From the WBWC Blog:

Birth Centers

Support WBWC On Our Birthday

Birth days are important. I remember the birth of my oldest daughter like it was yesterday – the excitement of the first pangs of labor, calling the Women’s Birth and Wellness Center and finally getting to “press the NUMBER 4 to page the on-call midwife,” and my midwife’s familiar smile as we arrived at the birth center eager to have our baby. Most clearly of all, I remember the midwife’s reassuring words in my ear as nearly a dozen strangers in blue scrubs moved in a blur around me in the operating room where my healthy, precious daughter would ultimately be born by Cesarean section. This was not the birth experience I had expected while reading those natural childbirth books but because of my midwife’s guidance to transfer to the hospital and her ability to be the conduit between me and the UNC Hospital staff from the moment we arrived, our daughter’s birth was unexpected AND beautiful. My midwife gave me constant information on what was happening and why, then supported me in making my own decisions throughout the process. She even had the foresight to capture a photo of the moment I first held my daughter! The midwives and staff at the Women’s Birth and Wellness Center have supported so many birth days many of us will never forget. And now, we are asking for your support. We invite you to celebrate the WBWC’s (and/or your midwife’s) birthday by making a donation to keep this important work thriving in our community, particularly for expectant mothers with financial need. 1. $10 supports the cost of new patient education, so each birth giver receives a copy of the book “Our Bodies Ourselves In Pregnancy” at their first pregnancy visit. 2. $25 supports the exam cost at a baby’s home visit. 3. $100 provides breastfeeding classes and newborn care classes for a new birth giver. 4. $200 covers care needed for a wellness visit or an illness visit. 5. $1,000 supports a breastfeeding person by covering four breastfeeding consultations, support groups and breastfeeding supplies If everyone invited to our birthday party contributed at least $50, we could fund all breastfeeding classes and support groups for an entire year! Please click here to make your tax deductible gift to WBWC. Donation opportunities will also be provided at the party. Help us keep the Women’s Birth & Wellness Center strong while creating beautiful birth … Read More

WBWC Committee Members Needed

 Are you passionate about supporting the good work happening at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center?  Do you want to volunteer on a committee and work with the WBWC Board of Directors and Leadership team to help improve and sustain this non-profit organization that you love? If you answered YES to these 2 questions please see the opportunities below and send your resume and letter of interest to  women@ncbirthcenter.org with the subject ‘Committee Volunteer.’ Finance & Operations Committee Duties: Oversees finance, personnel, facilities, business strategy. The Operations Committee provides financial review, guidance and oversight for the overall operations of Women’s Birth & Wellness Center. Members develop insight into the business operations in order to suggest strategic business directions and business policy implementation. Chair: Treasurer, Cynthia Meurling Members: Board Treasurer, 2-3 additional persons + Executive, Business and Clinical Directors §  QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED Education Bachelor’s degree required; degree in business administration, finance, accounting, or another relevant field preferred. §  Related Work Experience Two or more years of work experience in: administration, accounting, management or finance §  Skills · Excellent written and oral communication skills. · Strong problem-solving skills, analytical abilities and attention to detail. · Proficiency in Microsoft Office, comfort level reviewing financial statements. · Discretion, tact, and the ability to function as part of a team. · Flexibility in work schedule to accommodate occasional evening or weekend meetings §  Preferred Skills & Experience Experience in budget management and strategic planning Knowledge of issues related to health care. Fundraising & Development Committee Duties: Fundraising and events. The Fundraising Committee is dedicated to planning and orchestrating promotions and events to raise funds for Women’s Birth & Wellness Center. The Fundraising Committee is in constant contact with key staff members to determine the needs that must be funded. Chair: Vacant Members: Seeking 3 people §         Related Work Experience: Experience in grant writing, fundraising, event planning or marketing  Executive Committee Duties: To oversee committee activities, advise Executive and Clinical Directors and develop board meeting agendas. The Executive Committee supports and encourages the diversification and ongoing growth of Women’s Birth & Wellness Center’s governing body.  The Executive Committee performs ongoing needs-assessment among the full board to ensure board operates at its full potential. Chair: President, Elizabeth Kasper Members: Board officers and committee chairs. Seeking 2 people.

WBWC Earns “Triple Aim” Best Practice Recognition

The American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) has designated WBWC as a “Triple Aim” Best Practice. This means that we have met the goals set by the Institute for Health Improvement of 1) improving patient experiences; 2) reducing the cost of care; and 3) improving the health of populations. We demonstrated these three goals through our low rates of cesarean and preterm birth, high breastfeeding rates, and the affordability of our services. Out of 257 participating practices, only 97 received this designation. We are proud to continue to offer high-quality care to our families and improve the health of our community!

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.”  

Do You Still Need Childbirth Classes in 2018?

by Nancy Albrecht, RN, BSN, MA On Sunday, March 11, Maureen Darcey and I and 200 other family, friends, and associates in the birth community gathered to honor the life of Svea Oster. She was a doula, home birth attendant, childbirth educator, and fierce advocate for maternal-child health for over 40 years. At the Celebration, many women and men spoke about the impact on their lives of their childbirth class experience with Svea. She gave them insight into birthing and parenting and a support network that many still rely upon today. I took Svea’s class 30 years ago with my fourth child, even though my husband and I had taken Lamaze classes three other times and I was a childbirth educator myself. I wasn’t sure I had much to learn, but she helped me turn inward to fully nurture that baby and that birth. Maureen and her husband took childbirth classes with each of their three babies, even though she was a midwife and they had both trained as Bradley childbirth educators; her husband wanted to connect with other dads. My husband became more excited and interested in the experience during Svea’s class. Peter says, “Svea was serenely confident in every woman’s ability to birth a healthy baby safely, with little or no intervention.” A childbirth educator with that kind of confidence inspires all the parents in the class with invaluable lessons and creates lasting bonds between families. Childbirth education in the United States developed in the 1970’s as a grassroots movement to give parents the knowledge and support they needed to be active participants in giving birth rather than being delivered by doctors. “The movement grew out of the realization that you didn’t have to be zonked out on drugs during labor, and that you could have someone you love in the delivery room with you,” says Henci Goer, a Lamaze International resident expert and the author of several books on childbirth.1 In 2012, according to the Listening to Mothers Survey III, 59 percent of first-time mothers took some type of childbirth class. Alternatively, 97 percent of all mothers used the Internet as a primary source, with up to 60 percent considering pregnancy and childbirth websites to be “very important sources”.2 More parents now rely on the Internet than a certified childbirth educator to learn about pregnancy and birth. Parents may feel that childbirth classes take too much time … 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!