From the WBWC Blog:

Month: April 2018

Thanks for Making Our Open House a Success!

It was a beautiful day for our first Open House! We had a wonderful turnout and enjoyed seeing all of you (and getting another glimpse of those babies as they grow)! We hope to make it an annual event.  We’d like to thank all our community partners who helped make this day happen:   Babywearing International of the Triangle Megapixie Photography  La Leche League Triangle Area Parenting Support Allison Koch, CNM, Arvigo therapist WomanWise Doula Collective Armonia Health Imagine Chiropractic  Red Wines Floral Triangle Acupuncture Clinic Triangle Mindful Birth Cherish Pads Triangle Doula Collective Wanda Sundermann Vitality Physical Therapy Triangle Yoga Fit4Mom

WBWC at Women’s Health Awareness Day

By Maureen Darcey, CNM On Saturday, April 7th, WBWC hosted a booth at the Women’s Health Awareness Day Conference at North Carolina Central University. Tracey Jones, Pam Reis, CNM, and I, along with two of our WBWC moms, Maya Jackson and Ashley Gatling (in picture), helped “woman” the booth. All participants could access free health screenings, health education sessions, healthy living sessions, and booths showcasing local health resources. Over 600 people attended. We had great interest in our booth, especially when we discussed the fact that we do more than just catch babies: we also provide primary health care for women from the time a young girl started her menses through menopause and beyond! Many women were surprised to learn that we also accept Medicaid and Medicare. We are looking forward to participating next year and hope that our clients will attend and take part in the very informative sessions. Follow our Class and Event schedule to see where you might find folks from WBWC doing community outreach in your neighborhood. We welcome anyone interested in having us come out to your women’s group, sorority meetings, church, or professional group to talk about the services offered by WBWC. Please contact Maureen@ncbirthcenter.org for further information and also leave a phone number. We are women helping women take care of themselves throughout the life cycle!

WBWC Welcomes Midwives from Brazil

                  Maureen Darcey, CNM and Brianna Bennett, Business Director teach “How to Start a Birth Center” workshops for the American Association of Birth Centers.  This fall, they got the privilege of teaching 5 birth center pioneers from Brazil. Two of the Brazilian midwives, Jessica Cirelli and Ana Cristina Duarte, came to spend time at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center during April to learn everything they could about how to operate a successful, free-standing birth center.  Ana and Jessica are bringing back their knowledge to the group and using it to accomplish their next goal:  opening a birth center in São Paulo, where cesarean rates now stand at 60% (90% in the private health sector).   Jessica writes, “I would like to thank each of you for all the patience, care, and attention you have given me.  The team you have here is extremely passionate, all with strong personalities, and everyone on the team is unique. The unity that you all share is the respect for the women… Thank you for allowing me to be part of this family in the last 3 weeks. I’m returning to Brazil with a huge bag of knowledge and more willingness to fight for a dignified assistance, with midwives, and where women can be the center of attention. Thank you for allowing me to experience this unique opportunity.  You are changing care in Brazil as well.”  

Vote for WBWC!

Voting is open for Indy Week’s Best of the Triangle 2018! You can vote for WBWC until 12 AM May 21 in the following categories: *Best Nurse Midwife in Orange/Chatham County *Best Women’s Healthcare Practice in Orange/Chatham County *Best OB/GYN in Orange/Chatham County Click here and choose “Health & Body” to find us. Thanks for your support!

