We are pleased to welcome Laura Meyers, CNM into her new role as midwife! Laura has been with WBWC in various capacities since 2013: first as a nurse, then as a student midwife, and now as a full-time CNM. Laura was inspired to become a midwife by the amazing women who took care of her during her own pregnancies and births. Her first birth was attended by a physician, and her subsequent pregnancies and home births were attended by midwives. The stark contrast between the holistic care she received from midwives and the care she received during her first pregnancy helped her realize that all women deserved that model of care, and that she wanted to be a part of delivering it. Having worked as a hospital Labor & Delivery nurse for nine years, Laura appreciates the unique care that the staff of WBWC are able to provide to women and their families. Laura was thrilled that her daughter was able to experience this first hand when her granddaughter was born in the peach room last fall. Her daughter is one of many women and their families who choose to drive over an hour seeking the midwifery model offered by the birth center staff. Laura has been married for over 30 years. She and her husband have three adult children. She enjoys reading, sewing, crochet and spending time with family. Laura looks forward to serving the women and families of WBWC for many years to come.  

By Tori Hinde Nancy Albrecht began her career with an interest in learning how people ticked and helping them when life was a challenge, earning a Master’s degree in psychology and counseling. But during the years she was raising her four amazing daughters, her passion became natural childbirth and breastfeeding education and support. She taught Lamaze classes and volunteered as a La Leche League Leader. “As a little girl, I always said I wanted to be a nurse – roles for women in the 1950’s were fairly limited to teacher, nurse, secretary, wife and mother. I rejected those stereotypes in the 60’s and thought I would be an engineer or mathematician or doctor!” said Nancy, Director of Clinical Nursing Services at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center. “Then Psychology and counseling became my direction, until I had my daughters. All roads led back to supporting, teaching, and caring for women, babies, and families, so I volunteered with LLL and became a childbirth educator.” As her children grew, she decided to return to school to pursue nursing as a career, focusing on maternal and child health, which allowed her to continue supporting and teaching families but also get paid for her work. Returning to school at the age of 40 with four daughters was not an easy road, but Nancy’s experience and perspective made her all the better student and nurse. “Being a mother and student helped me to focus on each part of my life more. As an adult learner, I was determined to understand all the information not just memorize the facts,” said Nancy. “My girls had to be more self-reliant and help take care of each other, but I tried to keep up our family traditions. The rule of the house was – don’t talk to mommy until she is out of her uniform!” Nancy’s relationship with WBWC started in 1987 when she sought a different birth experience for her fourth pregnancy and found the Birth Center in Siler City, NC. “When I went into labor that night 29 years ago, Maureen Darcey was on-call; she was my midwife and became my friend,” said Nancy. “Fast forward 18 years, I had been working as a nurse in OB/GYN for 10 years, Maureen had been operating WBWC for 10 years, and I needed a job. I became the first clinic nurse at WBWC on a part-time basis in 2006 and … Read More

