Happy New Year

From Our Family To Yours!

Community Prenatal Care

First session for June due dates will be January 11. Reserve your spot in your group now! 

Call 919-933-3301, x207 or email nurses@ncbirthcenter.org 

Community Prenatal Care (CPC) at WBWC is a unique program designed to meet the needs of families delivering at our birth center. It is an an alternative to traditional prenatal care. After your first two prenatal visits in the clinic, you can choose CPC: monthly group visits alternating with individual clinic visits until your baby is born.

Inspired by an evidence-based model of offering prenatal care to women in a group setting and research that indicates a higher level of satisfaction, increased knowledge of pregnancy, and fewer preterm births for women in group prenatal care.

CPC consists of six 90-minute group sessions that include health checks for you and baby, time to ask questions and share advice and support with other moms/families with due dates close to yours, information from the midwife and nurse facilitators.  

 The group setting is focused on you and your family. This type of prenatal care enhances your ability to make decisions about your own care, and builds your confidence in your ability to birth, feed, and parent your baby.

You can read FAQ about CPC at www.ncbirthcenter.org.

Everett Wes Leonard's Birth

By Jen Leonard

Friday, November 4th (almost 41 weeks), I woke up around 3:30 AM with contractions every ten minutes. I had already had this kind of “false” or “early labor” a few days earlier, so I didn’t get too excited. I tried to lay there, relax, and doze between them. By 6:00 AM, they were slightly more painful, and varying between 8-10 minutes apart. I still wasn’t letting myself get too excited. I haven’t had spontaneous labor since Emma, our oldest. All the others were either Pitocin-induced (water broke, but labor didn’t start), or castor oil induced.

I went downstairs, opened our back door, and breathed in the cool morning air. It was especially crisp that morning. My parents were up; they came to stay with us to help watch our other 9 kiddos when we went to have the baby, but I didn’t tell them I was having contractions yet. I think I finally mentioned it just before going to wake hubby up around 7:00, but I said it in a “no big deal” kind of way. I was sure it was false labor, and it would fizzle out momentarily.

Hubby and I sat and had a cup of coffee, chatting and enjoying the quiet of the house.

Once I started to bring kids downstairs, my contractions started picking up. I had to stop while I had them, breathe through them, and even change positions. It was then that I knew, these weren’t stopping, I was in labor! Around 8:00, I paged the on-call midwife, and quickly got a call back. I let her know that I felt I was in real labor, and we agreed that I should head in. My parents took charge of the kiddos, and my four oldest (15, 12, 10, and 10) all pitched in to help hold down the fort.

We got to the birth center around 9:20, but we didn’t rush in. We drove slowly, and enjoyed the fall colors that seemed to pop overnight. Once at the birth center, the midwife checked me out, and we discovered I was already a good 5 cm, with bulging waters, and a baby deep in my pelvis. “Wow! This is happening fast!” I said a quick prayer of thanks, and we all discussed my laboring goals. I told them that I would love to walk around outside the center, and they were very encouraging. I just needed to pop in often to listen to baby and get checked out. No problem!

Hubby and I strolled outside, and God blessed us with *THE* most amazing fall morning to labor. Words just don’t do it justice. The wind blew loose leaves from the trees, and they rained down on us. The birds and squirrels scurried around collecting food as I breathed through each contraction. Friendly people came and went and smiled at us, as they witnessed us laboring outside. I saw a midwife friend and nurse, who wished me luck and said they were so happy that I was laboring that day.

Contractions started picking up around 11:00. I stopped my waddle, grabbed my belly, bent my knees, and started my momma-cow lowing. My hubby clung to me, rubbing my back, kissing my cheek, and reminded me how much he loved me. The support from that man always leaves me speechless. The way he is always the perfect balance of “there for me”, but never doing the “wrong thing” during labor…. it’s as though he can read my mind. Which, after 13 (almost 14) years of marriage, and 10 kids, I’ll bet he can! He prays for me, he whispers in my ear that I’m amazing, he rubs my aching back, wraps his arms around me to support me when my knees get weak. He’s amazing. I could not do this without him. His voice is my soothing “labor music”, and his touch is my “pain relief”.

We headed back to our room, as I was starting to feel the urge to push. The nurse quickly

filled the tub, and I collapsed into the warm water. My hubby stroked my head, and we were pushing in no time. That warm water, though. Oh my, how it relaxes me and takes so much of the pain away! When pushing began, I can honestly say that was the FIRST real pain I had. I had labored all that time with little to no pain. It was amazing.   I think I pushed maybe 6-8 times and he was born, in the CAUL, just like our eighth child (and second son). This was supposed to be a rare thing, but it’s happened to us now, twice! Crazy! Everette “Wes” was born, and gurgled a bit, so we were all anxiously trying to get him cleared, and then the most beautiful sound…his cry. My eyes welled with tears, and I soaked up my biggest, beautiful 10th baby. He was 8 lbs., 13.5 oz, 22 inches long! He nursed right away, and is my most peaceful baby yet!

I can’t describe how full and happy my heart is, having this beautiful labor, and birth… and this beautiful little boy to add to our “little” family! We are all so thankful for him! He's our *5th* WBWC baby, and I'm so glad that we've had these 5 amazing birth experiences! Women's Birth and Wellness Center is just *the* best group of midwives I've ever been blessed to know! 

