From the WBWC Blog:

Month: June 2016

Spotlight: Belinda Lashea, CNM

We are pleased to welcome Belinda Lashea, CNM, to the WBWC staff. Many of our WBWC families have gotten to know Belinda during her time here as a student midwife. Now that she has graduated from ECU’s Nurse-Midwifery program, she is making the transition to full-time WBWC Nurse-Midwife. Belinda has dedicated her life to midwifery and serving women and is an experienced birth attendant. A mother of three, she became fascinated with midwifery after the homebirth of her second child in 1998. Over the next eight years, she apprenticed and assisted two Certified Professional Midwives and attended homebirths in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina.  In 2007, she moved to Chapel Hill, and earned her BSN from UNC Chapel Hill in 2012, and then began her studies at ECU. When she’s not attending births, Belinda enjoys travel, her horse, hiking, camping, and Carolina Women’s basketball.  She is excited to be starting this new phase of her career. “I already feel that I am part of the family at WBWC. I look forward to getting to know each of you, the women and families that make up our beautiful woman-centered community!”

Harper Harrop’s Birthday Story

by Clare Harrop At my prenatal visit at 39 weeks, I cried to poor Mariah. The NC heat had started to pick up, I was tired, and my feet had finally swollen. Emotions were high, and I was ready to be done. This last visit was in stark contrast to the rest of my pregnancy. Aside from some first trimester concerns, my pregnancy had been smooth sailing. I wouldn’t say I loved being pregnant, but my life didn’t change that much. I socialized, I worked out, I travelled (including getting stuck in NYC during a blizzard), my sleep was good, and I generally felt great. I was one of those pregnant women others hate – I’m making up for this smugness now with a very active and vocal 6 week old! Around 38 weeks my husband, Dan, and I started all the old wives’ tales to get things moving. However, the day before my labor started, I had a feeling our little girl was on her way. I woke up energized, went to a workout class, had brunch and drinks with friends, cleaned the house, ran some errands and ordered takeout. As with most pregnant women, my nightly bathroom visits had become very regular. I had gotten very skilled at crawling out of bed and peeing in the dark without really waking myself or my husband. Yet for some reason at 5 AM on Sunday May 1st, 2 days before my due date, I turned on the bathroom light. And lo and behold, I had some “bloody show.” Like a kid a Christmas I couldn’t sleep (despite what Wanda, our birthing class instructor, had advised us to do), but I let my husband sleep and went downstairs to work. I submitted a research paper that morning, only for it to be returned twice due to formatting issues.  Note to self: do not submit a paper in early labor/with a newborn! Around 10 AM, I decided to wake Dan up. I’d been having very weak contractions and thought it was time to go grocery shopping! Around 11:30, on the way to Harris Teeter, we called the birthing center. Rani was on call. At first I thought we hadn’t met her before, but when we arrived at the center early the next morning, we realized we’d bonded over my tiny belly button which never popped, only got smaller and smaller! Rani advised … Read More

Birth Announcements

Welcome, sweet babies! *Magnolia Jolene Whitley – March 18 – 9 lbs. [pictured above, right] Auston Miles Thompson – May 1 – 8 lbs., 5.5 oz. Harper Nora Harrop – May 2 – 7 lbs., 12.5 oz Margaret Davison Morris – May 4 – 9 lbs., 15 oz Johanna Alice Plummer – May 7 – 6 lbs., 9 oz. *Sebastian Christopher Malpass – May 11 – 9 lbs., 5.5 oz [pictured above, left] Oliver Ian Cunningham – May 13 – 7 lbs., 10 oz. Kion Squire Wyatt – May 16 – 7 lbs., 2.5 oz Maxton Joseph Morales – May 17 – 8 lbs., 2.5 oz Alana Sofia Machius – May 21 – 8 lbs., 2 oz Susan Lucille Mason – May 21 – 8 lbs., 1 oz Lydia Kessed Jones – May 22 – 9 lbs., 7.5 oz Isabel Ann Torres-Hast – May 23 – 7 lbs., 4 oz Levi Boone Thacker – May 30 – 6 lbs., 13 oz Julia Rae Hutchinson – May 31 – 6 lbs., 5 oz Jude Michael Valentine – May 31 – 7 lbs., 1 oz. May Stats: 42 Babies Born Biggest May Baby: 10 lbs.,7 oz. Smallest May Baby: 4 lbs., 8 oz. To be included in this celebratory list, please email Missy at missy@ncbirthcenter.org  with your baby’s birth announcement information that includes  their name, date of birth, and birth weight as well as a photo, if available. (We can’t include your baby’s information without your permission.) If you would like to send us your birth story along with photos, we are happy to include that in a future newsletter!

MILC Moment

     Two of our IBCLCs, Ellen Chetwynd and Rebecca Costello, attended the North Carolina Lactation Consultant Association summit in Wilmington June 9-10 and helped teach a hands-on preconference workshop on breast massage and drainage. These techniques can help prevent and treat engorgement, plugged ducts, and mastitis – definitely things mamas want to avoid! Getting our LCs, nurses, midwives, and nurse practitioners trained on these techniques has made a big difference for so many of our WBWC mamas – we want to spread the knowledge!       A number of Wilmington mamas volunteered to be teaching models for over 30 IBCLCs from around the state who wanted to learn these vital skills. We were able to do hands-on demonstration and practice how to massage and hand express to relieve painful breast congestion. We got wonderful feedback from the participants, and we are so excited for them to bring this care back to the moms and babies they work with all over North Carolina.       The workshop was done in collaboration with Kathy Parry (one of our partners at Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute) and Lindsey Hurd (an IBCLC who also teaches our starting solids “Pass the Puree Please” class) – we are lucky to have such great colleagues!      Ellen also presented at the Summit on new Medicaid regulations that will give more families access to lactation consultant care, and Rebecca presented on our partnership for the “Momma’s Village” project to increase support for breastfeeding among women of color. We are proud to represent WBWC and MILC to our IBCLC colleagues statewide!      Looking to the future, we are hoping to plan a fun event around World Breastfeeding Week in August – stay tuned! Your MILC IBCLCs, Deborah AdlerNancy AlbrechtEllen ChetwyndRebecca CostelloElley Schopler milc@ncbirthcenter.org Follow this link for a great instructional video on breast massage and hand expression https://vimeo.com/65196007

At the Boutique

Avoid those pesky bug bites without using harmful chemicals! The Boutique has a variety of natural bug repellents that are safe for you and your little ones! Brands include Badger, Thistle Farms, Wishgardens, Moondance and Herban Roots. Prices start at just $6. Stop by the Boutique. You won’t regret it.

Watermelon, Blackberry, & Mint Salad

Try this easy, delicious, and refreshing salad for a perfect summertime treat! INGREDIENTS: 3 cups cubed watermelon1 1/2 cups blackberries2 tablespoons finely chopped mint leavesJuice of one lime DIRECTIONS: * In a large bowl, combine watermelon, blackberries, and mint. *Squeeze fresh lime juice over the fruit. *Gently toss and serve. Recipe from http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/