From the WBWC Blog:

Month: March 2017

A Story of Strength

By Lindsey B. Bickers Bock On the fourth day after our daughter was born, my husband and I were struggling. We had a distressingly sleepy, jaundiced baby, and we were concerned that my milk wasn’t coming in after dealing with a retained placenta after her delivery. We were exhausted from someone being up with her 24 hours/day to keep her on the biliblanket that was provided as treatment for her jaundice. We were overwhelmed when a suggestion was made that she might need to go to the hospital if we couldn’t get her feeding and regaining weight better. Thankfully, the midwife on call at the Women’s Birth & Wellness Center suggested that we could at least try an appointment with an LC before heading to the hospital. Then, if we still felt like we needed to go, they could at least facilitate our admission, instead of having to go through the ER. That afternoon, we spent nearly two hours talking with the LC, learning more about ways to keep a tired baby awake to feed, strategies to maximize the energy our daughter did have, and a game plan until we met again. We walked away with clear written notes about what to do, what to be concerned about, and when to come back again. Over the next ten days, we returned to the Birth Center 5 or 6 times for additional LC visits and weight checks. When our daughter checked in at her birth weight after 15 days and we got the okay to stop an exhausting schedule of pumping and feeding every two hours, we cheered…but only long enough to gear up for outpatient surgery that I had to put off while being pregnant. Again, the LCs were an amazing help, assisting us with putting together a new game plan that would ensure our little one continued to be fed breastmilk on demand around my surgery and follow-up care. Five weeks after she was born, I was delighted to “graduate” up to the local La Leche League meeting, where I was able to share and troubleshoot more routine challenges of breastfeeding with other mothers, as well as celebrate milestones along our nursing journey. After those difficult early weeks, I knew how valuable the support of others could be in reaching my breastfeeding and parenting goals. I have been exceedingly thankful to have an awesome local evening meeting with lots of other … Read More

March 1 is IBCLC Day!

In honor of IBCLC Day, we’re celebrating our wonderful Lactation Consultants! Nancy Albrecht, Ellen Chetwynd, Rebecca Costello, Elley Schopler, and Deborah Adler work tirelessly to make sure every mother has the best available breastfeeding assitance.  Here are some of the ways they’ve helped women navigate the sometimes difficult world of breastfeeding: “We are a few days away from our 6-month nursing anniversary. We would not be here without Ellen. By the time I saw Ellen, my daughter was one month old and the nursing struggles had left me an emotional mess. Ellen was so kind and invested so much time into figuring out what was going on – after a few visits and a tongue tie clip, we have not looked back and breastfeeding became a wonderful, pain-free experience. I treasure my time nursing Zoya, because it helps me connect with her, and I would not have this opportunity if we hadn’t met Ellen. Her attentiveness and thoughtfulness are something I will always remember.” – Haniya Mir      “The wonderful IBCLCs, especially Rebecca since that’s who I saw mostly, always helped to ease my worries. They made me feel like I was doing an awesome job nourishing my baby, as I pushed my way through diet restrictions, constant nursing, pumping at work, and low supply. The best advice I got from Rebecca was that breastfeeding is not all or nothing. That statement helped to normalize how hard breastfeeding was for me at times and made me feel better about having to use donor milk.” – Sarah Jackson  “Sometimes I worry Rebecca will think I’m a total creep for the amount of praise I give her. I was probably at my most vulnerable after Rowan’s birth when I went to see her. He was born at 31 weeks due to severe pre-eclampsia. Nothing had gone right, or even right-adjacent. We were finally home from the hospital (I was inpatient for three weeks, owan for almost six), and he was really struggling to nurse. He was not transferring much milk and was choking every time he ate. I was falling apart emotionally from the trauma mixed with sleep deprivation from trying to pump, nurse, and bottle feed. The first thing Rebecca did was give me permission to skip the nursing part during the middle of the night. She spotted the same tongue and lip ties that I had suspected, but been told not to worry about … Read More

Upcoming Events March 2017

Click to view detailed calendar Coping with Motherhood – Thursday, March 2 & 16, 10:30 am-12pm, FREE Babywearing Class – Saturday, March 4, 10am-12pm, FREE Babywearing Dance Class – Every Friday 9:15-10:15am, $10/adult or $40 for 5 classes Breastfeeding Basics – Tuesday, March 7 & 21, 6:30-8:30pm, $30/couple La Leche League Meeting – Wednesday, March 8, 7-8:30pm, FREE  Young Moms Meetup – Thursday, March 9, 4:30-6pm, FREE Breastfeeding Cafe – Friday, March 10 & 24, 10:30am-12pm, FREE Weekend Breastfeeding Cafe – Saturday, March 11, 10:30-12pm, FREE Meet the Doulas – Wednesday, March 15, 7-9pm, FREE Cloth Diapering Class – Saturday, March 18, 10-11:30 am, FREE Choosing Quality Childcare Seminar – Wednesday, March 20, 6:30-7:30 FREE Craniosacral Therapy Clinic – Saturday, March 25, 2-4pm, FREE Express Yourself, Pumping and Breastfeeding Class – Tuesday, March 28, 6:30-8:30pm

Madeline Cecile’s Birth Story

By Kate Smith I was 38 weeks exactly. It was New Year’s Eve and my husband, three-year-old daughter, and I were tucked into bed together asleep by 9 PM. I don’t know if it was the normal discomfort of the third trimester or if my body was telling me something, but I was so restless. Then, right before midnight, as my neighbors were setting off fireworks in the street, I felt my water break! I wasn’t having any noticeable contractions, but I was so excited! I tried to rest some more and could not, as I was thinking how fast my first baby girl had come after my water broke and worrying that the second usually comes even faster. I had seen Belinda at my last appointment, and she had told me that the midwives like to know when things are brewing, so I went ahead and called in at 12:45 AM. I was thinking that I would just let them know and then come in when my contractions started coming closer together. To my surprise, when I called, Emily told me to come in right away since I needed to get the Strep B antibiotics started. We live 45 minutes away without traffic, so she recommended we come in and try to sleep there between rounds of the IV antibiotics. I was not prepared mentally to go in so early, as I had been planning to labor at home as long as possible. My husband, Nathan, and I called my mother to come stay with our daughter, and off we went to the birth center around 2 AM. We were worried about New Year’s Eve partiers on the road, and we did see a few pulled over, but it was an uneventful drive. When we arrived, we had the whole place to ourselves! It was dark and dreamy in the birth center. We tucked in with the IV antibiotics delivered and tried to nap. Unfortunately, between contractions which were just strong enough to wake me every few minutes, and my excitement over the idea that I would get to see my baby soon, I did not get any more sleep. Also, those mattresses give a new definition to the word firm! By 8 AM it was shift change, and Asha and Belinda arrived. They would be the team that would help me deliver later that day! My labor continued … Read More