Birth Announcements

Welcome, Sweet Babies!

*Peter Henry Souroullas – October 31 – 9 lbs.

Escher Mayes Prince – November 1 – 8 lbs., 8 oz.

Ava Leigh Coggins – November 3 – 6 lbs., 15 oz.

*Jackson Reed Howes – November 3 – 6 lbs., 2.5 oz.

Benjamin James Mills – November 3 - 8 lbs., 8 oz.

*Everett Wes Leonard – November 4 – 8 lbs., 13 oz.

*Ismael Saif Mohamed – November 6 - 8 lbs., 5.5 oz.

Daniel Warren Plating – November 9 – 8 lbs., 11 oz.

Bert Durham – November 9 - 8 lbs., 4 oz.

Adeline Isabella Brattoli – November 11 – 8 lbs., 2.5 oz.

Samuel Thomas Robertson – November 12 – 8 lbs., 15.5 oz.

Judah Bear Coburn – November 15 – 7 lbs., 14 oz.

Evangeline Hope DeAssis – November 16 – 8 lbs., 4 oz.

Ian Matthias Cromwell – November 18 - 5 lbs., 10 oz.

Immanuel Benito Luciano – November 22 – 9 lbs., 2 oz.

Lydia Mae Strickling – November 24 – 8 lbs., 9 oz.

Amelia Grace Engelhart – November 24 – 6 lbs., 4 oz.

November stats:

Total babies born: 32

Biggest baby: 11 lbs., 4 oz.

Smallest baby: 5 lbs., 10.5 oz.

To be included in this celebratory list, please email Missy at missy@ncbirthcenter.org 

with your baby's birth announcement information that includes 

their name, date of birth, and birth weight as well as a photo, if available.

If you would like to send us your birth story along with photos,

we are happy to include that in a future newsletter!

Spotlight: Tianna Dean, RN

WBWC’s nursing staff is expanding! Tianna Dean, RN moved to NC from Texas to join us as a full-time nurse. Since September, she’s been providing labor, delivery, and postpartum care, as well as doing home visits.  Her warm, comforting bedside manner, thorough knowledge of women’s health, and dedication to the midwifery model of care have made her an excellent addition to our team.

Tianna graduated from Southern Union State in Alabama and has been working as a nurse since 2013. Her husband’s career as a US Army Ranger has given her the opportunity to provide nursing care across the country. She has worked at large Level I trauma centers in Columbus, GA and El Paso, TX, and has served our military women and spouses at Martin Army Medical Center.

She gained invaluable experience as a labor and delivery nurse in a high-risk setting. However, her strong desire to provide nursing care in an out-of-hospital setting inspired her to make the big move when an opportunity to work at WBWC arose.   She is passionate about supporting women through empowered birthing choices, education, and excellent quality care. Tianna is continuing her commitment to women’s health care by pursuing her Master’s at Frontier Nursing University and plans to become a midwife.

Outside of work, Tianna stays busy raising her 5 amazing children, ages 7 months to 17 years, entertaining, and decorating her home.

“I am blessed to be able to serve women every day, and I gain a wealth of wisdom from the amazing midwives and nurse practitioners I work with!”

We Love Referrals!

The best compliment we can receive is a referral from you. We hope that you enjoyed your time with us so much you'll tell your friends. You'll receive a $25 gift card after their visit!

Recipe: Mulled Apple Cider

Fill your house with the wonderful smell of apples and spice, and warm up with this delicious drink!

4 whole cinnamon sticks

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

8 whole allspice berries

Peel from 1 orange

Peel from 1 lemon

1/2 cup maple syrup

6 cups unfiltered apple juice or cider

Place cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, allspice berries, orange peel, and lemon peel in a medium saucepan. Pour in maple syrup and apple juice, then bring to almost a boil. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and serve in mugs.

from http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/mulled-apple-cider/

Check In on Facebook for 10% Off Boutique Purchases!

The Birth of Oliver William

by Kendra Broo

For the past few months, I have been wondering how this birth story would read.  With our first son, Arlo, we had a wonderful birthing experience.  Erik and I were freshly graduated students of our Bradley birthing classes, and after an easy, enjoyable pregnancy there was no reason I was planning on anything other than a smooth labor and delivery.  Fortunately for all of us it was, and we were able to have a natural, out-of-hospital birth at the local birthing center.

Fast forward to two years later.  We found out I was pregnant with baby number two just before Arlo's second birthday.  Having had an easy, enjoyable pregnancy the first time around, I expected the same again.  Much to my surprise, this one did not go as smoothly.  I spent the first 14 weeks nauseated throughout most of the day, with fatigue so extreme at times I felt like I could barely care for our toddler.  Just as the nausea started to subside, I came down with an awful case of the flu which kept me home and out of work for nearly three weeks.  The rest of the pregnancy was filled with feelings of anxiety, heartburn, swollen ankles, and some pretty intense back and rib pain.  None of which I had experienced before.  Early in the third trimester I was told that this baby, we choose not to find out the gender this time, was in the OP (sunny side up) position, but not to worry since it was still early and he/she would likely turn by the time I was full term.  Every appointment that followed confirmed that baby was still comfortably hanging out OP, and every birth story that I read about birthing a baby in this position talked about everything from extreme back labor to a long pushing phase to broken tailbones.  I was doing all the exercises recommended to turn this baby, but nothing seemed to be working.  In the last few weeks leading up to the birth, I had fully convinced myself that I would be experiencing a long, hard labor - likely with complications related to the baby's position.

