NEWS FROM THE MADISON BIRTH CENTER
January 3, 2007
» Happy New Year!
We’re so pleased to begin another year with our wonderful clients and staff. 2006 was our busiest year thus far, with 96 babies born at the birth center and home. With so many healthy mothers and babies, and a 3% cesarean birth rate, we continue to take pride in offering women a safe and satisfying birth option following midwifery principles.
Our staff plays a crucial role in exemplifying the birth center mission, and works hard to continuously improve the way we provide care. There are many people who help make Madison Birth Center a success, and we thank each and every one of you!
» Prenatal Parents Group Begins at MBC
In order to better support our clients throughout pregnancy and encourage community-building, MBC is starting a group for clients and families beginning next week, and continuing on the first Monday of each month thereafter.
MBC midwives will host these gatherings at the birth center. The first portion of our time will include a presentation on a topic of general interest to childbearing families, with the remainder of the evening open for discussion and fellowship.
Monday, January 8th, 7-9pm Topic: How to talk with family and friends about midwifery and out-of-hospital birth.
Husbands, partners and children are all welcome. We hope to see many of you there!
» Baby Boom at MBC
The old adage that there’s “something in the water” seems to hold at the birth center. Two of our Birth Assistants, Shannon and Abby, are pregnant, as are Abbie Franke and Anastasia. Since we are committed to being a family friendly place to work, we are searching for some help covering maternity leaves and assisting us with our growing practice. If you (or anyone you know) is interested in working at MBC, see the job description here to learn more.
» MBC Offers Donor Milk from the Ohio Milk Bank
Occasionally an infant born in our practice needs supplementation due to infant latch or milk supply issues. Rigorous donor screening and testing of the milk has alleviated concerns about infection, and human milk is increasingly being offered to infants around the country. Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend donor human milk when mother's milk is unavailable.
As a Baby-Friendly ™ facility, we have wanted to honor these recommendations. Aszani worked with Arlinda Michael, RN, IBCLC and Anne Eglash, MD, IBCLC to develop Policy and Procedure for the use of Human Donor Milk. Our first shipment from the Ohio Milk Bank recently arrived and was immediately put to use by an infant born at the birth center. For more information on milk banking, please see the following links:
Click here to see the picnic photos we promised in our last newsletter. We had so much fun with the babies, as well as the “older” alumni (3+ years) and their parents. We have booked the same shelter for next year on August 19th, and hope to see you all there!
» We Work Hard, But We Play Too!
Many of you know that we work long hours to keep MBC running smoothly. Our staff also socializes and plays together on a regular basis. Over the summer we went to APT to see The Matchmaker, and had a potluck at Ashley’s farm in the Cambridge area.
In early October, a group of us went skydiving at AtmosphAIR Skydiving in Fort Atkinson. In the spirit of fun and pushing your perceived limits, here are photos of Samantha and Aszani’s dives. Other employees and family members took the plunge as well, and everyone had a great time on what seemed like the last nice day of the year. If you’ve ever considered skydiving, we highly recommend AtmosphAIR!
