From the WBWC Blog:

News

Latest news non-related to individual births.

New Arrivals

  *Zemra Moon Ogranaja – 10 lbs., 2 oz. – June 10th Naomi Rose Shaw – 8 lbs., 3 oz. – July 1 Greta Maëlle Tauschinger-Dempsey – 8 lbs., 9 oz. – July 2 Daniel Jeremiah Futrell – 8 lbs., 3 oz. – July 4 Zoe Sylvia Eliazar – 6 lbs., 13 oz. – July 4 Diego Jonathan Chicharro-Schoonmaker – 7 lbs., 4 oz. – July 5 Claire Piper Wittenberg – 7 lbs., 11 oz. – July 6 *Kathryn Sophia Reeves – 7 lbs., 13 oz. – July 8 *Raenan Eliyah Porch – 8 lbs., 15 oz. – July 10  Suinina Maryam Hatley – 8 lbs., 4 oz. – July 11 Elliot Sheridan Stocki – 8 lbs., 4 oz. – July 12 Rayhana Zainab Khalil – 8 lbs., 14 oz. – July 14 Rebecca Marie Goldstein – 7 lbs., 1 oz. – July 15 Piper Noelle Ray – 9 lbs., 3 oz. – July 16 Zaiden Lee Decker – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – July 16 Malcolm Chalmers MacLean – 7 lbs., 5 oz. – July 18 Caplan Matthew Phoenix – 8 lbs., 2 oz. – July 18 Gillian Joelle Bullard – 7 lbs., 1 oz. – July 19 Christian Sergey Bottolfson – 8 lbs., 13 oz. – July 21 Nalin Averey Adhikari – 6 lbs., 12 oz. – July 25 Lydia Geneva Blodgett – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – July 26 Abigail Grace Shyshnyak – 7 lbs., 10 oz. – July 27 Jackson Elijah Tapley – 9 lbs., 13 oz. – July 30 Clayton Fox Pearce – 7 lbs., 4 oz. – July 31  Kendall Maria Dixon – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – August 7 Embry Savannah Harrison – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – August 7 Cyan Miles Read – 7 lbs., 2 oz. – August 8 Martigan Dale Vaughn – 8 lbs., 9 oz. – August 9 Wesley Robert Marks – 7 lbs., 2 oz. – August 12 *Cecelia Rae Jewitt – 7 lbs., 12 oz. – August 13 William Leigh Richards – 8 lbs., 1 oz. – August 14 Eldon Christopher Mumma – 8 lbs., 4 oz. – August 14 Amelia Ida Ramsey – 7 lbs., 12 oz. – August 15 Graham Elliott Mayhew – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – August 16 Oliver Thomas Higgins – 8 lbs., 12 oz. – August 16 Elena Angel – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – August 17 Noa Rayne Pipkins – 8 … Read More

Spotlight: Erin Robertson, RN, IBCLC, and Lexa Henry, CNM

Erin Robertson, RN, IBCLC, returns to the birth center after spending the last two years as a home birth assistant and Lactation Consultant in Portland, Oregon.  Prior to that time, she worked as a nurse for the Women’s Birth & Wellness Center for six years from 2005-2011.  During her time at the birth center she helped create the Birth & Wellness Boutique and served as the buyer until 2011.  She still loves the boutique immensely but has returned to the birth center in the exciting leadership role of charge nurse.  Coming back to the birth center feels just like coming home to a family of warm, welcoming arms. She is so happy to be home.                    Erin is the mother of three beautiful kids – Liam (13), Lillie (10) and Maeve (5).  All three of her births were waterbirths into the hands of midwives.  In her time away from the birth center, Erin enjoys running, yoga, hiking and meditation.  She spends as much time as possible out in nature.  She loves crafting and sewing, especially with her kids.  She has a passion for sustainable living, gardening and dedicates her extracurricular studies to holistic and preventive modes of healing and health promotion.         Alexandra “Lexa” Henry, began her midwifery journey when she witnessed her first birth at the age of 15.  After receiving a BSN from the University of South Florida in 2008, Lexa worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Tampa General Hospital.  She earned a MSN degree from Frontier Nursing University in 2013.  While pursuing her certification in nurse midwifery, Lexa also worked in the newborn nursery unit, where she cared for newborns and mothers together immediately following birth, promoting bonding and early breastfeeding.  After graduating, Lexa moved to North Carolina with hopes working in a birth center setting.    Lexa lives in Chapel Hill where she enjoys going on bike rides and trying out local restaurants.  She spends much of her free time with her longtime boyfriend, who also resides in Chapel Hill. Lexa also enjoys traveling as much as possible and cooking for friends and family. We are excited to welcome Lexa to our staff of wonderful and gifted providers.

