From the WBWC Blog:

Month: February 2018

Svea Oster

Svea Oster died February 19 from complications of the flu. Svea was a legend in the Triangle as an advocate of women, midwives, and natural birth. She was a home birth attendant, a childbirth educator, a doula, and my dear friend! The circle of life has closed too soon. I met Svea thirty-eight years ago, when I first moved to Chapel Hill, for my husband to go to school. I was a brand-new graduate of midwifery school with no job and no friends. When I attended a meeting about birth options at the Women’s Resource Center (now the Compass Center), I met this amazing woman who changed my life! As our friendship developed, she taught me to trust my instincts and trust the process of birth. She encouraged me to start attending births of folks she knew through her friendships and with women who were getting care at the Chatham Family Birth Center (CFBC), the precursor to WBWC. Svea and I attended births for almost a year before I “got caught” – attending home births was illegal per state law. Svea and her husband Arnie were instrumental in getting the midwifery law passed that opened the doors for CNMs to attend births in homes, birth centers, and hospitals. She helped me open WBWC twenty-two years ago when we met with people from the Carolina Association for the Advancement of Midwifery and were able to get a state grant. Svea continued to touch the lives of hundreds of families as she taught childbirth education classes in the community and at WBWC, until she retired a few years ago. Our connections spanned the generations. Svea was the birth assistant at the birth of my own daughter thirty-six years ago, and I was the CNM at her daughter’s birth at home thirty-five years ago. Over the years, we have continued to travel in the same birth circle. I had the pleasure of catching both her son’s and daughter’s first children at the birth center. Her daughter-in-law was also born at the CFBC. Thank you, Svea, for letting me freely participate in the “circle of life.” WBWC and I will never forget all you have done in the birth community over the years, your passion, and your smile, and your love! ~Maureen Darcey Arnie has requested that donations be made in Svea’s honor to WBWC. Visit our donation page for more information.   

Birth Announcements

Welcome to the World, Sweet Babies! Samuel Dean Poe – January 1 – 10 lbs., 14 oz. Emery Tyler Ferrell – January 2 – 8 lbs., 8 oz. *Sylvie Rose Perrachon – January 3 – 8 lbs., 14 oz. Annalisse Michele Jones – January 10 – 8 lbs., 15 oz. Xavier Rodriguez Perez – January 13 – 8 lbs., 12 oz. Clementine Rowe – January 16 – 7 lbs., 11.5 oz. Cordelia Whitsett – January 17 – 7 lbs., 0.5 oz. Iris Neal – January 18 – 7 lbs., 11 oz. Truman Carol Chavez Dauwalter – January 17 – 5 lbs., 11 oz. Avery Quinn Marshall – January 18 – 7 lbs., 6 oz. *Sabine Gabriela Rubenstein – January 20 – 7 lbs., 10.9 oz. Wednesday Anne Elizabeth Kasell – January 21 – 8 lbs., 15 oz. *Gino Gonzalez – January 22 – 9 lbs., 5.5 oz. *Piper Connolly Berndt – January 23 – 7 lbs., 1 oz. *Poppy Lamarr Chafin – January 27 – 8 lbs., 6.5 oz. Henry Rowan Bowen – January 28 – 8 lbs., 5 oz. January stats Total babies born: 28 Biggest baby: 10 lbs., 14 oz. Smallest baby: 5 lb., 11 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! Also, if you have a printed birth announcement to share, we’d love to have a copy to  add to our bulletin board in the clinic! 

Milo’s Birth Story

by Jennifer Mohamed   This story has been a long time coming, as my little squish is now almost 16 months old. On Saturday, November 5th, I went into the hospital to work my second-to-last shift in the Special Care Nursery before officially going out on maternity leave.  I had my bottle of Suki’s Blend ready to start right after that weekend (right when I turned 39 weeks).  You see, I went over 41 weeks with my first kiddo, and I was going to try everything to prevent that from happening again! Of course, because I had a plan in place, the labor gods decided to remind me who is truly in charge.  I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions each night from 7 PM to 10 PM for the past week, so I was not all surprised when the painless tightening started.  It wasn’t an overly busy night; we had women in labor, but no births yet.  I was working with a nursing student, so it mostly involved a lot of teaching, which I love! It was inching towards midnight, and without even realizing it, I had started pacing around the unit.  One nurse joked that she thought I was in labor.  I laughed it off but texted my husband to go ahead and sterilize the umbilical ties just in case. I had just come back from a birth and was sitting down to document when I felt that warm, watery release.  I stood up from my chair as my waters flowed down my scrubs, into my shoes and onto the floor.  My first thought was, “Well, at least my fluid is clear.” It took me a few minutes to gather myself, put on some mesh panties, change into dry scrubs, and finish documenting, of course. I was so grateful to all the wonderful nurses who were working with me that night as they fetched me all the things to get cleaned up and even packed my bag for me to leave work.  I called my husband as I was walking to my car, and then I called the birth center while I drove home. Emily was on, and I remember telling her my contractions aren’t super close or that painful so I am going to go home, shower, arrange childcare and maybe get some sleep. I went home and did just that, except when I laid down and … Read More