The actual birth story I think really starts the day before the birth.  I was 39 weeks and 4

days, nearly a week longer than I went with Arlo.  I was getting anxious to meet baby and starting to worry about going well past the due date.  Leading up to Arlo's birth, I had a full six days notice that labor was imminent.  I had starting losing my mucous plug nearly a week before and was also having braxton-hicks contractions that were increasing in both frequency and intensity.  This time around, I expected the same signals telling me that my body was getting ready for labor.  But the only changes I noticed in the days before the birth were a slight increase in the braxton-hicks, which were still far too mild for me to think anything was about to happen, and an increase in pelvic pressure - although I knew both could last for a week or two before true labor started.  And so, I was growing worried that I was approaching my due date without any hint that this baby wanted to exit my body anytime soon.


So, I figured I should start trying to get things moving.  I went for a long morning walk with Arlo, dumped extra hot sauce on my lunch, and that afternoon I googled "natural ways to induce labor."  I read through lists of old wives tales until I came across a website that stated " The best advice to past-due women longing for that first contraction? Skip the home remedies, eat right, rest and enjoy those last few days of pregnancy as much as possible. The safest and healthiest labor is one that starts spontaneously."  And immediately I realized how true that was.  I decided to just relax and try to stop wondering when it was going to happen.

That evening, both Erik and I were unusually tired.  As well, Arlo had taken a shorter than usual nap that afternoon and was showing signs of being tired well before his usual bedtime.  So we put Arlo to sleep early and headed to bed ourselves, nearly two hours earlier than usual.  While Erik was getting Arlo ready for bed, I had the urge to quickly tidy the downstairs living room and kitchen, despite feeling as tired as I was.  When I went to sleep that night I had no idea what was about to happen next.  I don't remember having a single contraction that entire evening before we went to bed, and I certainly had no other indication that I would wake up anything other than my usual pregnant self. 
It was 1:00am exactly when I felt the first contraction.  My first thought as I woke up was "what the hell?!  who is doing that to me??"  I realized I was having a contraction, but decided immediately that the braxton-hicks were just deciding to pick up in intensity and it probably meant nothing.  I dozed lightly until around 1:20 when I felt another.  Slightly annoyed that I was awake so early and would probably have a hard time getting back to sleep (I had been also dealing with some pregnancy-related insomnia for the past month or two) I decided to just lay there and see what happened next.  I had a few more contractions and ended up getting up to go to the bathroom where I noticed that I was losing small amounts of my mucus plug.  Around that time I decided I was probably in early labor, but by 1:45am the contractions were less than five minutes apart, and growing stronger.  I fought the urge to try and ignore them, climb back in bed, and turn on Netflix - my usual coping mechanism with the middle-of-the-night insomnia I was growing accustomed to.


At this point I started wrestling with feelings of what to do next.  On one hand - I had a

really fast labor last time around.  Active labor lasted just five hours with Arlo, and the midwives had warned me that this time would likely be much shorter.  On top of that, we now had a good 45 minute car ride to the birthing center, much longer if we were to wait until later in the morning and hit rush hour traffic.  But on the other hand, I couldn't help but think about the baby's OP position and how, in my mind, I was going to have a longer labor this time around.  As well, I really didn't want to wake anyone up - Erik, the midwives, Arlo, or friends to care for Arlo.  So I decided to just labor a bit on my own.  I went back and forth between the bed and the bathroom.  I was timing them at this point, and they were around four minutes apart lasting around 45 seconds each.  Part of me knew that I should at least wake Erik up and let him know what was going on, and the other part of me was hungry and wanted to eat.  So of course, the stubborn, pregnant side of me decided to head downstairs to have a bowl of cereal before I woke Erik up.  If this was true labor I was going to need to eat before things got more intense.  I had no sooner set the milk on the counter top when I was hit with a contraction that brought me to my hands and knees on the floor.  It was during that moment I knew what I had to do next.


Erik had been sleeping in a spare room next to ours for the final months of my pregnancy - my tossing and turning was keeping us both awake and we both slept better in separate beds.  Just shy of 3:00am, I quietly tiptoed in his room - partly feeling really silly for waking him up when I was feeling completely fine between contractions, and partly thinking about the next strong contraction that was probably now only a minute or two away.  I woke him up and said something like "hey, I think I am in labor and we might need to go to the birthing center soon."  He sleepily asked me if I was having contractions or if I was timing them or something like that.  I don't even know if I answered before the next wave hit and I was suddenly on hands and knees on his bed moaning my way through the contraction.  Suddenly wide awake, he literally jumped out of bed saying "yup, this is happening" as he ran into our bedroom to change his clothes; he knew those moans well, having coached me through my previous labor.


