From the WBWC Blog:

News

Latest news non-related to individual births.

New Arrivals

Malachi Elijah Wells – 10 lbs., 2 oz. – December 2 Harper Olive Bell – 6 lbs., 13 oz. – December 2 Lucia Rose Richards – 8 lbs. – December 5 Emma Frances Romanchuk – 9 lbs., 3 oz. – December 5 Ezra Wright Ballard – 7 lbs., 9 oz. – December 7 Grant Henry Miceli – 6 lbs., 5 oz. – December 7 John Brady Willis – 6 lbs., 13 oz. – December 10 Ryan Douglas Shoaf, Jr. – 9 lbs., 5 oz. – December 12 Tilden Elliot Hart – 9 lbs., 1 oz. – December 13 Ewan Michael Pellas – 8 lbs., 2 oz. – December 15 Pippa Corinne Clark – 7 lbs. – December 16 John Walker Mobley – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – December 18 Navilee Amber Jones – 9 lbs., 5 oz. – December 18 Elliot Elizabeth Schulien – 6 lbs., 9 oz. – December 21 Nora Anne Dezendorf – 9 lbs., 10 oz. – December 22 Adah Joy Frey – 7 lbs., 2 oz. – December 25 Opal Merriweather Wood – 9 lbs., 4 oz. – December 27 Zora Rose Graber – 6 lbs., 8 oz. – December 28 Ryan Andrew Navarro – 7 lbs., 14 oz. – December 29 Eleanor Ruby Oldham – weight – December 29 Daisy Lynn Bacon – 8 lbs., 10 oz. – December 29 Penelope King – 7 lbs. – December 30 Lucius Alexander Mealer – 7 lbs., 7 oz. – December 30

Aromatherapy Blend: Morning Sickness Relief

By Allison Koch, CNM 10 drops peppermint essential oil 10 drops bergamot or a citrus like orange or lemon oil Add to a small amount of a carrier oil like almond, jojoba, or apricot kernel. Mix well. Put a few drops in an aromatherapy diffuser, or on a tissue tucked in your pocket – whatever will keep it accessible to you as you go about your day. I liked the tissue in my pocket, because I found the nausea hit me at odd times, and I could just take a sniff as needed. Another scent to try is cinnamon oil, which is good for a variety of things, including anxiety, but also nausea. Cinnamon has a strong aroma and is best alone or blended with something light like neroli (orange blossom). There are some oils that are considered unsafe for use in early pregnancy due to their ability to make the uterus contract: oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, and sage. I have also heard conflicting things about lavender oil in first trimester, so probably best to avoid it early in pregnancy.

WBWC Board Update

by Kaaren Haldeman Happy New Year to everyone! We are starting off the new year by bringing in some great new people to serve on our board. You may even see some of the nominees at the birth center for tours and interviews. We are excited about expanding and beginning the process of raising money for our new birth center. We will welcome new board members in February, so keep an eye out for the next newsletter when we will introduce them. Have a great January, and let’s all look forward to the Year of the Dragon!

Feedback: Help the WBWC Help You!

By Claire C. McKiernan           Nine years ago, when I gave birth to my first child, I was given an in-depth Postpartum Care Guide from the birth center on what to expect of my baby and myself, and how to get myself back into the swing of things. I have no doubt that someone put a great deal of time into the guide, most likely in her very hard-to-find spare time. I found it enormously helpful, but as a former technical writer and editor, I was put off by the typos in the booklet. They just kept catching my eye. At first I overlooked it, but it gnawed at me. I was so thrilled with the care I received at the birth center that I truly wanted everything, right down to the dotted i’s and crossed t’s in the Postpartum Care Guide, to be impressive. I saw an opportunity for improvement and mentioned it to Maureen Darcey. It seemed so trifling that I’m not sure I expected much of a response. However, Maureen took my request very seriously. In fact, before the end of our conversation, she had already found a top-notch former technical writer and editor to revise the booklet! What’s my point? Maureen and the staff at The Women’s Birth and Wellness Center want you to know that they strive to make your visits as stress-free and pleasant as possible. In order to provide the best care possible, the staff needs your feedback, both good and bad. Even if it seems trifling, if it bothers you, it can probably be improved. If you are unhappy for any reason, have concerns, or suggestions for improvement, let Maureen Darcey or Brianna Honea (women@ncbirthcenter.org) know. All emails sent to Brianna concerning patient care will also be forwarded to Maureen. Additionally, you will receive a 6-week postpartum survey or GYN survey that prompts you for feedback. PLEASE fill this out, and if you have a grievance, leave your name so that Maureen or Brianna can contact you. They review each and every survey carefully and will follow-up with you if you had any concerns. Since its birth, the WBWC has grown, much like a child, by leaps and bounds. But also like a child, there may be times when caring guidance and advice are necessary for it to reach its full potential. While the WBWC staff asks for your patience and understanding … Read More