Study Shows Birth Center Care Improves Outcomes

From 2013-2016 Women’s Birth & Wellness Center participated in the Strong Start for New Mother and Newborns Initiative through the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC). This study provided funding to collect data on Medicaid patients at birth centers, including WBWC. AABC’s Strong Start program aimed to use birth center care to help prevent preterm birth, low birthweight, and costly interventions for those at the highest risk for complications. From the time that enrollment began in June of 2013, a diverse group of more than 8,300 women have participated in AABC’s Strong Start program at 46 birth center sites, with over 6,100 Strong Start births. This study found that the birth center model of care achieved the aims of improved population health, patient experience, and value. What does this really mean? Choosing to birth in a hospital was associated with nearly 4 times the risk of a cesarean birth compared with a birth center among medically low-risk Medicaid beneficiaries. Strong Start participants also had a decreased risk preterm birth and of low birth weight Birth centers showed the highest rates of satisfaction with both the prenatal care and delivery experience. 96% of patients were very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their prenatal care at birth centers and 84% were very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their delivery experience. Additionally, by lowering the rates of caesarean births and pre-term births, Strong Start patients saw an estimated $28 million in Medicaid savings. This study supported what we know and have seen through our experiences – that the birth center model of care lowers the risks of complications and honors and supports the preferences of the birthing person. Birth Center prenatal care is time intensive and relationship-based. Enhanced prenatal care includes referrals to needed resources, health education and emotional support. Midwives provide longer visits to achieve these outcomes. Women’s Birth & Wellness Center is the only free-standing birth center in the Triangle that accepts Medicaid patients. The Strong Start grant funding has ended, but through your support we can continue to provide this exceptional midwifery-model of care in a place of wellness to all women and birthing individuals. Please visit https://ncbirthcenter.org/donate/ to learn how you can help. As a Paypal Giving Fund recipient, there are no fees associated with your online donation, and your entire donation is used to serve our mission. Thank you in advance for your support!

Allison Koch Celebrates 10 Years at WBWC

By Tori Hinde This month marked 10 years that Midwife Allison Koch has been a care provider at WBWC. This is a milestone in her 34-year career that has focused on supporting and caring for women. Allison arrived at WBWC after leaving her successful midwifery practice in rural, upstate New York, where she began her career as a nurse. Allison first went to nursing school in the 1980s, after her first child was born. She was drawn to nursing because of the variety of things she could do with the degree. As she floated around to different positions, trying to find her fit, she realized that she always gravitated toward case management and any opportunity to build a relationship with her patients and their families. When a temporary position opened up in labor and delivery, several other nurses encouraged her to apply. By the end of the first month, her position was made permanent. She had found her new home. “It was an incredible place to learn and grow up with vaginal birth. I did that for 12-13 years, and over that time, the dynamic changed a bit as some of the family medicine doctors retired from doing obstetrics. As the balance shifted away from family medicine toward more and more OBs, little by little, it became a more medicalized birth environment,” said Allison. “As that was happening, and while I was teaching childbirth classes and training new nurses, I was having a hard time seeing how this would end for women in my care. I had a particularly tough night and decided that I either needed to get out of labor and delivery or go back to school and get more education so I can be part of the solution. Within 24 hours, I decided I was going back to school.” Allison dove into her studies.  First, she completed a satellite program to earn her BSN. Then, with the help of funding to train nurse practitioners to serve in rural areas, she began a distance learning Master’s of Midwifery program with SUNY-Stony Brook while continuing to work part-time as a labor and delivery nurse. “Even though it was challenging, I read the books cover to cover, highlighted things that seemed important to ME,” said Allison. “We were challenged to think for ourselves, and it was a great way to learn and build who I am as a practitioner. When … Read More

