Happy New Year from your Midwives and Staff at LCM!
We hope 2011 brings health, wholeness, prosperity, and new growth to us all.
Our staff family at LCM continues to grow and change, too--kind of a fact of life in Northern VA, it seems. We are losing a midwife, and gaining one! First, a fond farewell will be said to Kim Guastella, CNM, who has been an important pillar of our office practice for the past 2 years. Kim's husband, Bruce, has a job transfer to Fort Lauderdale, FL, and they will be moving there in early March. We plan to visit her in sunny FLA! Kim will keep seeing clients through February, and she will also be quite often working with and orienting....our new midwife!
Welcome to our newest Midwife: Another "Courtney"!- (Courtney Hasseman, CNM)
Courtney is pleased to join the LCM family though she is not a stranger to the practice; she has received care from the midwives during her prenatal care with her three children. Courtney earned a BS in Molecular Biology from Grove City College as well as a BS in Nursing from Shenandoah University. She then completed her Master's Degree in Nursing from Shenandoah in 2009 and gained licensure as a certified nurse-midwife. Her diverse clinical experiences include care of women in urban and rural locations as well as hospital and out-of-hospital birth. Courtney is passionate about taking time to educate women so they can best make informed choices regarding their care. Courtney is married and enjoys cooking, gardening, and home-educating her children.

LCM and Childbirth Education
Just for the record: We don't have anything against Lamaze!We're also NOT as organized on this website/blog thing (ie, me,...Wendy...) as one could wish....So I suspect sometimes business cards/emails have been passed to LCM for posting on the website, and "fell through the cracks"....I'm really sorry if/when when that happens. Despite my best intents, they may be in the bottom of my briefcase (or my inbox) , or under the bed in Call Room #1 at the Birthing Inn, where I do a bit of sleeping, and computer work, between births.
So, try me again! Send in a brief blurb about your class, name, phone,contact info, type of class...send it right into the blog responses...and I will post it. Also feel free to post on the LCM Group Wall in Facebook-- anyone can post there.
So, for the record! Our LCM opinion about Childbirth Education is this:First-time parents should have some. Being prepared, and knowledgable for the decisons and events of labor and birth can help you navigate it with more tools, understanding, and less fear. What style of childbirth education is quite individual-- it depends on what the mom & her partner is looking for, how much time they have, their schedule, where they live, etc. We also feel that the "Birth with a Midwife" class taught by Melinda Rhoads, BSN, is ideal for many of our patients-- she was our nurse for 5 years, and had 2 Natural Childbirths with us, after all. And she has tailored her class to specifically LCM clientele, particularly those who want to try for an unmedicated birth. BUT! There are other factors in play, here-- as mentioned above-- and, as midwives, we really believe that women should have as many diverse, good options and resources available to them as possible. So, Yes! Lamaze is fine! Send me your info if I have missed you! We can try again.

Circumcision Info
Just an interesting fact- the Center for Disease Control data from 2009 shows that USA circumcision rates fell to 33% of male babies born.
2 of the LCM midwives (Margie and Paula) are trained and credentialed to provide this service at the Birthing Inn when families request it. It's not possible for us to do it on an outpatient basis, and it is necessary for the baby to be an inpatient during his newborn admission period in order for health insurance plans to cover it.
If, however, a family desires to have circumcision done at home, for religious or other reasons, Rabbi/Mohel Michael Henesch 410-653-3255 is available to perform home circumcisions.

Wendy Back to Haiti
With lots of support from LCM families and friends...Wendy leaves Friday, Jan 7, for her fourth trip as a volunteer with Midwives for Haiti. We'll be starting a new class of 16 student Midwives, and also expanding our work with rural prenatal clinics. Follow along at www.haitibabies.blogspot.com-- posts go up several times in the week, whenever internet is working!

December is upon us!! --Good Grief, how did that happen?
It's a busy time for most families...we know, as it's the same for us, too. As a practice, we're consciously working on being aware of the stress and less-than-healthy food choices that can overwhelm us if we're not careful. On the other hand, we wish everyone joy and happiness as you celebrate this truly beautiful time of the year in special gatherings.

Well, we've always got new stuff to share from Loudoun Community Midwives. Our little gifts to you:

• A chance to Do Good! (Margie's Jingle Belle Project)
• More childbirth education in the community!
• Celebrate Anne's Accomplishments!
• Cord Blood Info!
• A Way to reduce risk of GBS!

