From the WBWC Blog:

Community

WBWC Celebrates World Breastfeeding Month!

By Rebecca Costello, IBCLC MPH   Our first celebration was for World Breastfeeding Week with a “Milk and Cookies” theme. Honeysuckle Tea House hosted our party and even made a special lactation tea blend for us! We had a great time drinking milk (babies), eating cookies (the rest of us), and jamming to music with Erica from Jammin Baby, LLC. It was a hot day, but we had a great time! Click here for the link to the Facebook album. Thank you so much to Sunshine Scoville for the beautiful photography!   Our second celebration was for Black Breastfeeding Week. Tracey, who you all know well from your visits in the lab, did an awesome job of coordinating this! Moms and their families made nursing necklaces, got gorgeous henna tattoos, enjoyed tasty snacks, and had breastfeeding portraits taken by the wonderful Sarah Stanley from Love at First Sight Photography. Check out our group shot above, and there are more photos to come – stay tuned to our Facebook page.   Thank you to everyone who helped with and attended these events – we had a great time celebrating with you and your sweet babies! We’re already looking forward to next year.  

RSVP for WBWC’s Annual Birthday Party

Join Women’s Birth & Wellness Center as we celebrate another year of births and the founding of WBWC, North Carolina’s longest-operating free-standing birth center. This year, we’ll be celebrating at Briar Chapel’s Great Meadow Park with games, music with Erica Berry of Jammin Baby, and cake for the whole family. Bring along a picnic blanket or chairs,and plan to stay and play at the playground and park. Come reunite and celebrate with your WBWC midwives, staff and other WBWC families. We love to see your babies as they grow! Please RSVP to let us know if you’re planning to attend to help us get an accurate head count for refreshments. Hope to see you there! Who is invited: Any current or past WBWC patients, families and staff Where: Great Meadow Park in Briar Chapel at the corner of Beacon Ridge Blvd and Salt Cedar Lane in Chapel Hill When: October 27, 2018, 2-4 PM

Tea with the Midwives

To celebrate Midwifery Week this year, WBWC will be hosting a tea in honor of our wonderful midwives. Please join us on Tuesday, October 2 from 4-6 PM in the Living Room (Suite 304) for tea, lemonade, and cookies with the WBWC midwives. Babies and kids are welcome!

Save the Date!

Fall will be here before you know it —  mark your calendar for WBWC’s annual birthday party!                             When: Saturday, October 27 2-4 PM Where: Great Meadow Park in Briar Chapel Bring your family for a fun afternoon of refreshments, games, and celebration of our wonderful community!

Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga at Triangle Yoga

  Prenatal Yoga (Mon at 6:15 pm and Sat at 11am) will focus on postures that are appropriate for pregnant women with an emphasis on connecting with the baby, breathing, relaxation, and muscle toning. Benefits include building stamina, strength, balance, soothing the nervous system, releasing tension in the lower and upper back and preparing you for labor through conscious breathing. No experience necessary. Classes taught by Brianna Bennett & Kathy Peillot. Our Postnatal Yoga class (Tue at 12:30pm) helps new and returning mothers stay centered, strong and aware during their first months together. Bring your little one from as young as 4 weeks to this nurturing class. Common postpartum and baby handling/carrying issues, are addressed with toning, core strength, and stretching. No experience necessary. Classes taught by Liz Harden. “Class has been the one time a week for my baby and me to connect without distractions. I have appreciated every class and am thankful for the way that you lead, inform and care for the women in your classes.” Nancy Triangle Yoga is located on the 3rd floor of the WBWC building.

WBWC Seeking Board Members

Would you like to help guide WBWC into the future? We are currently seeking applications for board members! We are looking for community members with backgrounds in public health, law, finance, marketing, social work, or any skills that could help WBWC continue to grow and serve our community! If you are interested, send your CV to Maureen Darcey at maureen@ncbirthcenter.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Climb Out of the Darkness Walk

