From the WBWC Blog:

Month: July 2016

MILC Moment: Breast Massage for Plugged Ducts and Mastitis

 When you get a plugged duct, it may start as a little lump in the breast. It may feel a little tender, and the skin over it might look more pink or red. If it doesn’t get better, it may get bigger and the congestion may start to spread to other areas of your breast. More of the skin might look red. You might feel body aches or chills, or get a low grade fever. If the congestion still doesn’t go away, you might start feeling worse – like you have the flu, with a high fever. At that point, you should definitely be calling WBWC (or your OB care provider) – “Help! I think I have mastitis!” A round of antibiotics will usually clear up mastitis pretty quickly. But we like to avoid antibiotics if we can, and of course we like to avoid you getting sick! Could we prevent a bad case of mastitis? Plugged ducts, engorgement, and mastitis can sometimes be treated with just our hands – just by clearing out those congested areas before your breasts get really inflamed. A lot of the suggestions you read online suggest getting behind the plug and forcing it forward. We used to do this too, until we learned new techniques from an IBCLC named Maya Bolman, who teaches LCs about traditional Russian breast massage and hand expression, which can work much better than pumping for a plugged duct. If you’re getting a plugged duct, or if you feel like your plugged duct is getting worse, check out this video for techniques from Maya on how to massage and hand express to help clear your breasts: https://vimeo.com/65196007 All the WBWC LCs, and many of the midwives and nurses, have been trained on how to do breast massage to help clear plugged ducts and breast congestion. If you feel like a plugged duct is getting worse, and you’re not able to clear it yourself, you can call for an appointment to get some hands-on help. If you believe you are getting mastitis, or have mastitis, you should always call WBWC (or your OB care provider) for care. Do not delay in getting care for mastitis, as it can become more serious if it is not treated. Some cases of mastitis require the use of antibiotics for treatment. We hope that you never have to deal with plugged ducts, engorgement, or mastitis, but … Read More

Grilled Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

Ingredients: 2 ears fresh corn, husk and silk removed Juice of 1 lime 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp honey 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into halves 1 ripe Hass avocado, roughly chopped 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro Grill corn over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, turning as necessary.  The corn should have some brown spots and be tender but not mushy.   Cut the corn off the cob, and scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices.   Set aside and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil, honey, salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne.  Add the grilled corn, tomatoes, and cilantro, and mix well so that everything is coated with the dressing,  Gently mix in the avocado, being careful not to mash it as you mix.   Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Sebastian’s Birth

by Emily Malpass      Before I started making lovely little people, I made lovely little pottery. Two years ago, at the height of optimism/naïveté when I was expecting my first child, I agreed to an exhibition just a month after she was born. I had a wonderful pregnancy and impeccable care from WBWC, took an in-depth birth class with my supportive, involved husband, hired a doula, wrote and rewrote our birth plan, ate my 100 grams of protein every day, did everything from yoga to perineal massage. In my mind, I was completely prepared for birth, doing everything “right.” So how did that labor go? One of my pieces from that exhibition tells the story best: it’s a fragile, unfired, handmade clay vessel with thin red sewing thread sewn around it like a crazed cocoon, stuffed with dryer lint and strips of my birth plan, which I had shredded.      Yikes, I know. Don’t worry. I called the Birth Center when my days turned dark, and Nancy referred me to a therapist specializing with postpartum women (who has dealt with these issues herself). I also met with one of the WBWC midwives who attended our birth. She reviewed the events of my birth and why we had transferred to the hospital, listened compassionately to my concerns, and validated my physical and emotional state as appropriate to what I’d gone through. This extended support from WBWC was critical in my emotional healing process.  As my body eventually came (completely! miraculously!) back together from birth, my mind became clearer and my anxieties calmed. Then the longest shortest year ever had passed, and a few months later, we were expecting Ruby’s baby brother!    This time, a trusted friend recommended Hypnobabies as a different way to prepare for birth, and I worked through the home course. I listened to the meditations and relaxation tracks during naps with my toddler, and played the affirmations aloud on my drive home from work and while I did housework or fiddled around in my clay studio at night. I immediately latched onto the mantra, “this is a new birth and a new baby, unique unto itself,” but I scoffed when I heard things like, “my body knows how to give birth, nice and easy.” One night several weeks into the daily affirmation practice, I had an “aha.” The body that was going to give birth … Read More