By Allison Koch, CNM Worsening PMS, and all the suffering associated with it, is your early warning system that something big is happening to you. Your hormones are changing. This is usually the first symptom that women experience in perimenopause, even though they are still having regular menstrual cycles. Progesterone, the hormone that is in dynamic opposition to estrogen your body, has been gradually decreasing since you were about 30. In a normal cycle, the PMS symptoms caused by estrogen – edginess, impatience, headaches, food cravings – are balanced by the surge of progesterone that occurs when an egg is released. In our thirties, we begin to have the occasional anovulatory cycle. The ovaries pour out more and more follicle-stimulating hormone, attempting to get an egg released. When no egg is released, there will be no corresponding progesterone surge. No progesterone surge, no “softening” effect to balance out the edginess of all that estrogen which helped mature the follicle to release the egg. After a number of cycles without the progesterone surge, estrogen begins to dominate. The result is an increase in the estrogen-driven symptoms of PMS. Most women start feeling better once their period starts. In the days leading up to it, though, they can feel a range of heightened emotions from anxiety to anger, even rage. Estrogen has the effect on the brain of enhancing alertness/awareness and making us more sensitive to stimuli. But, estrogen is also involved in creating serotonin and serotonin receptors in the brain. But despite research, it is not yet understood why many women experience improvement in their mood after menopause. Perhaps the stabilizing of the hormonal rhythms of the perimenopausal years? Perhaps some other mechanism is at work? In the meantime… What can you do about it? Manage your stress. Exercise and physical activities that release endorphins are helpful. Your grandmother’s advice: get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water- that’s true. Make sure you’re eating regularly and well – if your blood sugar is stable, your insulin will be more stable, and avoiding those peaks and valleys of blood sugar will help stabilize mood. Avoid skipping meals and eat less simple sugars and carbs. One exception to that advice is dark chocolate, which is known to affect serotonin levels in the brain and lead to a feeling of well-being and even joy (for some of us!) There are several herbs (Lemon … Read More

  Emily Moody, RN has recently joined the WBWC staff as a full-time labor and delivery nurse.Emily grew up in Lexington, North Carolina.  She graduated with her nursing degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007.  She started as a medical-surgical nurse, but always knew that supporting and empowering women in labor was her passion.  It was the midwifery delivery of her first child that directed her to move towards women’s health where she has worked in the mother/baby and special care nursery settings.  She traces her fascination with pregnancy and her appreciation for the sacredness surrounding a woman in labor back to various opportunities as a child to see animals go through the beautiful, natural process of birth.  She considers it a privilege and dream to provide sensitive, informed, individualized support to women during the laboring process. Emily lives in Durham with her husband and 2 kids.  In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family, being outdoors, live bluegrass, good conversations, and volunteering with the local refugee community.

This summer Clinical Midwifery Director Sarah Dumas celebrates 10 years at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center. A second-generation midwife, Sarah joined WBWC in 2007 after completing her Master’s Degree at the University of New Mexico’s nurse midwifery program. “I met Maureen at a midwifery convention and we hit it off,” said Sarah Dumas, CNM. “I loved the idea of a birth center outside of a hospital. The only time I had seen it was my cousin’s birth at birth center.” Sarah grew up in an army family living in Germany, Kentucky and Washington, D.C. She met her husband Jed through birth – she caught his aunt’s baby. They now have an 18-month-old son. “I’m not sure Sarah realizes how much strength and confidence, as well as compassion and softness she exudes, and I’m always so amazed and in awe of it,” said Mariah Velazquez, CNM at WBWC. “You can see in every part of her that she truly cares about her patients, her fellow midwives, the students she works with, as well as herself as a midwife, woman. She has been involved with so many aspects of my growing as a student midwife and as a midwife and I appreciate it immensely. I feel like I have learned so much from her and have so much more that I am yet to learn from her.” Sarah embodies the meaning of midwife, which means “with woman.” “Sarah caught my 10lb 5oz stubborn and posterior son. I never once felt like I was alone through my long, intense labor,” said Ariel Walker, WBWC mom. “I wish every woman could have a midwife like Sarah.” At WBWC we value family-centered birth and Sarah has helped many patients and their families feel supported through pregnancy and childbirth. “Sarah was reassuring and calm, but her experience and knowledge made us all feel protected and safe during this process,” said Laura Ratcliffe Walker, grandmother of a WBWC baby. “She is the epitome of a quiet, caring professional. Sarah’s expertise made our grandson’s entry safe and loving.” Sarah’s strong, comforting presence is a gift to all mothers at WBWC. “I’ll never forget Sarah’s reassuring touch and graceful, calm presence throughout my first labor,” said Shannon Ritchie, WBWC mom. “During those ‘oh my, I don’t know if I can do this’ moments all it took was looking at Sarah and I knew I could and was in capable hands.” … Read More