First!~
"THE JINGLE BELLE PROJECT"
Holiday gift collection for the needy families of Loudoun County
On Feb 12, 2009 Continental flight #3407 crashed outside of
Buffalo. All 51 passengers and crew were killed.
Mary Belle Pettys ( Margie Brandquist's sister ) was a passenger on that flight. Belle as she was known by her family was one of ten children. She was a champion of the underserved and a faithful member of her beloved Catholic Church. In her honor, we are collecting holiday gifts for the less fortunate of Loudoun County. New, unwrapped gifts including toys, clothing, hats, gloves, personal care items and gift cards are welcomed. We will be donating the items to the Loudoun Christmas Coalition.
Collections will continue till Dec 9th. Help us honor Mary and all who were lost on that cold, February night.
Remember.....Every time a "belle" rings, an angel gets her wings. Gratefully,
Geoff & Margie Brandquist and the entire Pettys family
Items may dropped off at Loudoun Community Midwives Office
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Childbirth Education

Mari Stutzman-Smith, one of the great doulas out there, now offers Childbirth education classes-- if you're having trouble finding a scheduled class that works for you, she has some brief sessions that sound excellent: Mari wrote:
" just wanted to let you know that I've launched Celebrated Pregnancy... A 5-week (or one day intensive) Natural Childbirth Education Course to be taught in my home in Ashburn. The next series will start January 5th."
www.celebratedpregnancy.com

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Congrats to Anne Cockerham, PhD,CNM, our part-time midwife...."and why is she part-time, and doesn't deliver babies?" some ask. Because she is one of the best, full-time nurse-midwifery professors in the USA, that's why! We are proud to announce that Anne was voted recipient of the "2010 Student Choice Award for Teaching Excellence", by the nurse-midwifery and nurse-practitioner students of Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. This program is the largest training program in the US, and Anne teaches Gynecology and Women's Health to about 1100 students there. We are not surprised that they love her class and we are proud to be her friends at her "other", part-time job.

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Cord Blood, Stem Cells....can mean a gift of life--brining up decisions about banking at the time of birth.

For years, we have made it a routine part of our care at LCM to mention the possibility of banking cord blood to all of our pregnant patients. Since stems cells are immature, and can differentiate into almost any human tissue that the body needs, they seem to have impressive biological potential. Numerous ways to use transplants of stem cells through banked cord blood are just now emerging, and may take a major role in regenerative medicine in the future. Another benefit is that because of their immature nature, many family members of the donor baby may be a "match" for stem cell transplants when needed. Siblings seem to almost always be a match, and often parents or others. We don't know any downside to banking, other that the costs, which can be financed several ways by the main companies that offer this service. Another innovation that is available is actually harvesting a piece of the umbilical cord itself, for menechymal cells which have similar properties. Since the cord blood and tissue would otherwise be discarded in the trash and then incinerated, banking seems worth considering.
Some websites to inform you more about Cord Blood Banking are:

www.cordblood.com/education As you will see, a $10 donation will be made to the Newborn Possibilities Fund for your time to view it. Your comments in the "comment section" would be greatly valued and appreciated.
CBR website (www.cordblood.com)
www.ViaCord.com/Cord-Blood-Experts.

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Florajen and GBS

That vaginal swab at 36weeks....GBS or Group B Beta Strep.... makes some women worry. They don't want to have the Beta strep-positive diagnosis, as it brings with it greater concern for baby, especially after the bag of waters is broken. At LCM, we concur with the CDC guidelines that recommend IV antibiotics for all women who test positive for Beta Strep at the end of pregnancy. Now, there's more you can do to prevent GBS...it appears that supplementing with probiotics can impact vaginal health, possibly preventing more GBS.
Read about it at
http://www.florajen.com/vaginal.shtml

And finally -- Wendy's next trip to Haiti is January 7-15, 2011. See her blog soon for details of what's needed,and to "travel with me!" Your support means so much.
www.haitibabies.blogspot.com

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Happy, Healthy, Holidays to All!

After the baby comes, everything changes. Everything. How you sleep, (or don't sleep)--how you cope with the normal activities of life-- suddenly everything may be more complicated, since caring for a baby, and especially breastfeeding a newborn baby- can seem to take up all day. In the view of Chinese medicine, a great deal of life force, or "chi" has been spent in pregnancy, building a baby, and in the birth process. Even when the birth has gone perfectly normally and smoothly, this is a wise view. Think of your energy supply like a bank account that has run a quite low balance...you should not spend it on unimportant things! All most women should try to manage for at least 2 weeks is to breastfeed their baby and get a shower each day. (Even this may not be possible each day!) Getting enough rest is key to a good recovery, and extreme fatigue and lack of sleep can contribute significantly toward postpartum depresson. REST!!