Birth Announcements

Welcome, Sweet Babies! *Ellis Turner Smith – May 27 – 7 lbs., 6.5 oz. *Isobel Magdalen Airey – May 27 – 7 lbs., 7 oz. Kai Micah Willford – June 3 – 7 lbs., 13 oz. Isabel Dewberry – June 5 – 7 lbs., 15 oz. *Walter Eberhard Rosin – June 6 – 7 lbs., 4 oz. Owen Matthew Fomin – June 6 – 7 lbs., 15 oz. Iliana Hope Segnere – June 8 – *Ramona Jane Mebane – 8 lbs., 3oz. – June 8 Leaf Eiffel Hooker – June 8 – 8 lbs. Charlotte Joanna Ralph – June 8 – 5 lbs., 5 oz. Samuel Philip Bennett – June 10 – 7 lbs., 11 oz. Lukas Nathaniel Beazlie – June 10 – 7 lbs., 6 oz. Tinson Kove Wilson-Houghtalen – June 11 – 7 lbs., 7.5 oz. Violet Joy West – June 12 – 7 lbs., 9.5 oz. Skylar Kern – June 12 – 6 lbs., 11.5 oz. Adeline Towne – June 13 – 6 lbs., 10 oz. *Caroline Rose Allen – June 16 – 7 lbs., 2 oz. Ryan Rocky Masse – June 16 – 8 lbs., 2 oz. Maya Genevieve Kligerman – June 16 – 8 lbs., 9 oz. Jane Sairfax Preyer – June 16 – 8 lbs., 1 oz. Hailey Claire Coffey – June 19 – 10 lbs., 3 oz. *Iris Marie Young – June 19 – 6 lbs., 15 oz. Mason Michael Marsh – June 20 – 6 lbs., 11 oz. Avi Maier Guajardo – June 22 – 8 lbs., 3 oz. Parker Leevi Burns – June 22 – 10 lbs., 2.5 oz. Ellis Lee Johnson – June 24 – 8 lbs., 1 oz. Torrance Ezekiel-Eden Dumas – June 24 – 8 lbs., 6 oz. Lydia McClellan Lobdell – June 24 – 9 lbs., 3 oz.             Eliora Eunice Nishimwe – June 27 – 8 lbs., 12 oz. Alexander Luke Heineman – June 28 – 8 lbs., 14 oz. June Stats: 44 Babies Born Biggest June Baby: 10 lbs., 3 oz. Smallest June Baby: 5 lbs., 5 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. If you would like to send us your birth story along with photos, we are happy to include that in a future newsletter!

Spotlight: Wendy Fields, FNP

WBWC has a new Family Nurse Practitioner! We are excited to annouce that Wendy Fields, FNP, has recently joined our staff.Wendy grew up in the Boston area. She began her journey in women’s health after giving birth to her first child in 2000 with the assistance of a certified nurse-midwife in Philadelphia. For Wendy, the experience of becoming a mother was so life-altering that she left her career as a writer and PhD student in English to pursue a career that would come to revolve around partnering with people and communities to improve their health and well-being.         While mostly staying at home with her first two young children, she became a childbirth educator and birth doula. She taught Birthing from Within at her home, and later Prepared Childbirth at UNC Hospitals. She also attended births as a doula at hospitals, homes, and birth centers, including WBWC, after she moved to Durham in 2005. She returned to school for her ABSN degree at Duke University, graduating in 2009, and worked as an RN at UNC Hospitals. She then returned to school and earned her MSN and Family Nurse Practitioner certification at UNC in 2013.     Her third child was born at WBWC, with Allison and Emily in attendance, in 2012. Prior to joining WBWC, she worked as a family nurse practitioner for two years, providing full-scope primary care to families at the Caswell County Health Department. She joins WBWC thrilled to be “coming home” to the holistic model of health. She is happy to provide all of your primary care needs, whether or not pregnancy is in your future plans. Particular interests include preventive healthcare and wellness, and working with marginalized communities, including people of color, religious minorities, and LGBT individuals. Wherever you are today with your health, Wendy looks forward to walking with you toward better health and more happiness!

New Class at WBWC! Caring for Your Newborn

Women’s Birth and Wellness is now offering a Caring for Your Newborn class for expecting parents! This class is taught by two of our own labor and delivery nurses. Asha Oakes, RN and Emily Slaughterbeck, RN will help you learn the basic baby care you need to know before heading home with your newborn.       This is a hands-on class where you will practice diapering, dressing and swaddling. Topics will also include preparing for your baby, you and your baby’s postpartum stay at the birth center, newborn procedures, bathing, safe sleep, basic breastfeeding info, baby communication, meeting your baby’s needs, your baby’s health in the first days and weeks, and taking care of yourselves! Photo credit: Heart in Hands Photography            This class is offered every other month on the second Thursday of the month from 6:30-8:30 here at the Birth Center. The price of $30 dollars includes mom plus a support person for the individual class, or save money and purchase a class bundle for $100.  The class bundle includes four classes: Breastfeeding Basics, Express Yourself (pumping and bottle feeding), Caring for Your Newborn, and Pass the Puree (starting solids with your baby).  There is a sliding scale for Medicaid/Strong Start Participants.  You can find out dates and times and sign up for these classes by stopping by or calling the front desk! What people are saying about the Caring for Your Newborn class: “The most important part to me was the swaddling and cloth diaper presentation. Great class!”- Class Participant “I really enjoyed the info about baby communication and swaddling. All of the info in the class was helpful and important!” –Expectant Mother “I thought this class was well worth the time. Thanks!”-Expectant Father “The most important part to me was what to expect as soon as the baby is born and in the first few days!” –Class Participant

At the Boutique

Come on by and get some sweet NC gear for your locally-grown baby! These adorable onesies and shirts are made by a mom in Durham.  We’ve got onesies in size 3-6 months or 6-12 months, and tanks and 3/4 length shirts in size 2T. Fun colors and designs available! Stop by the Boutique. You won’t regret it.