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News

Latest news non-related to individual births.

MILC Moment: Breast Massage for Plugged Ducts and Mastitis

 When you get a plugged duct, it may start as a little lump in the breast. It may feel a little tender, and the skin over it might look more pink or red. If it doesn’t get better, it may get bigger and the congestion may start to spread to other areas of your breast. More of the skin might look red. You might feel body aches or chills, or get a low grade fever. If the congestion still doesn’t go away, you might start feeling worse – like you have the flu, with a high fever. At that point, you should definitely be calling WBWC (or your OB care provider) – “Help! I think I have mastitis!” A round of antibiotics will usually clear up mastitis pretty quickly. But we like to avoid antibiotics if we can, and of course we like to avoid you getting sick! Could we prevent a bad case of mastitis? Plugged ducts, engorgement, and mastitis can sometimes be treated with just our hands – just by clearing out those congested areas before your breasts get really inflamed. A lot of the suggestions you read online suggest getting behind the plug and forcing it forward. We used to do this too, until we learned new techniques from an IBCLC named Maya Bolman, who teaches LCs about traditional Russian breast massage and hand expression, which can work much better than pumping for a plugged duct. If you’re getting a plugged duct, or if you feel like your plugged duct is getting worse, check out this video for techniques from Maya on how to massage and hand express to help clear your breasts: https://vimeo.com/65196007 All the WBWC LCs, and many of the midwives and nurses, have been trained on how to do breast massage to help clear plugged ducts and breast congestion. If you feel like a plugged duct is getting worse, and you’re not able to clear it yourself, you can call for an appointment to get some hands-on help. If you believe you are getting mastitis, or have mastitis, you should always call WBWC (or your OB care provider) for care. Do not delay in getting care for mastitis, as it can become more serious if it is not treated. Some cases of mastitis require the use of antibiotics for treatment. We hope that you never have to deal with plugged ducts, engorgement, or mastitis, but … Read More

Grilled Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

Ingredients: 2 ears fresh corn, husk and silk removed Juice of 1 lime 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp honey 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into halves 1 ripe Hass avocado, roughly chopped 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro Grill corn over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, turning as necessary.  The corn should have some brown spots and be tender but not mushy.   Cut the corn off the cob, and scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices.   Set aside and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil, honey, salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne.  Add the grilled corn, tomatoes, and cilantro, and mix well so that everything is coated with the dressing,  Gently mix in the avocado, being careful not to mash it as you mix.   Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Sebastian’s Birth

by Emily Malpass      Before I started making lovely little people, I made lovely little pottery. Two years ago, at the height of optimism/naïveté when I was expecting my first child, I agreed to an exhibition just a month after she was born. I had a wonderful pregnancy and impeccable care from WBWC, took an in-depth birth class with my supportive, involved husband, hired a doula, wrote and rewrote our birth plan, ate my 100 grams of protein every day, did everything from yoga to perineal massage. In my mind, I was completely prepared for birth, doing everything “right.” So how did that labor go? One of my pieces from that exhibition tells the story best: it’s a fragile, unfired, handmade clay vessel with thin red sewing thread sewn around it like a crazed cocoon, stuffed with dryer lint and strips of my birth plan, which I had shredded.      Yikes, I know. Don’t worry. I called the Birth Center when my days turned dark, and Nancy referred me to a therapist specializing with postpartum women (who has dealt with these issues herself). I also met with one of the WBWC midwives who attended our birth. She reviewed the events of my birth and why we had transferred to the hospital, listened compassionately to my concerns, and validated my physical and emotional state as appropriate to what I’d gone through. This extended support from WBWC was critical in my emotional healing process.  As my body eventually came (completely! miraculously!) back together from birth, my mind became clearer and my anxieties calmed. Then the longest shortest year ever had passed, and a few months later, we were expecting Ruby’s baby brother!    This time, a trusted friend recommended Hypnobabies as a different way to prepare for birth, and I worked through the home course. I listened to the meditations and relaxation tracks during naps with my toddler, and played the affirmations aloud on my drive home from work and while I did housework or fiddled around in my clay studio at night. I immediately latched onto the mantra, “this is a new birth and a new baby, unique unto itself,” but I scoffed when I heard things like, “my body knows how to give birth, nice and easy.” One night several weeks into the daily affirmation practice, I had an “aha.” The body that was going to give birth … Read More