News from the Board

by Kaaren Haldeman We hope you have all had a restful and relaxing summer and are ready for the cool fall weather and warm colors we adore here in Chapel Hill. We look forward to our upcoming celebration of ten years as an independent freestanding birth center and ringing in another ten to come! Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to such a special place.

Former WBWC Board Member Publishes Book on Birth

We are delighted to share the news that one of our former board members and a current advisor to the WBWC, Dr. Anne Drapkin Lyerly, is publishing a new book on birth, available this week. A Good Birth: Finding the Positive and Profound in Your Childbirth Experience (published by the Penguin Group), will be out and available on August 1st. Drawing on her landmark study involving more than 100 childbearing women as well as maternity care providers, Dr. Lyerly describes what women say constitutes “a good birth.”  She has tapped the wisdom of women who have delivered in a variety of circumstances and locations, including the WBWC.  Publishers Weekly called her book “insightful” and her message “important.”  We agree!! You can meet the author this week — to celebrate the launch, she will be at two events local bookstores, for a short reading and signing: Thursday, August 1st, 7pm Flyleaf Books 752 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Chapel Hill Sunday, August 4th, 2pm McIntyre’s Books 220 Market Street, Fearrington Village, Pittsboro You don’t need to be pregnant to read this book — it’s about birth, something we’ve all interfaced with in one way or another.  Of course, it is a great book for expectant moms, but it has broad lessons for anyone who has been through it (as a mom, partner, loved one, friend), has helped someone give birth, or who is interested in this very special bookend of life. More about the author and the book can be found at:   www.annelyerly.com www.facebook.com/annedrapkinlyerly

New Arrivals

    Luke Harrison Setser – 9 lbs., 6 oz. – May 1Clark Alexander Driggers – 8 lbs., 9 oz. – May 1 Aylin Rayna Chiba – 8 lbs. – May 1 Ansley Nicet Parrish – 6 lbs., 4 oz. – May 3 Grady Royal Monk – 8 lbs., 11 oz. – May 6 Avi Myer Zellmer – 7 lbs., 2 oz. – May 7 McKenzie Camarena – 9 lbs., 4 oz. – May 8 Kree Everet Wells – 8 lbs., 8 oz. – May 10 Olyian Djzeelah Vann Huff – 7 lbs., 7 oz. – May 14 Holt Pace Simmons – 6 lbs., 10 oz. – May 14 *Lilah Hope Stevens – 6 lbs., 4 oz. – May 16 Eden Lynette Johnson – 7 lbs., 1 oz. – May 17 Dalia Isabel Fernandez-Rhodes – 8 lbs., 8 oz. – May 17 Madison Ann McShane – 7 lbs., 8 oz. – May 20 Calder Michael Petruney Pederson – 7 lbs., 7 oz. – May 21 Jack Thomas Reilly O’Dell – 6 lbs., 14 oz. – May 22 *Ruby Marlette Solow – 6 lbs., 11 oz. – May 22Truett Charles Glover – 9 lbs. – May 22 Leena Gray Bhakta – 6 lbs., 4 oz. – May 23 Vivian Rose Lindsay – 9 lbs., 9 oz. – May 25 Rachel Lindley Brownell – 7 lbs., 15 oz. – May 25 Jonah William Poe – 9 lbs., 11 oz. –May 26 Elenora Landreth Raines – 8 lbs., 10 oz. – May 27 Lillian Isabelle Bolesh – 7 lbs., 7 oz. – May 27 Avery Christine Edgerton – 6 lbs., 15 oz. – May 29 Avery Joye Ricks – 6 lbs., 4 oz. – May 29 Gabriel Oak Hanley – 9 lbs., 15 oz. – May 29 Baby Boy Lambe – 7 lbs., 11 oz. – May 30 Milo Alexander White – 8 lbs., 4 oz. – June 1, 2013 Marlon Dean Baber – 7 lbs., 4 oz. – June 1, 2013 Cecil Gabriel Curtis – 6 lbs., 12 oz. – June 2 Anna Butler Dentel – 7 lbs., 14 oz. – June 4 Jeremiah Singh Davis – 6 lbs., 6 oz. – June 4 Regan Leigh Wilkes – 7 lbs., 2 oz. – June 4 Inez Ramona Toney – 7 lbs., 1 oz. – June 7 Reece Jacqueline Macomber Weaver – 7 lbs., 4 oz. – June 8 Alex Michael Mahala – … Read More