I told him I wanted to eat before we left, and he was already scrambling to get things together so we could get out the door.  I calmly reminded him we still needed to call the midwives to let them know we were coming.  Erik called and got the answering service, who asked him questions related to my progress so they could relay the message to the midwife on-call.  I was contracting every three to four minutes at this point, and after answering a string of questions he grew frustrated and I heard him (almost shout into the phone) "I don't know, but my wife is having a baby!" 


Minutes later the on-call midwife called us back and asked us the same questions again.  Erik finally handed me the phone and after she heard me moan through a contraction she said to head in and she would meet us at the birthing center.  Erik made us some toast at my request, all the while growing increasingly anxious and saying things like "I hope we make it there."  And eventually I started to wonder the same thing.  Luckily we had already packed the car with our birthing bags and the infant car seat.  I told Erik to let out our dog and to feed both her and the cats before we left as we didn't know when we would be returning.  He then ran upstairs to wake up Arlo and get him loaded into the car.  


What happened next is one of my favorite parts of the story and something I never want to forget.  I put on my shoes and headed into the garage, about to get into the car.  I realized that I should probably try and explain what was going on to Arlo because he would likely get scared or concerned when he heard me having contractions.  I opened the back door, where Arlo was already buckled in his seat, and he looked at me and asked "mommy, where are we going?"  I told him simply "to meet the baby."  His eyes opened wide and his mouth formed a perfect little round shape.  "Ohhhh, exciting!!" he responded with a big smile on his face.  It was such a sweet, genuine response from my little guy who had been waiting for so long to be a big brother.  It's a moment I want to remember forever.


Backing out of the driveway at 3:40am, headed to the birthing center with our toddler sitting in his car seat directly behind me, felt surreal.  I had never planned on going into labor in the middle of the night and in my mind if I did I was going to spend a few hours laboring at home before we left the house.  When Erik started up the car, my Chris Stapelton CD started playing and instantly I was drawn into his deep, calming voice.  Before I had the first contraction of the drive I restarted the CD so I could scan through my favorite songs as we drove.  During the contractions, I focused on the music and lyrics and almost felt hypnotized.  I couldn't be on hands and knees and still be buckled in so I had positioned my body to be as much on my side as I could, with my head somewhat over the center console and holding on to the back of the drivers seat as I needed to.  Between contractions I sang along quietly and reassured Arlo that I was doing okay and these were the noises I had to make for the baby to come.  He didn't seem too phased by the whole experience and surprisingly stayed wide awake the entire drive.  

Erik was completely in driving mode - hands gripping the wheel at three and nine as we drove 80-90 mph down the nearly empty highway. During the drive I attempted to text and call my friend, Rhianna, who was on-call to pick up Arlo from the birthing center should I go into labor in the middle if the night.  She didn't wake up for the calls, but in the end it ended up being a blessing and I realized it all worked out the way it did for a really good reason.


We pulled into the parking lot of the birthing center just 29 minutes after we left the house - certainly making record time.  When we had arrived to the birthing center when in was in labor with Arlo I was mid-transition and can barely remember walking inside the building.  This time, I was still feeling completely normal between contractions and walked in the door like nothing was happening.  Erik carried in Arlo and the midwife and nurse were just inside to greet us.  I asked if he remembered which of the four birthing rooms I had Arlo in, and he pointed to one of the doors.  Since we were the only people in labor at the time, I had my choice of room and was really happy we could welcome this baby in the same exact place that Arlo came into the world.


I went straight for the bed and had a contraction almost right away.  I asked the midwife, Lydia, if she wanted to check my dialation status to see how far along I was.  As she was checking she felt around for a little while without saying anything.  I started to worry (do you see a trend here?  yes, I am a natural worrier) and told her if I was only two centimeters or something not to even tell me.  She said she felt the head, bag of waters, that I was 9cm, and the baby still had to move down a good bit.  This was exactly where I was when I had arrived to give birth to Arlo.  Erik and I exchanged glances, this was really going to happen and probably pretty soon.  We were going to meet our baby and Arlo was about to become a big brother!


Being the middle of summer and almost always uncomfortably hot, the thought of getting into a warm tub did not sound appealing at all.  I had used the tub for pain management during Arlo's birth but had no desire to this time, so I stayed where I was on the bed.  It felt like the contractions had started to space themselves out since our arrival at the birthing center, but since I was no longer timing them I can't say for sure.  They were still what I would call pretty moderate in intensity, I definitely had to moan and work through them but they were by no means unbearable.  Between contractions I sat up and chatted with the midwife, nurse, and Erik who was sitting in a rocking chair nearby holding our slightly stunned looking toddler.  I don't remember what we talked about but I remember laughing a few times and at one point I told them we hadn't decided on a boys name yet which somehow Erik had turned into a joke and we all laughed.  At one point I almost felt silly were were all just sitting around waiting for the baby to come.  Here it was, the middle of the night practically, and I was feeling completely fine between contractions.  I mentioned that I felt like labor was slowing down a bit and that I didn't even feel like I had hit transition yet.  Lydia said she thought I had, and that it was normal for things to slow down sometimes upon arriving in a new place.  Not two minutes later I was hit with the most intense contraction yet, and immediately after told her how I regretted saying what I had just said.