Spotlight: Wendy Fields, FNP

WBWC has a new Family Nurse Practitioner! We are excited to annouce that Wendy Fields, FNP, has recently joined our staff.Wendy grew up in the Boston area. She began her journey in women’s health after giving birth to her first child in 2000 with the assistance of a certified nurse-midwife in Philadelphia. For Wendy, the experience of becoming a mother was so life-altering that she left her career as a writer and PhD student in English to pursue a career that would come to revolve around partnering with people and communities to improve their health and well-being.         While mostly staying at home with her first two young children, she became a childbirth educator and birth doula. She taught Birthing from Within at her home, and later Prepared Childbirth at UNC Hospitals. She also attended births as a doula at hospitals, homes, and birth centers, including WBWC, after she moved to Durham in 2005. She returned to school for her ABSN degree at Duke University, graduating in 2009, and worked as an RN at UNC Hospitals. She then returned to school and earned her MSN and Family Nurse Practitioner certification at UNC in 2013.     Her third child was born at WBWC, with Allison and Emily in attendance, in 2012. Prior to joining WBWC, she worked as a family nurse practitioner for two years, providing full-scope primary care to families at the Caswell County Health Department. She joins WBWC thrilled to be “coming home” to the holistic model of health. She is happy to provide all of your primary care needs, whether or not pregnancy is in your future plans. Particular interests include preventive healthcare and wellness, and working with marginalized communities, including people of color, religious minorities, and LGBT individuals. Wherever you are today with your health, Wendy looks forward to walking with you toward better health and more happiness!

New Class at WBWC! Caring for Your Newborn

Women’s Birth and Wellness is now offering a Caring for Your Newborn class for expecting parents! This class is taught by two of our own labor and delivery nurses. Asha Oakes, RN and Emily Slaughterbeck, RN will help you learn the basic baby care you need to know before heading home with your newborn.       This is a hands-on class where you will practice diapering, dressing and swaddling. Topics will also include preparing for your baby, you and your baby’s postpartum stay at the birth center, newborn procedures, bathing, safe sleep, basic breastfeeding info, baby communication, meeting your baby’s needs, your baby’s health in the first days and weeks, and taking care of yourselves! Photo credit: Heart in Hands Photography            This class is offered every other month on the second Thursday of the month from 6:30-8:30 here at the Birth Center. The price of $30 dollars includes mom plus a support person for the individual class, or save money and purchase a class bundle for $100.  The class bundle includes four classes: Breastfeeding Basics, Express Yourself (pumping and bottle feeding), Caring for Your Newborn, and Pass the Puree (starting solids with your baby).  There is a sliding scale for Medicaid/Strong Start Participants.  You can find out dates and times and sign up for these classes by stopping by or calling the front desk! What people are saying about the Caring for Your Newborn class: “The most important part to me was the swaddling and cloth diaper presentation. Great class!”- Class Participant “I really enjoyed the info about baby communication and swaddling. All of the info in the class was helpful and important!” –Expectant Mother “I thought this class was well worth the time. Thanks!”-Expectant Father “The most important part to me was what to expect as soon as the baby is born and in the first few days!” –Class Participant

At the Boutique

Come on by and get some sweet NC gear for your locally-grown baby! These adorable onesies and shirts are made by a mom in Durham.  We’ve got onesies in size 3-6 months or 6-12 months, and tanks and 3/4 length shirts in size 2T. Fun colors and designs available! Stop by the Boutique. You won’t regret it.