Birthing a New Birth Center

      You may not be seeing as much of Maureen Darcey, CNM around the birth rooms in 2012, but that doesn’t mean she’s not as busy as ever!  Starting in January, Maureen is going to be shifting her role at WBWC to help adjust to the changing needs of our growing birth center.  She’ll still be catching the occasional baby as back-up midwife during weekday business hours.  However, her new duties will be primarily administrative.  Additionally, she’s ready to focus her full attention on her long-standing goal: building a new birth center.  “My new job will be birthing the new birth center,” says Maureen.    This is no small task, and would be impossible while also continuing the 24-hour on-call shifts that our midwives work.  As you may know, the search for land on which to build the new facility is underway.  There’s still an enormous amount of work to be done in the way of fundraising, planning, and logistics over the next several years.  With her years of experience and her passionate vision for the birth center model of care, Maureen hopes to guide WBWC through this transition period into an even stronger future.   

Maji: The Gift of Life

(Maji: Kiswahili = water) by Kerrie Kurgat Deep inside of me, a stirring. Undulations. I didn’t know who, just as I hadn’t known for my previous two births. We would embrace a son or a daughter: joys, challenges, idiosyncrasies and all.   I had requested gender anonymity from the sonographer, who remained neutral, even in the ultrasound report which stated: “gender – normal.” Despite my protests, the test was requested by a midwife to confirm gestational age. It was more detailed due to my age (over 35 years), and I was grateful for the reassurance and levity that Dr. Wolfe proffered: “Can you believe they think you’re ‘old’?!”             It was the evening of October 5, 2010, my due date. I had taught my ESL classes as usual until two in the afternoon. Our children were already asleep while my husband and I prepared for bed. The painful contractions I was experiencing were not new; they had been percolating for weeks – precursors of the intense pressure that would thrust my baby into, I hoped, the warm water of the birthing tub.                         I lay in bed and jotted down the intervals of the contractions on yellow post-it notes: 11:56pm, 12:17am… In the early morning hours on October 6, I contacted the on-call midwife. “I’m having contractions – nothing longer than 25 seconds. Just wanted to let someone know.” She listened dutifully as I recited my contraction frequencies. “Why don’t you drink some tea and take a bath? Then try to get some sleep,” she suggested. I took her advice about the tea, but skipped the bath. At long last I slept.                         For a stretch of over an hour I felt no tensing or tightening. Then, rogue contractions periodically. Back to sleep. Jolted by pain in my lower back, I called WBWC and spoke with Allison. Though the labor was prodromal in nature, she validated my labor contractions. I asked her opinion about whether or not I should teach that morning. She supported the idea of canceling classes. Since I tested GBS positive, she recommended I come in early for a round of antibiotics.             At 11:45am, my husband and I were ushered into the blue room on the first floor. Sun streamed through slats in the blinds. Helen, the nurse, bustled about readying birthing equipment.      Five years ago, my son Nicholas had been born in … Read More