After I had been laboring at the birthing center for 30-40 minutes or so, I asked Lydia how I could encourage the baby to move down.  She said what I was doing with frequent position changes would help, but we could also try the peanut ball.  My friend Katie, who is a labor and delivery nurse, had told me about this special ball they often use for women in labor with an OP baby.  "Yes!" I thought, let's try that.  So I laid down on my side with the peanut shaped ball between my legs to help open my pelvis.  A contraction came on and the intensity was so much that I started pushing the ball away and kicking my legs to move it off the bed.  Erik saw me thrashing around and immediately came to help me back to hands and knees, by far my preferred position to labor in.  Sometime around this point the midwife and nurse stepped out to greet another woman who had just arrived in labor.  They told us to come get them if anything changed.


After the peanut ball incident, Erik set Arlo up in a big, squishy beanbag chair the nurse had brought in for him.  He put on a Mickey Mouse cartoon on his phone and covered Arlo with a blanket, hoping he would fall back asleep.  We had tried a couple more times to touch base with our friends, still without success.  At least at this point Arlo was totally engrossed in his show, not even caring about his laboring mom on the bed not 10 feet away.  Erik was now by my side, rubbing my back and helping me work through contractions.  They were taking more of my attention and I was no longer feeling "completely fine" between them, I was starting to become grateful for the rest.  All of a sudden, I felt the urge to push a little so I did.  At first I thought the baby had descended into the birth canal but there was no pain associated with the feeling so I was unsure as to what was going on.  Immediately after the push I felt a pop and was instantly covered in warm water.  My water had broken!  I remained on hands and knees, stunned at what had happened.  My water never broke spontaneously with Arlo so I hadn't experienced that feeling before.  Erik literally ran out the door to get the midwife and within seconds they were all back in the room.


Still not knowing what to do at that point, I simply told them "I'm all wet."  Which was pretty obvious by the puddle underneath me!  The nurse quickly changed out the wet pads that I was kneeling on.  I didn't look to see what they were doing but there was suddenly a commotion at the foot of the bed, and I knew they were getting the birthing supplies ready. Lydia said to me "Kendra, I think what is about to happen next is that your baby is about to come."  I asked her if I should take off my shirt that I was still wearing knowing that we would be doing skin-to-skin immediately after birth, and Erik started to help me finish undressing.  He started to help me with my bra and suddenly a strong contraction came along with the urge to push.  Instinctively I wanted to fight it, I remembered how much I disliked the feeling of pushing last time and I was really wishing I didn't have to.  I gave into the urge and felt the baby move down the birth canal during what felt like a nonstop contraction.  I had pushed out Arlo laying on my right side and remember liking that position so I immediately lied down and assumed the same position.  Lydia told me to grab my left leg and during the next contraction curl towards her and push with everything I had.  I barely remember a break from the previous contraction and it was happening again.  It took every bit that I had, but our new little baby came into the world during that next push, just six minutes after my water had broken.  The intensity of the actual birth was considerably more than I remembered with Arlo, and pushing him out was by far the most pain I felt the entire labor.


We had put in the birth plan that if it was possible Erik would like to catch the baby.  But with as fast as everything happened, and the fact that he had his cord wrapped around his neck, foot, and hand, Lydia ended up being the one to guide him in to the world and place him on my belly.  He had a short cord and couldn't quite make it up to my chest yet.  He cried loudly immediately, and seconds after he was born Erik announced, with the most proud look on his face, "it's a boy!"  I realized in that moment that I had forgotten we were about to find out the gender, something that I had always thought would be the first thing on my mind after I gave birth.  I was super excited to learn that we had another sweet boy in our family, and then filled with mild concern that we hadn't yet decided on a boy's name.


Through the whole commotion of bringing his little brother into the world, our two-and-a- half-year-old sat quietly watching his show, either oblivious to what was going on or maybe just choosing to ignore it.  Erik picked him up and asked him if he wanted to meet his brother, and at that point Arlo realized there was a new tiny person in the room and became interested in what was going on.  He spent some time next to us looking at the baby but eventually wanted to go back to watching his show, which was fine because I needed Erik next to me for what was about to come next.


After the cord stopped pulsing the midwife clamped it and Erik took the opportunity to cut it.  The placenta was delivered a short time after without issue.  At this point, Lydia started to assess me to see if I needed stitches, and with the amount of pain that I experienced during the birth and afterwards, I was not surprised to learn that I did.  I later learned that our little guy was born with both shoulders coming out at the same time (usually it is one then the other) which is the reason for the tearing that occurred.  Another midwife, Carey, came into the room about this time, she was second on call and since the other laboring woman in the birthing center was about to deliver, they called her in for backup.  She came into the room at a great time, and was an awesome support person during what ended up being a rather painful repair.  Eventually Lydia left to go catch the baby in the room next door, and Carey took over with the stitches.  After what felt like an eternity (in reality was probably something like 45 minutes), she was done and I was able to sit up and for the first time really get a good look at our newest family member.  He had began rooting very shortly after he was born and had already spent a good amount of time nursing.  The first thing I noticed about him was his tiny, pouty lips and round face.  I fell in love immediately.