Birth Story

By Abby H.     Throughout my pregnancy, I was pretty sure that our baby was going to come late because most first babies do. I expected to be at work well past my February 19 due date. So when my water broke at 10 PM on February 5, I was confused to say the least. First, I hadn’t really considered the possibility of an early arrival. And second, I wasn’t sure that it was my water breaking (maybe I had just peed myself, like you do). It turned out that it was the real thing. Here’s how it happened: The morning of Friday, February 5, I got ready for work as usual. Before I left the house, I told my husband, Andrew, to take a picture of me. I can’t remember exactly why I did it, but I’m glad I did because it’s the last photo of me pregnant and not in labor. It was a pretty normal workday, and then I taught prenatal yoga at 4:30 that afternoon. During class I noticed that my back felt especially achy, but everything else felt normal. On the way home I stopped at Whole Foods to buy soup bones to make bone broth, which I wanted to have during labor/postpartum, but they didn’t have any. We spent a low-key evening at home watching The Good Wife and eating frozen pizza, until the aforementioned water breaking. I was in the kitchen taking my night time vitamins and then I started to walk into the bathroom when it happened. I went to the bathroom before saying anything to Andrew because I’d just had something like 40 ounces of water to drink, but once I got into the bathroom, I was pretty sure that it was my water and not pee. I told him that I thought my water had just broken and he said, “I guess I’d better stop drinking.” I also texted our doula to ask how I would know if my water had broken, and she told me to put on a pad and see what happened. She also asked if I was having contractions, and I could feel my belly tightening if I put my hand on it, but I couldn’t feel anything else. I followed her advice and the pad was soaked within a few minutes, which suggested that it was definitely my water and not pee. We got … Read More

Birth Announcements

  Sophia Grace Jiminez – March 2 – 7 lbs., 11.5 oz. Mohamed Camara – March 3 – 7 lbs., 9 oz. Wesley Chappell – March 3 – 7 lbs., 2 oz. Gavin Quinn Kartchner – March 5 – 8 lbs., 12 oz. Anais Elena Velasco – March 7 – 6 lbs., 14 oz. Samuel Lloyd Chambers – March 8 – 7 lbs. Lija Kitsune Lev – March 9 – 8 lbs., 8 oz. *Ellery Ann Bullock – March 9 – 8 lbs., 10 oz. *Selene Martha Serrano – March 16 – 6 lbs., 10 oz. Radha Sundari Davis Hernandez – March 20 – 9 lbs., 3.5 oz. *Deacon Wade Brewer – March 21 – 8 lbs., 10 oz. Ava Nicole Rocha – March 22 – 8 lbs., 5 oz. Clara Mae Allen – March 22 – 8 lbs. Kathryn Ann Springle – March 23- 6 lbs., 12 oz. Blake Allan Rogers – March 24 – 7 lbs, 14.5 oz. Kasshawn Amir – March 24 – 8 lbs., 3 oz. *pictured above March stats Total babies born: 34 Biggest baby: 9 lbs., 3.5 oz. Smallest baby: 6 lb., 6 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! 

MILC Moment: Resources for Helping Your Workplace Become More Breastfeeding-Friendly

By Rebecca Costello, IBCLC There’s something we notice about WBWC patients – they don’t do things just because “that’s the way it’s always been done” – they ask questions and check to see whether there are better options out there! So we aren’t surprised when we hear from our patients who want to improve the way their workplace deals with moms who return to work while still breastfeeding/pumping milk for their babies. Many of them also know that the Affordable Care Act provides protections for nursing mothers. Employers are required to give mothers time to pump, AND a private space that is NOT a bathroom. To help you advocate for yourself and others, we’ve put together a list of resources that may be useful: 1)  U.S. Department of Labor information on the Break Time for Nursing Mothers requirement: https://www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers/ Includes Frequently Asked Questions, an Employee Rights Card, and How to File a Complaint. There is also information in Spanish. 2) U.S. Office of Women’s Health information for employers: https://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/employer-solutions/ An excellent set of resources for employers who are not sure how to structure pumping breaks and space. There are videos and illustrated guides, broken down by type of industry (for example, retail, education, agriculture, manufacturing, food service, even mining!) Each category has examples of real business who are successfully supporting their employees. 3) The Business Case for Breastfeeding: https://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-home-work-and-public/breastfeeding-and-going-back-work/business-case More resources for employers and employees, including information for employers on the benefits and importance of supporting breastfeeding. 4) Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute’s Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care project: https://sph.unc.edu/cgbi/breastfeeding-friendly-child-care-job-aids/ It’s not just about the mom pumping – it’s also about how the baby is fed while they are away from mom! Here are resources for helping your child’s daycare become more breastfeeding-friendly. Of course, you can always call on your WBWC lactation consultants for help and advice. We are here for you any time!