New Arrivals

  Top row: Isis Barbour, May Scudellari. Bottom row: Ari Morrow, Atticus Harkey, Jordan Gates  Violet Clove Sterner Miller – 7 lbs., 13 oz. – September 25May Elizabeth Scudellari – 8 lbs., 8 oz. – October 25Jordan Langdon Gates – 7 lbs., 8 oz. – November 5 Phoebe Rose Studson – 5 lbs., 5 oz. – November 7Kieran Leo Marchetti – 7 lbs., 15 oz. – November 10Atticus Larry Harkey – 8 lbs., 9 oz. – November 11Seth Smith – 8 lbs., 7 oz. – November 11Marlow Quinn – 8 lbs., 13 oz. – November 12Vera Lynn Caron – 7 lbs., 12 oz. – November 14Zoey Isabella Pilkington – 7 lbs., 14 oz. – November 15Sydney Devon Bridges – 6 lbs., 4 oz. – November 15William Lafayette Clements – 8 lbs., 6 oz. – November 17Isis Avani Barbour – 8 lbs. – November 18Kahlan Noelle Green – 8 lbs., 13 oz. – November 19Adlai Escher Naimi – 8 lbs., 10 oz. – November 19Malachi Liam Davidson – 8 lbs., 12 oz. – November 21Aram Gatling – 9 lbs., 5 oz. – November 23Adeline Mae Butler Grover – 8 lbs. – November 23Aspen Vivian Thomas – 9 lbs., 2 oz. – November 28Reed Elizabeth Mason – 8 lbs., 8 oz. – November 29 Ari Lincoln Morrow – 6 lbs., 15 oz. – November 30 Welcome to the world, Little Ones! If you would like your baby’s birth announced in the next newsletter, send an email with baby’s name, birth date, and weight to missy_swanson@hotmail.com.  You can also include a picture if you’d like!

WBWC Board Update

by Kaaren Haldeman The WBWC Board of Directors will be expanding in the new year! We are excited to welcome new board members as we energize our efforts to envision and plan for our new space. As part of the nomination process, board nominees will be interviewed by staff representing all strata of the WBWC workforce. Our hope is to have new members voted onto the board early in the new year. Many thanks to you all for your patience in this process. We are so pleased to bring on a highly motivated and diverse group to help us plan for our future. Connie, Meredith, and I would like to wish you all at WBWC a safe, healthy and happy holiday season! Powered by bank ifsc code

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A Midwife’s Experience in Panama

by Kate Layman, CNM On the first day of October 2011, I had the great fortune of joining a medical group in Bocas del Toro, Panama.  The Floating Doctors Team is a nonprofit 501 (c)3 with the mission of delivering healthcare to isolated coastal communities throughout the Caribbean. Before arriving in the Archipelago del Bocas, the group had been active in Jamaica, post-earthquake Haiti, and Honduras.   After weeks of reading their Facebook page, combing the website, and brushing up on my Spanish, I embarked on discovering a new country and delivering healthcare out of my usual role at the Birth Center. I landed in the township of Bocas, a patchwork of colorful buildings and tributes to the “Irie” existence. Dusty streets lined with hammock-strewn patios, fruit stands, and businesses pulsed with life.   I soon realized the stunning landscape truly reveals itself when you get out on the waterways woven among the islands.  Motorized boats and dugout canoes traverse these thoroughfares. Gazing over the side through crystal clear water, glimpses of stingrays, schools of fish, and a white sandy bottom race by.   My hopes were confirmed for an amazing adventure.   The home base for Floating Doctors was a 76-foot vessel called The Southern Wind.  Her nooks served as pharmacy, occasional exam room, sleeping quarters, and mission control for the group.  The troupe of volunteers was remarkable and diverse.  We were a collection of physicians, nurses, public health researchers, sailors, a pro-surfer and a midwife.   Life on the boat was a buzz of activity and comedy.  I often felt like I was on a floating medical hostel with moments of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.  Unfortunately, we were missing the sauna room, but the soundtrack was just as good.     The population in this area is incredibly diverse.  The presence of banana plantations and proximity to other Caribbean nations produced a mix of West Indians, Latinos, and more recently ex-pat retirees from all over the world.  Various indigenous populations also inhabit the far reaches of the islands and made up the majority of patients we served.    The group executes two to three clinics a week in the surrounding archipelago.   The most common ailments I encountered were gastrointestinal parasites, respiratory infections, and fungal skin infections, byproducts of the climate and lack of infrastructure.  Public health disparities abound.  Although fortunes from the Panama Canal provide free healthcare services to all Panamanians, a lack … Read More

News from the Board

by Kaaren Haldeman It was great to see so many WBWC staff, families, and supporters at our birthday party! Despite the chilly weather, we had a wonderful show of love for all of the hard work our midwives, nurses and other wonderful staff have done to give us another great year. Happy Birthday, WBWC!  The Board has been busy with board development, and we hope to have some new faces to introduce in the new year. We’re excited about what the next year will bring as we march along toward our goal of a new building. Happy Thanksgiving!