Suggestions:
*For at least the first 2 weeks, try to "make your camp" on one level of your home, and stay there for the whole day: get your phone, a water pitcher, a pile of diapers, TV remote or a book, and rest on a bed our couch. Avoid running up & down the stairs, running errands, or doing laundry!
*Do not expect your life, your house, or your appearance to be what it was "before baby." Remember, everything is under revision and will find a new balance in time. Things may be in chaos for a while, try to accept and tolerate that.
*After the first 2 weeks, it may help to choose ONE thing that to you, represents tidiness, and do just that, each day -- it could be having the bed made, or one load of wash run, or one load in the dishwasher.
*Allow your friends and family to help you. Get all the naps you can. 3 hours of sleep will feel like a million dollars!
*Do not pick up heavy toddlers and carry them around, or you are likely to bleed more. Instead, sit down and let them climb onto your lap, or even sit down on the floor and let them get into your arms.

Now: LCM MOMs & Dads; What pearls of wisdom can you offer a brand new postpartum family? Let's see who can send in their best pearls" to share on our blog!!
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Here are some varied resources that can help ease the journey -- we recently added them to our "links" section of the website as well. Information is power!
Core Values LLC
Leslie McKeough, LCSW
Postpartum/Perinatal, Adolescent & Family Therapist
Offers a postpartum support group and individual counseling
www.corevalu.com
703-909-9877

Mommy Relief:
an agency that will send out experienced helpers, providing light housekeeping, newborn and sibling care in your home, at an hourly rate.
www.mommy-relief.com
703-532-MOMS (6667)

Staffing Solutions: Mothers Aides
Referral agency for Household & baby-care helpers, screened by a 12-step process
www.mystaffingsolutions.com
703-250-0700

PostPartum Doulas
www.dona.org

Midwifery is ancient: Blogging is quite new. We midwives have been doing our work, guiding women to give birth safely, for thousands of years.
Blogging, on the other hand, has just been around a few years. Guess which thing we midwives are good at!.....yeah, hopefully, it is the helping women part. Blogging, not so much! But we're working at it. We launched our blog in late September, and promptly lost several comments that were sent in for posting. They may have been useful info, or some lovely families keeping in touch, but nope-- we lost them. If you have helpful comments, please try again, and this way we will get more practice and learn how to do this new stuff!! We welcome your comments. (If anything involves your personal health care or issues with the practice, however, please contact us directly-- not via blog!) Thanks for hanging with us on this new stuff. So...what's new??

Well, it's Breast Cancer Awareness month, with lots of attention on breast health. Some thoughts to share on that:
First, prevention is still worth a pound of cure. Check out the book by Christine Horner, MD on this topic, "Waking the Warrior Goddess" -- kind of odd title, but good info on diet/nutrition, herbs, supplements, and health habits in general can protect against breast cancer.www.drchristinehorner.com.

We midwives at LCM still firmly support the idea of annual mammograms starting at age 40. There were some new USPS Task Force recommendations that came out in November, 2009 that suggested it may not be "cost effective" for this 40-50 group, but we truly beg to differ. We have too often seen cases of breast cancer diagnosis in women under 50 who really vacillated on the decision, and finally did their first mammograms at their midwife's urging...and lo and behold, had a tumor diagnosed and treated early....all because of that mammogram that they almost didn't get. Excellent info on this topic can be found at www.washingtonradiology.com; here's a snippet from them:

"Significant scientific evidence exists to prove that annual mammography saves lives. Yet in 2009, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force advised against annual mammograms for women in their 40s. These recommendations have been scientifically rejected by every major medical organization with demonstrated expertise in breast cancer care. Even the federal government has barred Medicare and private insurance companies from considering these recommendations when making coverage determinations for mammograms.
Please visit Mammography Saves Lives™ to learn why all women should begin getting annual mammograms at age 40. The September 2010 landmark study published online in Cancer confirms that mammography lowers the breast cancer death rate in women age 40-49 by nearly one-third."

Another item of interest is the annual 2010 Breast Cancer Conference sponsored by Inova, in Fairfax on Oct.26, noon-4pm. Open not only to doctors and nurses but to any health professionals for a small fee, it will give an update of the latest research on detection and treatment of breast cancer. www.inova.org/BC2010cme.

Everyone be well and be thankful....
WD@LCM

Ocotober is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Sunday, October 10th you can "Shop For A Cure". From Noon - 4pm at Life Wellness, located on Ridgetop Circle in Sterling, Virginia. All Vendors will donate a portion of their proceeds to Breast Cancer Awareness. Please visit: www.Dr.Will.net for a map and directions to Life Wellness. You may also find out more information about the event by contacting Alison Sonak at 703-406-0200.