From the WBWC Blog:

Month: November 2016

The Birth of Oliver William

by Kendra Broo For the past few months, I have been wondering how this birth story would read.  With our first son, Arlo, we had a wonderful birthing experience.  Erik and I were freshly graduated students of our Bradley birthing classes, and after an easy, enjoyable pregnancy there was no reason I was planning on anything other than a smooth labor and delivery.  Fortunately for all of us it was, and we were able to have a natural, out-of-hospital birth at the local birthing center. Fast forward to two years later.  We found out I was pregnant with baby number two just before Arlo’s second birthday.  Having had an easy, enjoyable pregnancy the first time around, I expected the same again.  Much to my surprise, this one did not go as smoothly.  I spent the first 14 weeks nauseated throughout most of the day, with fatigue so extreme at times I felt like I could barely care for our toddler.  Just as the nausea started to subside, I came down with an awful case of the flu which kept me home and out of work for nearly three weeks.  The rest of the pregnancy was filled with feelings of anxiety, heartburn, swollen ankles, and some pretty intense back and rib pain.  None of which I had experienced before.  Early in the third trimester I was told that this baby, we choose not to find out the gender this time, was in the OP (sunny side up) position, but not to worry since it was still early and he/she would likely turn by the time I was full term.  Every appointment that followed confirmed that baby was still comfortably hanging out OP, and every birth story that I read about birthing a baby in this position talked about everything from extreme back labor to a long pushing phase to broken tailbones.  I was doing all the exercises recommended to turn this baby, but nothing seemed to be working.  In the last few weeks leading up to the birth, I had fully convinced myself that I would be experiencing a long, hard labor – likely with complications related to the baby’s position. The actual birth story I think really starts the day before the birth.  I was 39 weeks and 4 days, nearly a week longer than I went with Arlo.  I was getting anxious to meet baby and starting to worry … Read More

Spotlight:Nancy Albrecht, RN, BSN, IBCLC

Nancy Albrecht, RN, BSN, IBCLC is celebrating her tenth year as a WBWC clinic nurse and lactation consultant! Over the past decade, she has made extraordinary contributions to the WBWC and its clients. In many ways, Nancy has been the face of the birth center. She is the kind nurse on the phone, patiently and thoroughly answering questions about pregnancy, health concerns, and breastfeeding. She is the knowledgeable and compassionate lactation consultant helping a new mother work through a difficult breastfeeding challenge. She is the leader of breastfeeding classes, teaching groups of parents the ins and outs of feeding their newborn. She is always willing to help wherever and however she is needed; she has even worked as labor nurse on a particularly busy day, attending a birth with her daughter, midwife Jessica Albrecht! But her behind-the-scenes work at the birth center has been equally important. Nancy’s hard work and dedication led to the birth center being designated as a Baby Friendly facility in 2010. There are multiple criteria that must be met to earn and maintain this designation — including continuing staff and patient education, helping to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, and establishing breastfeeding support groups — and Nancy has helped to ensure that WBWC has successfully met these goals year after year.  She has played a key role in establishing birth center breastfeeding policies. She is continually improving documentation protocols for LCs and finding ways to integrate communication about breastfeeding issues among LCs, nurses, and midwives so no client is left unsupported. She has placed emphasis on providing both staff and patients with areas where they can comfortably breastfeed. As a result of her efforts, the WBWC received the Breastfeeding Friendly Business & Employer Award from the NC Breastfeeding Coalition. Nancy has also built an incredible community of support for new mothers. She spearheaded efforts to start the Breastfeeding Café, an informal group for nursing mothers, and the Coping with Motherhood group, which offers support and coping skills for mothers dealing with depression. Her vision of a community where women come together and support each other has been realized and has made a lasting impact. Nancy’s work as a breastfeeding advocate and educator has spanned more than three decades, and we at the WBWC are so grateful that she has spent the last ten years with us! Her passion and dedication are inspiring to … Read More

Community Prenatal Care is Coming Soon to WBWC!

Community Prenatal Care (CPC) is our own brand of group prenatal care. CPC is inspired by an evidence-based/researched model of delivering prenatal care to women in a group setting and by the needs of WBWC families. After two individual prenatal visits in the clinic, you will begin six monthly group sessions in an informal, relaxed setting with other women (and partners) who are all due in the same month. You will also schedule regular visits in the clinic between group meetings. In each 90-minute session there is time to discuss common pregnancy, birth, and parenting topics, as well as a private “tummy check” with one of our midwives. Having a forum for discussing questions and concerns about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and parenting provides you with a community for support and information. You will help to empower each other with confidence in your body’s knowledge and wisdom, trust in your ability to cope with pain, and belief that you know your body and your baby better than anyone! Our first CPC group will start on January 4, 2017 for moms and partners who are due in June. To join this group, please email nurses@ncbirthcenter.org. And check out FAQ’s on our website: http://ncbirthcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Community-Prenatal-FAQ.pdf.