It was around this time that we got in touch with our friends who we had been calling to come pick up Arlo.  They were very excited to learn that we had a boy, and said they would jump in the car immediately to come up.  Rhianna wanted to know could they all come - her, her husband, and two kids, and I loved the idea of them all visiting to meet the new baby.  We met John and Rhianna in our Bradley birthing class when we were both pregnant with our first babies, and have been good friends ever since.  They are the closest thing we have to family in the whole state, and I was thrilled to have them all come visit during such a special time in our lives.  When they arrived a bit later, Arlo was filled with so much excitement to not only see his bestie, but also to introduce them to his new little brother.  He started literally jumping up and down on the bed next to me when they walked in, talking so fast we could barely understand him - "my new baby brother right there!!  Baby was born!  bBaby came from mama's belly!" and we all had a good laugh.  All four of the kids in the room had been born at that very birthing center, three of them in that very room!  I like to think that it was a very special time for all of us.

They hung out for a bit and gave the new baby some snuggles before heading out with Arlo and the overnight bags we had packed for him.  It was a little hard to say goodbye to my toddler, but he was so excited to be going to his friend's house he didn't seem sad at all to leave, which made for a really easy transition.  In the end, I wouldn't have changed a thing about the birth and realize how awesome it was to have Arlo there to meet his new little brother right after he was born.

After bonding for a few hours with our new little guy, he was finally weighed and measured.  He looked so tiny to me so I was shocked to learn he weighed a healthy 7 lbs 6 ounces!  He measured in at 19.25" long.  Not long after he was born, it was shift change at the birthing center and the midwife who came on for the rest of the day was Allison, the same midwife who delivered Arlo! She was the one who did Oliver's newborn exam, and everything checked out just fine.  Erik and I spent the rest of the morning discussing boys' names and texting family to let them know that the baby had arrived.  We hadn't wanted to wake anyone in the middle of the night to let them know I was in labor, so the first text everyone received was a picture of him and a family picture of the (now) four of us!  After a few hours of discussion, we decided upon the name Oliver William.  Oliver was a name we had considered with others in the months before the birth, and William is after Erik's maternal grandfather.  After getting to know him these past few weeks, I couldn't picture him with any other name.

I am beyond thankful that we had another healthy, supported, natural (and fast!), out-of-hospital birth.  Everything I had worried about in the months leading up to the birth - back labor, long pushing phase, broken tailbone due to an OP position baby, turned out to be non-issues.  Oliver was not born OP, and must have turned sometime during labor.  He entered the world four hours after active labor kicked in, less than five hours after I felt my first contraction, and only 90 minutes after our arrival to the birthing center.   We headed home later that afternoon, and again, just as it had after Arlo was born, felt surreal walking in the door with a tiny little person who wasn't there when we departed just hours earlier.

Welcome to the world, little Oliver!  Your parents and big brother couldn't love you any more if we tried.

Spotlight:Nancy Albrecht, RN, BSN, IBCLC

Nancy Albrecht, RN, BSN, IBCLC is celebrating her tenth year as a WBWC clinic nurse and lactation consultant! Over the past decade, she has made extraordinary contributions to the WBWC and its clients.

In many ways, Nancy has been the face of the birth center. She is the kind nurse on the phone, patiently and thoroughly answering questions about pregnancy, health concerns, and breastfeeding. She is the knowledgeable and compassionate lactation consultant helping a new mother work through a difficult breastfeeding challenge. She is the leader of breastfeeding classes, teaching groups of parents the ins and outs of feeding their newborn. She is always willing to help wherever and however she is needed; she has even worked as labor nurse on a particularly busy day, attending a birth with her daughter, midwife Jessica Albrecht!

But her behind-the-scenes work at the birth center has been equally important. Nancy's hard work and dedication led to the birth center being designated as a Baby Friendly facility in 2010. There are multiple criteria that must be met to earn and maintain this designation -- including continuing staff and patient education, helping to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, and establishing breastfeeding support groups -- and Nancy has helped to ensure that WBWC has successfully met these goals year after year.  She has played a key role in establishing birth center breastfeeding policies. She is continually improving documentation protocols for LCs and finding ways to integrate communication about breastfeeding issues among LCs, nurses, and midwives so no client is left unsupported. She has placed emphasis on providing both staff and patients with areas where they can comfortably breastfeed. As a result of her efforts, the WBWC received the Breastfeeding Friendly Business & Employer Award from the NC Breastfeeding Coalition.

Nancy has also built an incredible community of support for new mothers. She spearheaded efforts to start the Breastfeeding Café, an informal group for nursing mothers, and the Coping with Motherhood group, which offers support and coping skills for mothers dealing with depression. Her vision of a community where women come together and support each other has been realized and has made a lasting impact.

Nancy's work as a breastfeeding advocate and educator has spanned more than three decades, and we at the WBWC are so grateful that she has spent the last ten years with us! Her passion and dedication are inspiring to everyone who has had the pleasure of working with her.

Community Prenatal Care is Coming Soon to WBWC!

Community Prenatal Care (CPC) is our own brand of group prenatal care. CPC is inspired by an evidence-based/researched model of delivering prenatal care to women in a group setting and by the needs of WBWC families.

After two individual prenatal visits in the clinic, you will begin six monthly group sessions in an informal, relaxed setting with other women (and partners) who are all due in the same month. You will also schedule regular visits in the clinic between group meetings. In each 90-minute session there is time to discuss common pregnancy, birth, and parenting topics, as well as a private “tummy check” with one of our midwives.