Spotlight: Carey Jefferson, CNM

WBWC is excited to announce that Carey Jefferson, CNM, has completed midwifery school and is making the transition from nurse to midwife!  Carey has been with WBWC since 2010 as a labor and delivery nurse and, for the past few months, a midwifery student.  She is now our newest full-time midwife. Currently, she is orienting with the other midwives on staff.  In the next few months, she will be seeing patients in the clinic and attending births independently and receiving hospital privileges. Carey earned a BS in psychology from UNC Chapel Hill, and then went on to receive a BSN from Western Carolina. She has a wide range of experience as a labor and delivery nurse: in addition to the birth center, she’s worked in a small hospital in western North Carolina, and large hospitals in Northern Virginia and Raleigh.    Pregnancy and birth have long fascinated Carey . “I was amazed by the changes, both physical and emotional, I observed in my friends as they started having babies, and I felt drawn to be a part of that process with women.   I love that midwifery allows me to help women find their own path on the journey to motherhood.”   This interest led her to pursue a midwifery degree at Eastern Carolina University, where she was awarded the Betty Berryhill Nurse Midwifery Scholarship.  She continued working as a labor and delivery nurse throughout most of her schooling.  Carey and her husband, Stephen, have an 11-year-old daughter, Madeline, and a dog, Jix. When she’s not catching babies, Carey enjoys cooking, birdwatching, following the Tarheels, and having family game nights. She sees the birth center as an inspiring place to begin her midwifery career.  “I see a true midwifery model of care in action at WBWC.  The midwives here are amazing women who deeply invested in providing excellent care to women and families.  I am honored to be able to work with and learn from them.”                                                                                                          

Show Off Your Baby Pictures!

Don’t forget to bring a photo of your new baby and family for our bulletin board when you come in for your postpartum check-up!  We love displaying pictures of all our beautiful birth center families.

Spaces Available for November and December Group Prenatal Care

There are still a few openings left in our Group for moms with November and December due dates!  If you’d like to be an active participant in your prenatal care and meet other birth center mamas, sign up today! Group size is limited to eight couples.  Call the front desk at 919-933-3301 to sign up or for more information.

News from the Board

by Kaaren Haldeman Happy Summer, WBWC! We hope you’re enjoying the unusually cool June and July. Last month, members of the Board met with Maureen and Brianna and an outside consultant who spent time at WBWC to help us understand more fully our mission and identity as an organization. Her insights have been helpful in Board discussions and have guided our current work with Maureen as Executive Director. The full Board met June 27th to recap the experience with our consultant and to begin work on some of the objectives she laid out for our organization. Finally, we are looking forward to discussing the qualitative research that has been ongoing at WBWC with Dr. Palmquist and team. It has been great to have some extra insights into our organization and how to maintain its health and sustainability well into the future. Thank you for all you do to make the WBWC who we are!

Restoring Balance Placenta Encapsulation

  Offering placenta encapsulation, tinctures and salves Serving Chapel Hill and the Triangle area   Placenta Encapsulation Benefits   ♀    Decrease in baby blues and postpartum depression ♀    Increase and enrich breastmilk ♀    Increase in energy ♀    Decrease in postpartum bleeding ♀    Decrease iron deficiency ♀    Decrease insomnia or sleep disorders ♀    Decreases postpartum “night sweats”     Please contact Nicole (919) 699-0980  info@restoringbalanceplacenta.com   Services performed by qualified professionals: Nicole Splenda, RN, LMBT Mariah Velazquez, CNM  Kathy Parry, MPH, LMBT, IBCLC