Free Reiki Clinic at WBWC with Reiki Master and Intuitive Life Coach Kezia Renee Lechner

     Reiki is a gentle yet powerful hands-on healing modality that originated in Japan and is now being widely practiced in the West. The word Reiki (pronounced ray – key) means Universal Life Energy in Japanese.           All humans have innate healing abilities and radiate healing energy from their hands. A Reiki practitioner is someone who has learned to magnify and amplify this healing energy. During a Reiki session a practitioner places their hands upon the client’s fully clothed body, bathing the client in  soothing stream of healing energy, bringing balance and harmony to all levels of body, mind and spirit.      Because of it’s numerous benefits, Reiki, along with acupuncture and massage, is now being offered by a number of hospitals in the US as a complimentary and alternative form of treatment.            For prenatal and postpartum women, Reiki can help to relieve stress and anxiety, and can ease physical symptoms associated with pregnancy, such as back ache, restless sleep patterns,sciatica, nausea, etc. It can also help a woman prepare for the birthing experience, speed post partum recovery, ameliorate postpartum depression and strengthen the mother/child bond.            The next Reiki Clinic will be held on Monday, Dec.12 from 4:30 – 6:30 pm. It will be held in the Living Room on the the 3rd floor. No need to reserve a spot – just come!Kezia also provides longer, private sessions and has an office next to WBWC. For more information contact Kezia at keziarenee@gmail.com – her website is www.HeartofaHealer.com

Legal Concerns for LGBT Families

  WBWC is looking forward to supporting families in the LGBTQ community who need timely legal advice. Please join Kelly Fairman, Family Law attorney and WBWC parent, as she discusses “Legal Concerns for LGBTQ Families” on Monday, November 28, 6:30-7:30 pm, at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center, Suite 304 (Living Room). Attorney Fairman will also be available for free 20-minute individual consults on Monday, December 5, 6:00-8:00 pm at WBWC. Registration is not needed for the informational session, but space is limited for the consultations. Please call Kelly at 919-794-5963 to preregister for a consult on December 5 at 6:00, 6:20, 6:40, 7:00, 7:20, or 7:40 pm.

MILC Moment: How to make breastfeeding successful – before you even give birth!

By Rebecca Costello, IBCLC Our lactation consultants work with a lot of families – over a third of the moms who give birth with WBWC end up seeing one (or more!) of our LCs. We also see many moms and babies who birthed elsewhere – often they say we were recommended to them by a friend or family member who came to WBWC for their birth/and or breastfeeding help. (Thank you, and we are honored!)      Working with so many new families, we get a chance to see up close what types of resources help new parents. Many people take childbirth classes, but we really notice a difference when first-time parents were also able to do some preparation for what happens after birth! They tend to be calmer, more confident, and adjust more easily to life with a newborn. All of this affects breastfeeding – big time! (Especially when challenges arise.)      How can you prepare for your baby to arrive? Spend some time asking your friends who are parents about what life with a newborn is like, and their best tips for a smooth transition! Get some books on baby care and breastfeeding – read them, and get your partner to read them too! No friends with kids? Not into reading? WBWC offers classes on Breastfeeding Basics and Newborn Care to help you get ready. Our classes are fun, interactive, and taught by experienced lactation consultants and nurses! Not able to make it to the WBWC classes? Many local childbirth educators, doulas, and other professionals offer baby care and breastfeeding classes. We encourage all first-time parents to sign up and study up! We think you’ll be more likely to have a successful experience breastfeeding, and be happier, more confident parents all around.

Birth Announcements

Welcome, Sweet Babies! Sierra Hope Bravo – October 2 – 6 lbs., 2 oz. *Landis Lorray Vogler – October 5 – 7 lbs., 2 oz. *Issé Ndaliko – October 6 – 9 lbs. Calvin Harris Vaughn – October 7 – 7 lbs., 6 oz. *Claire Juliette DeMaria – October 9 – 7 lbs., 7 oz. Clara Rae Chapman – October 15 – 7 lbs., 8 oz. Archer Thomas Hash – October 21 – 6 lbs., 13 oz. Skylynn Rayne English – October 22 – 8 lbs., 14 oz. Eleanor Grace Ryan-Kooistra – October 24 – 7 lbs., 3 oz. Eli Douglas Rogers – October 24 – 7 lbs., 15 oz. Megan Amelia Chin – October 25 – 7 lbs., 11 oz. Charlie James Scott – October 25 – 8 lbs., 15 oz. October stats: Total babies born: 35 Biggest baby: 9 lbs., 5 oz. Smallest baby: 5 lbs., 12 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!