Having a forum for discussing questions and concerns about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and parenting provides you with a community for support and information. You will help to empower each other with confidence in your body’s knowledge and wisdom, trust in your ability to cope with pain, and belief that you know your body and your baby better than anyone!

Our first CPC group will start on January 4, 2017 for moms and partners who are due in June. To join this group, please email nurses@ncbirthcenter.org. And check out FAQ’s on our website:

http://ncbirthcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Community-Prenatal-FAQ.pdf.

Free Reiki Clinic at WBWC with Reiki Master and Intuitive Life Coach Kezia Renee Lechner

     Reiki is a gentle yet powerful hands-on healing modality that originated in Japan and is now being widely practiced in the West. The word Reiki (pronounced ray - key) means Universal Life Energy in Japanese.
    
     All humans have innate healing abilities and radiate healing energy from their hands. A Reiki practitioner is someone who has learned to magnify and amplify this healing energy. During a Reiki session a practitioner places their hands upon the client's fully clothed body, bathing the client in  soothing stream of healing energy, bringing balance and harmony to all levels of body, mind and spirit.
     Because of it's numerous benefits, Reiki, along with acupuncture and massage, is now being offered by a number of hospitals in the US as a complimentary and alternative form of treatment.
    
      For prenatal and postpartum women, Reiki can help to relieve stress and anxiety, and can ease physical symptoms associated with pregnancy, such as back ache, restless sleep patterns,sciatica, nausea, etc. It can also help a woman prepare for the birthing experience, speed post partum recovery, ameliorate postpartum depression and strengthen the mother/child bond.
     
     The next Reiki Clinic will be held on Monday, Dec.12 from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. It will be held in the Living Room on the the 3rd floor. No need to reserve a spot - just come!
Kezia also provides longer, private sessions and has an office next to WBWC. For more information contact Kezia at keziarenee@gmail.com - her website is www.HeartofaHealer.com

Legal Concerns for LGBT Families

 

WBWC is looking forward to supporting families in the LGBTQ community who need timely legal advice. Please join Kelly Fairman, Family Law attorney and WBWC parent, as she discusses “Legal Concerns for LGBTQ Families” on Monday, November 28, 6:30-7:30 pm, at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center, Suite 304 (Living Room). Attorney Fairman will also be available for free 20-minute individual consults on Monday, December 5, 6:00-8:00 pm at WBWC. Registration is not needed for the informational session, but space is limited for the consultations. Please call Kelly at 919-794-5963 to preregister for a consult on December 5 at 6:00, 6:20, 6:40, 7:00, 7:20, or 7:40 pm.

MILC Moment: How to make breastfeeding successful – before you even give birth!

By Rebecca Costello, IBCLC

Our lactation consultants work with a lot of families – over a third of the moms who give birth with WBWC end up seeing one (or more!) of our LCs. We also see many moms and babies who birthed elsewhere – often they say we were recommended to them by a friend or family member who came to WBWC for their birth/and or breastfeeding help. (Thank you, and we are honored!)

     Working with so many new families, we get a chance to see up close what types of resources help new parents. Many people take childbirth classes, but we really notice a difference when first-time parents were also able to do some preparation for what happens after birth! They tend to be calmer, more confident, and adjust more easily to life with a newborn. All of this affects breastfeeding – big time! (Especially when challenges arise.)

     How can you prepare for your baby to arrive? Spend some time asking your friends who are parents about what life with a newborn is like, and their best tips for a smooth transition! Get some books on baby care and breastfeeding – read them, and get your partner to read them too! No friends with kids? Not into reading? WBWC offers classes on Breastfeeding Basics and Newborn Care to help you get ready. Our classes are fun, interactive, and taught by experienced lactation consultants and nurses! Not able to make it to the WBWC classes? Many local childbirth educators, doulas, and other professionals offer baby care and breastfeeding classes. We encourage all first-time parents to sign up and study up! We think you’ll be more likely to have a successful experience breastfeeding, and be happier, more confident parents all around.

Birth Announcements

Welcome, Sweet Babies!

Sierra Hope Bravo – October 2 - 6 lbs., 2 oz.

*Landis Lorray Vogler – October 5 – 7 lbs., 2 oz.

*Issé Ndaliko – October 6 – 9 lbs.

Calvin Harris Vaughn – October 7 – 7 lbs., 6 oz.

*Claire Juliette DeMaria – October 9 – 7 lbs., 7 oz.

Clara Rae Chapman – October 15 – 7 lbs., 8 oz.

Archer Thomas Hash – October 21 - 6 lbs., 13 oz.

Skylynn Rayne English – October 22 – 8 lbs., 14 oz.

Eleanor Grace Ryan-Kooistra – October 24 – 7 lbs., 3 oz.

Eli Douglas Rogers – October 24 – 7 lbs., 15 oz.

Megan Amelia Chin – October 25 – 7 lbs., 11 oz.

Charlie James Scott - October 25 – 8 lbs., 15 oz.

October stats:

Total babies born: 35

Biggest baby: 9 lbs., 5 oz.