Spotlight: Belinda Lashea, CNM

We are pleased to welcome Belinda Lashea, CNM, to the WBWC staff. Many of our WBWC families have gotten to know Belinda during her time here as a student midwife. Now that she has graduated from ECU’s Nurse-Midwifery program, she is making the transition to full-time WBWC Nurse-Midwife. Belinda has dedicated her life to midwifery and serving women and is an experienced birth attendant. A mother of three, she became fascinated with midwifery after the homebirth of her second child in 1998. Over the next eight years, she apprenticed and assisted two Certified Professional Midwives and attended homebirths in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina.  In 2007, she moved to Chapel Hill, and earned her BSN from UNC Chapel Hill in 2012, and then began her studies at ECU. When she’s not attending births, Belinda enjoys travel, her horse, hiking, camping, and Carolina Women’s basketball.  She is excited to be starting this new phase of her career. “I already feel that I am part of the family at WBWC. I look forward to getting to know each of you, the women and families that make up our beautiful woman-centered community!”

At the Boutique

Avoid those pesky bug bites without using harmful chemicals! The Boutique has a variety of natural bug repellents that are safe for you and your little ones! Brands include Badger, Thistle Farms, Wishgardens, Moondance and Herban Roots. Prices start at just $6. Stop by the Boutique. You won’t regret it.

Women’s Healthy Weight week 2014 January 19th – 25th

When I was asked to create an article for our newsletter about Healthy Weight Week, I hesitated for just a moment. After all, my BMI puts me far outside the “normal weight” range! I agreed to write about Healthy Weight Week because I am both a healthcare provider and a woman who has struggled with her weight throughout her lifetime. While I know the health benefits of maintaining a normal weight, I know all too well the health effects of being outside of it. My Struggle with Weight Although I am in the “obese” category according to my BMI, I am at the healthiest weight I’ve been in 20 years. It is no exaggeration to say that my weight has been an issue for me almost my entire life. Manipulation of food and dieting is so widespread in my family that they have become a sort of pastime for many of us. What I have not learned to address until recently are the reasons that I manipulate food and consume it for uses other than the nourishment of my body. Food has been a comfort to me in hard times, and been a part of the celebration at joyous events. It has required vigilance and great effort on my part to find other ways to cope with difficult times and celebrate during the happy ones. Motivation for Change Change is difficult and, at times, even painful. One must have some sort of motivation to initiate and sustain change. New Year’s resolutions, graduations, and job interviews have been some motivators in the past. Those events have been strong enough to help me to lose as much as 30 pounds in the past, but when the occasion passed or “life got in the way”, I would go back to my old habits and re-gain every bit of weight I’d lost. A few years ago, I fell in love with my fiance and found my biggest and best motivator: becoming a mother. My desire to some day have a healthy pregnancy and be the best mom I can be led me to make drastic changes in the way I eat. It is also what drives me to get out of bed early in the morning to exercise! Baby Steps At my highest weight, I was more than 130 lbs away a “normal” BMI. Setting that as my goal would have been way too … Read More

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month!

Did you know that cervical cancer used to be the leading terminal cancer among women in the United States? We have seen a 70% decrease in cervical cancer rates over the last 50 years, thanks to the introduction of the Pap test. According to the CDC, cervical cancer still accounts for a quarter of a million deaths annually. However, 85% occur in developing countries due to lack of screening and access to preventative care. In the United States, we are fortunate enough to have access to cervical cancer screening with the Pap test and the capability to detect human papillomavirus (HPV). Almost all cases of cervical cancer are linked to persistent HPV infections. The Pap test has allowed us to detect an increased risk of developing cervical cancer in women of all ages. The climate surrounding cervical cancer screening is shifting toward a “less is more” approach. Historically, many women associate their annual exam with getting a Pap test. We now know that cervical cancer screening isn’t necessary every year for the majority of healthy women. Due to its sensitivity and our increasing knowledge about the progression of cervical cancer, annual Pap tests may create false alarms that needlessly subject women to painful follow-up tests. Evidence based research is finding that we can actually detect precursors to cervical cancer too soon. Most cervical cancers progress slowly and some of these precancerous cells will go away without medical treatment. Cervical cancer’s slow progression has allowed us to now recommend less frequent screening without compromising health outcomes. The idea is to improve health by avoiding unnecessary procedures and painful biopsies that may be harmful. According to the American Cancer Society, Pap tests should begin at age 21 and be offered every three years for low risk, healthy women. At ages 30 to 65, we recommend a Pap test every three years or every five years if women are HPV negative. A shift in the frequency of testing is a significant and promising change in the health care environment that opposes the “more is better” mind-set. By understanding your risk and current recommendations, WBWC hopes to empower you to navigate your own health care. Our Birth Center offers cervical cancer screening and the time to discuss your individual screening needs during wellness appointments. Always love your body, especially your cervix. But, maybe not every year.