On June 24 Women’s Birth & Wellness Center co-sponsored the Chapel Hill Climb Out of the Darkness walk to raise awareness and funds for perinatal mood disorders. The Climb brings people together all over the globe near the solstice (the longest, brightest day) to shine a light on a darkness we often don’t speak about. We shared stories of hope and celebrate recovery as we gather together to raise money, raise awareness and give a voice to those who no longer have one and walk together to symbolize our ‘Climb’ Out of the Darkness.   Fit4Mom Chapel Hill Carrboro hosted the event in Briar Chapel and together we raised $2,745 for the North Carolina offices of Postpartum Support International. It was a wonderful celebration of those who have survived perinatal mood disorders and in recognition of those currently battling. Thanks to those who shared their stories! For those currently struggling, WBWC hosts a Coping with Motherhood (link: https://ncbirthcenter.org/groups/coping-with-motherhood/)  support group on the first and third Thursdays of each month, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon at WBWC, in the Living Room (Suite 304). Email Nancy (nancy@ncbirthcenter.org) for more information. WBWC is also a co-sponsor of the Durham Climb Out of the Darkness this Saturday, June 30 at the offices of Emerald Doulas – https://ncbirthcenter.org/event/climb-out-of-the-darkness-2/. Join us for a day of celebration for the many survivors in our community. Join us to shine light on the need for better information and better treatment for families with perinatal mood disorders. Join WBWC as a Climber or donate to our team at https://climb-out- 2018.causevox.com/WBWC-team.

Fit4Baby Testimonial

Becca Lynn, mom of 2 (Saylor, age 4, and Murphy, 14 months) The statement ‘no two pregnancies are alike’ is truer than true. During my first pregnancy, I spent much of my time reading, researching, and preparing for the baby.  During my second pregnancy, I turned the focus on caring for myself. This meant taking care of the magnificent body I already had, that was meanwhile housing another human being. Taking care of myself meant that my baby, nestled deep in my womb, was getting the best care possible before the magical day of birth. This also meant I would be at my physical best to care for not only a newborn, but a toddler as well, after baby’s birth day.   The two most important pieces of this care were Women’s Birth and Wellness Center and Prenatal Fitness Fit4Baby program through FIT4MOM Chapel Hill. While my first baby was born at a birth center (in a different state) as well, WBWC was amazingly supportive, in regards that my strong opinions regarding my health and birth were heard, validated, and taken seriously. My questions were answered honestly, resources provided, my desires for the pregnancy and birth were honored, and I felt empowered. From the front desk, to the nurses, to the midwives and beyond, my time at WBWC was wonderful!   I found Prenatal Fitness Fit4Baby while researching prenatal exercise programs.WBWC encouraged me to keep up with a consistent exercise routine (which had been lacking in my first pregnancy). Fit4Baby was the perfect complement. Not only was I able to take a couple hours a week to focus on my body and the baby it was growing, but being with other women who were experiencing the same things I was, from sugar cravings to sleepless nights, was reassuring and comforting. These women became a consistent part of my week, and quite frankly, the favorite part of my week. The classes consisted of cardio, strength and core exercises. The instructors were so knowledgeable and were able to provide modifications for all levels of abilities and stages of pregnancies. They always checked in to see how each of us was feeling and created classes that supported the pregnant mama, wherever she was that day. Even if it meant, I did zero exercise that day. It was a judge-free, supportive, and positive environment, where I could chit-chat with other women, all while getting … Read More

Climb Out of the Darkness

Women’s Birth & Wellness Center is proud to co-sponsor Climb Out of the Darkness® 2018 events in both Chapel Hill/Carrboro and Durham. Postpartum Support International (PSI) took over management of this event in 2017.  Climb Out of the Darkness® is the world’s largest event raising awareness of maternal mental illnesses like postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety and OCD, postpartum post-traumatic stress, postpartum psychosis, perinatal bipolar mood disorders, and pregnancy depression and anxiety.   Climb Out of the Darkness® is held on or near the longest day of the year annually to help shine the most light on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD). The event features mothers and others across the globe joining together to climb mountains and hike trails to represent their symbolic rise out of the darkness of maternal mental illness and into the light of hope and recovery.  The Climb will be held in Chapel Hill/Carrboro on Sunday, June 24, 9:00 am at Briar Chapel Clubhouse, 1600 Briar Chapel Parkway, Chapel Hill. The Durham Climb will take place on Saturday, June 30, 9:00 am at Emerald Doulas, 5317 Highgate Dr., Suite 115, Durham.   Many Climbers and sponsors choose to fundraise, but it is not a requirement to participate. However, for those choosing to raise money or donate to a team, please know that all of the funds will remain with the NC chapter of PSI. WBWC and PSI-NC are glad to have this opportunity to raise awareness and funds.  Funds will be used by PSI-NC to continue several initiatives throughout the state, including: Continuing to grow a state-wide PMAD resource list Using this resource list to help increase screening by medical providers Increased access to PMAD training for professionals (especially in under-served areas) Increased support for PMAD professionals Continued partnerships with existing public health initiatives like Community Care of North Carolina and the Office or Rural Health Join us for a day of celebration for the many survivors in our community. Join us to shine light on the need for better information and better treatment for families with perinatal mood disorders. Join WBWC as a Climber or donate to our team at https://climb-out-2018.causevox.com/WBWC-team

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.”