Smallest baby: 5 lbs., 12 oz.

To be included in this celebratory list, please email Missy at missy@ncbirthcenter.org  with your baby's birth announcement information that includes  their name, date of birth, and birth weight as well as a photo, if available. If you would like to send us your birth story along with photos, we are happy to include that in a future newsletter!

Kaspar's Birth Story

By Leah Reichardt-Osterkatz

Kaspar Reichardt-Osterkatz

Born December 7, 2015 at 6:47am

  For several days, I had been telling friends and family that something different was happening in my uterus. Saturday evening I started to feel discrete contractions, but they did not feel painful. After going to bed, I was up with a contraction every 10 minutes through the night. They were not so intense that I needed to wake anyone up (wanting my support people to be rested for what was to come!), but they were intense enough that I got up out of bed with each one to lean over the counter and wiggle my hips around. They continued like that until mid-day Sunday. Once Nils, my husband, was awake, I was able to stay lying down through the contractions, because holding on to him made the pain less intense. 

The contractions started to come closer together in the afternoon, but were not progressing in a consistent pattern. This, in combination with the fact that I was feeling a lot of pain in my back, was a clue that his head was not in an ideal position (which my midwife Maureen had predicted a few weeks earlier). I spent a lot of time in my parents' hot tub, which made the contractions almost painless at that point. My husband and I took a long, slow walk around the property. While we were walking the contractions were coming about every two minutes. With each one we would either hug with me kind of hanging from his shoulders, or he would hold me from behind and lift my belly up, or I would lean forward and he would rub my back. We went back to the house and spoke with Maureen on the phone. The contractions had then slowed down again, so she suggested that I try to rest however possible and we would check back in soon. I went into the bedroom, but didn't like the idea of lying down because I always felt the need to get up during contractions. I tried resting in child's pose for quite a while, scooting off the end of the bed with each contraction, sometimes holding onto Nils and sometimes leaning over the bed with my mom and my friend stroking my back while I swayed my hips back and forth. I also tried sitting on the birth ball. Somewhere in there, in the early evening, we spoke to Maureen again and decided thing were getting serious enough to head to the birth center. My dad drove one car with Nils and me in the back. My mom, Svea, and Rachel followed behind. My brother stayed back to get a bit of sleep before coming later.

We arrived at the birth center around 7 or 8 PM. I was about 4 centimeters dilated, and Kaspar's head was transverse. I wanted to get into the tub right away, as the water had helped so much earlier. For whatever reason, I did not like it at that point and got out after trying several different positions. Soon after that I decided to get a short acting pain medication with hopes of getting a little bit of rest, as I hadn't really slept the night before. I was given half a dose, as it seemed possible that things could progress quickly after that (we were optimistic!). I lay down with Nils and everyone else left the room for a couple hours. Maureen rubbed my lower back for a long time. The contractions still felt quite intense during that time, but I was able to stay lying down the whole time and the massage felt very nice!

When the medication started wear off, the pain started ramping back up and my other support people came back into the room. I was then lying down between each contraction, and sometimes even falling asleep for a minute, as I was so tired. With each contraction I would jump out of bed and hang from Nils while various other people stroked my back and arms. For much of the time I was unaware of who was doing what! My mom made sure that I was constantly drinking. I drank a lot of coconut water, a calcium drink and a special labor tea that my sister-in-law had made.

Maureen checked me again and discovered that he was posterior -- he had turned the wrong way! At that point Maureen started pulling out all of her tricks to get him to turn all the way back around. I was in and out of the shower several times, doing the "hoochie coochie" dance. I did hip circles on the birth ball. Maureen then suggested a saline injections in my back. She said that it would hurt a lot, but would hopefully help with the back labor and get him to turn around. When she gave me a towel to bite on, I knew I was not going to like it! I kneeled on the bed, leaning on the birth ball, bit my towel and screamed.  After that, or maybe it was before, Maureen stood over me on the bed holding two ends of a big sheet that went under my belly. She clamped my hips with her legs, lifted my belly with the sheet and moved it side to side. There was still a ways to go after that. I tried some more hip circles on the ball and was back in the shower for a while. My mom said she was worried that my contractions would peter out from exhaustion, but they just kept getting stronger. Around 4:30 AM or so, I was finally fully dilated, and he had turned all the way around!

Throughout that two hours of pushing, even though he had turned to anterior position, I was still having a lot of back pain. We think it might have been that he had his hand up near his chin, because that is what he was doing right after coming out. I tried pushing in many different position -- squatting, hands and knees, on my back and side lying. It took every ounce of energy and strength that I could muster at that point. Maureen, our nurse Mariah, and my whole team of support people were there cheering me on.

I was still very resistant to being lying down, but Maureen kept encouraging me into the side-lying position, because that it where I was making the most progress. I remember thinking that I couldn't imagine how he was ever going to come out. The crown of his head was peeking out for quite a while, making slow progress. At some point, still thinking it was never going to happen, Maureen called to me to look down. His head and shoulders were out. With a little help, I reached down and pulled to him up to my chest. I suddenly felt so good to have him there against my skin. It was the biggest sense of relief I've ever experienced. After 20 minutes or so, he started rooting and latched on to nurse. Things have been pretty smooth sailing ever since!