weeks, my placenta was still too close to my cervix.  Finally, an ultrasound at 38 weeks showed I was good to go for a birth center birth.  I still had a sideways baby, but one who was now occasionally trying out a head-down position.  By 40 weeks, the baby was head-down most of the time. I decided that I would wait until 41 weeks and 2 days before having  an induction.   I made a plan with the midwives to do a castor oil/herbs/acupuncture induction at the birth center.  If that didn’t work, we’d go to UNC in the evening.  As I approached 41 weeks, we were doing all sorts of things to try to get labor going – acupuncture, membrane sweeps, spicy food. I was having some mild contractions, but nothing too serious.  A bumpy hayride on a field trip with my kids’ preschool the day before my induction seemed to do the trick:  shortly afterwards, I noticed a little bit of fluid leaking.  We had an appointment at the birth center that afternoon.  During the car ride, I was pretty sure my water had broken.  … Read More

Spotlight: Kristin Resnik

Please join us in welcoming our new labor/postpartum nurse, Kristin Resnik to the WBWC staff! Kristin may be visiting you at your home visit! Kristin was born and raised in Hingham, Massachusetts, a town 20 miles south of Boston on the water. During her childhood, she also had three one-year breaks living in California and Oregon. Kristin is married to Dmitri and they have a 3-year-old son named Samuel and a little beagle named “Nose”. (The beagle’s name had been “Sam” but he was renamed after their son was born!) Kristin loves traveling, exploring new places and enjoying the outdoors through boating, snorkelling, biking, hiking and gardening. She met her husband while studying glass blowing, and also enjoys other art forms. She practices yoga, loves to read, and is working on improving her cooking skills. Kristin graduated from UNC-CH School of Nursing in 2005 and worked on a Women’s Gynecology/Oncology floor at UNC and Labor and Delivery at UNC. She has a B.A. in Religious Studies/Studio Art from Scripps College in California. What does she like about the WBWC? “I love the amount of time I can spend supporting, teaching, and caring for women and their families. I have been truly inspired by the strength and grace of the women whom I have helped become mamas at the WBWC.I recently became an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), and I would love to utilize and refine these skills — and learn from the LCs at the WBWC!”

Recipes: Kid and Mama friendly hors d’oeuvres

by Claire C. McKiernan Whether you are entertaining or want to bring something along on your holiday visit, here are three easy, healthy appetizers that kids will enjoy making and eating.           Stuffed Dates Pitted whole dates Cheddar cheese cubes or walnut halves Kids can break shelled walnuts in half and place one in each date, or cut up cheddar cheese cubes to stuff into dates. (If you buy the cheese already in cubes, they still need to be cut in half.) Celery Boats (healthier version of ants on a log) 4-6 Celery stalks (cut in halves or thirds) 2 small mashed Bananas, or one large 6 Tblspns Peanut Butter Nuts, seeds, and/or raisins (such as slivered almonds, walnut pieces, sunflower seeds, etc.) Mix bananas and peanut butter, spread into celery “boat” and press nuts, seeds, and/or raisins gently on top so they stick. Fruit Dip 4 oz. regular or reduced-fat cream cheese (half package) 1.5 – 2 cups Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla, 0% fat) 1 tsp lemon zest 1/8 – 1/4 cup honey (according to taste) Mix and serve with chunks of fresh apples, melons, grapes, firm pears, and/or pineapple. For a different flavor, substitute ½ tsp. cinnamon for the lemon zest. 

News from the WBWC Board

By Kaaren Haldeman Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from the WBWC board! We met on December 3 to round out a year of hard work that included assembling a talented group of members to tackle some very complex and important issues. Rather than a laundry list of items that have been accomplished (you can look back to newsletters of board meetings past), the board would simply like you to know that we, together with Maureen and Brianna, have worked diligently to improve the health of our organization now and prepare for our next steps in the coming year. It has been a pleasure to serve a medical home that inspires women to take an active and equal part in their health care, including pregnancy and birth, and it is our greatest hope that this choice will exist here at WBWC for many years to come. Thank you to each staff member who helps make us who we are and provides the kind of care we so passionately defend. Our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones; may the warmth of the season bring you great joy. See you in the New Year! 

Thimerosal-Free Flu Shots Available!

Reminder: Thimerosal-Free flu shots are available at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center for patients.  During pregnancy you want to minimize the amount of foreign agents (especially mercury) in your body.

Help the WBWC with Goodshop To-Go

Women’s Birth & Wellness Center receives funds when you search or buy items through Good Search and/or Good Shop.  Please consider setting Good Search as your computer home page or download the browser add on.  All you have to do is type Women’s Birth and Wellness Center in the box when it asks.  We get donations when you make a purchase through Amazon, Vistaprint, Staples, Target, Quill, Orbitz, Land’s End, etc.  You can also find coupons on the site.  Below is a list of some of the most popular retailers and a link to add the Goodsearch Browser.  Thanks for helping support Women’s Birth & Wellness Center as you search and shop! www.goodsearch.com/goodto-go/womens-birth-and-wellness-center

Free Workshop: Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby

What: Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby Workshop Where: WBWC When: January 15, 2013 at 6 pm Who: Leah Gibbons          Want to feel great during pregnancy and have the healthiest pregnancy and baby possible? Join Leah Gibbons, MS, CHHC, for this FREE workshop. Learn what the best food and lifestyle choices are for you during this important time in your life and your baby’s life as well as how to implement them. Please RSVP to Leah at leahgibbons@fullpotentialhw.com or 919-869-7424.            Hello! I am Leah Gibbons, MS, Certified Holistic Health Coach. I am excited to be connected to the Women’s Birth and Wellness Center and to be able to help support you in being as healthy as possible and having the healthiest pregnancy and baby possible! I recently moved here with my family—my husband, Brandon; my three daughters, Anlon (6), Nylah (3) and Riell (2); and our dog, Haley. All three of my children were born with a midwife. All of my pregnancies and births were amazing. I was always very healthy and felt great. My births were relatively fast and easy. My children are healthy, smart, fun, engaging, and beautiful. It is my sincere desire to help all women and children have wonderful pregnancies and births and be as healthy as possible. Keep reading to find out how I do that, how you can attend a free Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby workshop, and how to get a free health coaching session with me.           I am a Certified Holistic Health Coach. What is a health coach? In a nutshell, I look at how all areas of your life work together to create your overall health. I work with my clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and sustainable. I guide my clients to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support them so they can be optimally healthy. I also help my clients make gradual, lifelong changes that enable them to reach their current and future health goals. This is important in any phase of one’s life but especially important during pregnancy, when nutrition and lifestyle choices form the basis for the health of child and mother and dramatically impact how birth and recovery will go. I work with women, couples, and families from preconception and pregnancy through postpartum, early childhood, and beyond to help women, children, and families be as … Read More

Boutique News

January 1st and 2nd — Closed for inventory Come in and see what’s on sale in January!