Compare / Contrast: Hygeia vs. Medela double electric breast pumps

Introduction I’m a PhD student at UNC Chapel Hill, I’m exclusively pumping and do five sessions a day, two at work and three at home. I was lucky that my mom paid for one pump and insurance paid for the other. Rosalind at Women’s Birth & Wellness Boutique helped us decide that the Hygeia EnJoye was the best fit for my needs. However, the durable medical equipment supplier that my insurance used didn’t offer Hygeia, so I chose a Medela Pump in Style Advanced. I keep the Hygeia at home and stash the Medela at Mercury Studio Durham, NC in a locker. Overall Experience I like my Hygeia better than my Medela based on how they work. The Hygeia has two separate dials, one which controls strength and one which controls speed. The Medela has one dial that controls strength and a button that changes speeds to either fast (for let-down) or slow. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I feel like it’s easier to respond well to the pump when I can have more control over it. Both pumps are around the same size and weight. The Hygeia at full speed, full suction is louder than the Medela. The Hygeia comes with a set of buttons to record and play back sounds that can encourage letdown, but I never got in the habit of using them. I just occasionally accidentally play the sound of myself accidentally hitting the record button. It would be nice if there was a way to cover these so they don’t get bumped. Cleaning The Medela does one thing better – it’s really good about not getting milk or moisture in the tubes, and the Hygeia tends to have a problem with that. However, it’s easier to clean out the Hygeia tubes because they’re softer and bigger. I clean the Hygeia tubes this way: Soak them in warm soapy water Run tap water through them Blow gently into one end with your mouth about an inch away to clear out most of the water. Pour some rubbing alcohol through the tube and squeeze it through the tube from the outside. Hang from the middle and squeeze out any additional liquid. There are other methods but this is the one that I’ve found to work best. So far I haven’t needed to clean out the Medela tubes, I just let the pump run for a … Read More

Our New Arrivals December 2013

                            Hudson James Davis – 6 lb, 9 oz. December 1 Austin Bret Wisenbaker – 8 lb, 2 oz. December 2 Zoey Angelina Koplar – 7 lb, 10 oz. December 3 Jonathan Thomas Lujan – 9 lb, 10 oz. December 5 Rhett Michael Hancock – 7lb, 8 oz. December 7 Paul Hercule Mark Hartley – 7 lb, 15 oz.   December 9 * Kiersten Chardonnay Bowles – 7 lb, 8 oz. December 9 Juliana Helen Dias – 7 lb, 13 oz. December 9 Lena De los Angeles Villegas Palacios – 7 lb, 2 oz. December 11 * Naomi Ehresman – 8 lb, 11 oz. December 11 * Liam Verhaeghe – 8 lb, 11 oz. December 11 * Zuri Noelle Johnson ​- 7 lb, 8 oz. December 13 David Gregory Pan – 7 lb, 3  oz. December 13 * Jericho Maliyah Codispoti – 7 lb, 5 oz. December 15  Victor Marcus Ruff – 7 lb, 15 oz. December 19 Archer Miles Henry Gottschalk – 7 lb, 5 oz. December 22 Gabriel Ransom Bean – 8 lb, 5 oz. December 23 Gavin Josiah Auwaerter – 8 lb, 2 oz. December 27 * Monica Jolie Bennett – 6 lb, 5 oz. December 28 * pictured above Total WBWC December babies 29  Previous months Ellis Marie Coxen – 7 lbs, 2 oz. September 29             Ivy Pier – 5 lb, 2 oz. October 29 * Cameron Joseph Poplak – 7 lbs. November 25 Welcome to the World, Sweet Babies!