Love , Lust, and How the WBWC Boutique is Good for Your Heart Health

by Allison Koch February is the month of love, valentines, and hearts, so it seemed appropriate to talk about love, the heart and what supports our hearts and our love life! Much is being said about the gut-brain connection and the microbiome these days, but this month seemed like a perfect time to talk about the heart-brain connection! The heart is the very first organ to develop in the fetus, and its cells are found throughout the human body. Western cultures and scientific research over the past 40 years have primarily focused on the heart as a pump, though other cultures have traditionally regarded the heart as a source of wisdom, spiritual insight, thought and emotion. But lately, scientific research has begun to demonstrate that these associations may be more than metaphorical as a new understanding of the heart, its highly specialized cells, and its amazing abilities has led to the new field of neurocardiology. The heart has its own network of nerves and nervous system, consisting of some 40,000 neurons. This heart-brain nervous system gives the heart the ability to independently sense, process, make decisions, and memorize. The heart actually LEARNS. Additionally, the heart is a hormonal gland, like your brain, making and secreting hormones and neurotransmitters that travel throughout the body, communicating with other cells, other hormones and neurotransmitters, affecting you in multiple ways. Among the hormones produced by the heart is one of the midwife’s favorites: oxytocin. Oxytocin is known as the “hormone of love,” as it is secreted during orgasm, in labor and birth, when we share a pleasurable meal or experience with others, when we breastfeed our young, and when women gather to support each other. (Hint, hint: It is often called the “tend and befriend hormone”.) I love that the heart learns and decides and does all this thinking for itself, because that affirms what humans have felt forever: the heart wants what the heart wants, or, as my Grandmother used to say, “Love goes where its sent”. <3 So how best to support our amazing hearts and keep the love light burning? Phytonutrients, antioxidants and whole foods that are consumed as close to the way they come from the ground: Herbs and spices: especially turmeric (curcumin) and raw garlic, basil, cinnamon, curry powder, chili peppers ginger, rosemary and thyme) Traditional teas like black tea, green tea, oolong or white tea. Dark beans., walnuts, … Read More

Prenatal Yoga with Brianna at Triangle Yoga

Many of you may already know Brianna Bennett as WBWC’s business director, but did you know she has also been a yoga teacher since 2005? She recently earned her prenatal yoga certification and is now teaching a prenatal yoga class on Mondays at 6:15 PM at Triangle Yoga, just upstairs from the Birth Center! WBWC patients can get a free class with the purchase of a passcard.   Brianna strives to make classes accessible, understandable, and challenging to individuals at any level of fitness.  In class, you will work through a  series of flowing yoga poses to help synchronize the breath to the movement, develop concentration, strength, flexibility, balance, and clarity.  Class will end with a guided meditation and optional aromatherapy. Brianna structures the prenatal class to offer a well-rounded combination of poses for strength, flexibility, and endurance with opportunities to increase mental awareness, and time for bonding and sharing expectations.

MILC Moment: Who Are the Students You See at MILC?

By Rebecca Costello, IBCLC If you come to our breastfeeding classes, lactation visits, or breastfeeding cafes, you may notice we often have students shadowing our work and occasionally even helping with visits. (Although students are never present in a visit without receiving the patient’s permission first!) We are proud to participate in WBWC’s tradition of training the next generation of care providers – but where do our students come from? The main group of students you see with us are participating in the Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative through UNC-Chapel Hill. This program trains students and prepares them to sit for the exam to become International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). As part of their training, they must complete hundreds of clinical training hours. WBWC is one of the sites where they learn from IBCLC mentors. Our staff also provides occasional lectures or teaching workshops as part of the students’ classroom learning. (The program is named after one of its founders, Mary Rose Tully, who was the first director of lactation services at UNC Hospitals and was a local and national leader in breastfeeding support.) We also have shadowers from a variety of clinical fields. A number of medical students and residents ask to do elective rotations with us, because they want more dedicated time to focus on lactation than they typically get in medical school and residency. And several pediatricians and family medicine physicians have spent time with us to hone their breastfeeding support skills and to prepare for the IBCLC exam. Speech language pathologists, nursing students, and doulas have also all spent time with us to supplement their training – they interact with breastfeeding in different ways, but all have a desire to learn more. Finally, we have shadowers from inside WBWC! Many of the nurse-midwifery and nurse-practitioner students who train here ask to spend time with the IBCLCs, to get a better sense of our work. And of course, all of our newly hired nurses, nurse-midwives, and nurse practitioners shadow our IBCLCs as part of their orientation. We work in a team here, so spending time getting to know each other and how we work is very important! Keep in mind that there is never an obligation to have a student at your visit. On the contrary, if you don’t feel comfortable with a student at your visit, we WANT you to decline so that you can … Read More

Rosemary White Bean Bisque

By Claire Caprioli Ingredients (serves 8) 1 tblspn olive oil ½ a large sweet onion (Spanish, Vidalia, etc.) diced 2 cloves garlic minced 6-7 cups chicken broth 4 cans cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed ½ cup Half and Half or cream 2 tsp apple cider or white wine vinegar 1 tblspn white wine 1 tblspn fresh chopped rosemary Optional: 1 andouille sausage, diced OR 3 slices crumbled cooked bacon Salt and pepper to taste Heat olive oil in a pot and add diced onion and sauté for about 6-7 minutes or until starting to color (not dark brown). Add garlic for another minute. Add chicken stock and beans. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add half & half, vinegar, and white wine. For a traditional smooth bisque, pour contents carefully into a blender or food processor in batches and process until smooth. Return to pot and add rosemary, salt, pepper, and sausage (if using bacon, save this to sprinkle on top of bowls before serving). Serve hot. [Claire Caprioli is a WBWC mom, local writer, and budding author.]

At the Boutique

  BRA MADNESS (Read: March Madness) March 13- April 2 ALL regularly priced nursing bras, tanks, shirts, and gowns will be 25% off!