By Tori Hinde Nancy Albrecht began her career with an interest in learning how people ticked and helping them when life was a challenge, earning a Master’s degree in psychology and counseling. But during the years she was raising her four amazing daughters, her passion became natural childbirth and breastfeeding education and support. She taught Lamaze classes and volunteered as a La Leche League Leader. “As a little girl, I always said I wanted to be a nurse – roles for women in the 1950’s were fairly limited to teacher, nurse, secretary, wife and mother. I rejected those stereotypes in the 60’s and thought I would be an engineer or mathematician or doctor!” said Nancy, Director of Clinical Nursing Services at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center. “Then Psychology and counseling became my direction, until I had my daughters. All roads led back to supporting, teaching, and caring for women, babies, and families, so I volunteered with LLL and became a childbirth educator.” As her children grew, she decided to return to school to pursue nursing as a career, focusing on maternal and child health, which allowed her to continue supporting and teaching families but also get paid for her work. Returning to school at the age of 40 with four daughters was not an easy road, but Nancy’s experience and perspective made her all the better student and nurse. “Being a mother and student helped me to focus on each part of my life more. As an adult learner, I was determined to understand all the information not just memorize the facts,” said Nancy. “My girls had to be more self-reliant and help take care of each other, but I tried to keep up our family traditions. The rule of the house was – don’t talk to mommy until she is out of her uniform!” Nancy’s relationship with WBWC started in 1987 when she sought a different birth experience for her fourth pregnancy and found the Birth Center in Siler City, NC. “When I went into labor that night 29 years ago, Maureen Darcey was on-call; she was my midwife and became my friend,” said Nancy. “Fast forward 18 years, I had been working as a nurse in OB/GYN for 10 years, Maureen had been operating WBWC for 10 years, and I needed a job. I became the first clinic nurse at WBWC on a part-time basis in 2006 and … Read More

By Allison Koch, CNM Worsening PMS, and all the suffering associated with it, is your early warning system that something big is happening to you. Your hormones are changing. This is usually the first symptom that women experience in perimenopause, even though they are still having regular menstrual cycles. Progesterone, the hormone that is in dynamic opposition to estrogen your body, has been gradually decreasing since you were about 30. In a normal cycle, the PMS symptoms caused by estrogen – edginess, impatience, headaches, food cravings – are balanced by the surge of progesterone that occurs when an egg is released. In our thirties, we begin to have the occasional anovulatory cycle. The ovaries pour out more and more follicle-stimulating hormone, attempting to get an egg released. When no egg is released, there will be no corresponding progesterone surge. No progesterone surge, no “softening” effect to balance out the edginess of all that estrogen which helped mature the follicle to release the egg. After a number of cycles without the progesterone surge, estrogen begins to dominate. The result is an increase in the estrogen-driven symptoms of PMS. Most women start feeling better once their period starts. In the days leading up to it, though, they can feel a range of heightened emotions from anxiety to anger, even rage. Estrogen has the effect on the brain of enhancing alertness/awareness and making us more sensitive to stimuli. But, estrogen is also involved in creating serotonin and serotonin receptors in the brain. But despite research, it is not yet understood why many women experience improvement in their mood after menopause. Perhaps the stabilizing of the hormonal rhythms of the perimenopausal years? Perhaps some other mechanism is at work? In the meantime… What can you do about it? Manage your stress. Exercise and physical activities that release endorphins are helpful. Your grandmother’s advice: get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water- that’s true. Make sure you’re eating regularly and well – if your blood sugar is stable, your insulin will be more stable, and avoiding those peaks and valleys of blood sugar will help stabilize mood. Avoid skipping meals and eat less simple sugars and carbs. One exception to that advice is dark chocolate, which is known to affect serotonin levels in the brain and lead to a feeling of well-being and even joy (for some of us!) There are several herbs (Lemon … Read More