Novant Health Coastal OBGYN & Midwifery - New Hanover

Please help us welcome Olivia King, CNM to our team!!

Big Latch on is Saturday

Be sure to register for this Saturday’s Latch On, put on by Port City Breastfeeding Project and sponsored by community sponsors!

Register here: https://forms.gle/jF4Tz4NzLMuAqhEr6

This year we will be at UNCW’s Warwick Center from 9-11am on Saturday, August 6, 2022. There will be brunch style food and drinks, activities for the children, raffles and most of all the group Latch On at 10am! See you this weekend!!!

Latch On: The ultimate guide for breastfeeding mothers

It is World Breastfeeding Week!
Novant has a podcast called Latch On, that covers lots of great topics.

Latch On: The ultimate guide for breastfeeding mothers Research confirms women who breastfeed are at a decreased risk of high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and certain cancers.

Maternity education | Novant Health

Novant Health has several different virtual maternity classes, webinars, and support groups that are open to the public.

Maternity education | Novant Health Maternity education includes classes on pregnancy, labor, delivery, breastfeeding, signs of early labor, relaxation and Cesarean birth, classes for new dads, siblings and grandparents.

Prenatal yoga series at Wilmington Yoga center

Attention all expecting mothers: We have another round of Prenatal Yoga Starting soon! This 4 week series will run on Sundays from 12:30-1:45 from August 7 to August 28th. Join Taylor Lawrence for a class designed for all pregnant bodies. No previous yoga experience is necessary. Your teacher will navigate you through asanas, breath work and meditations to build strength and ease in your body during pregnancy, labor,delivery and beyond.
Enroll Now: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=164&stype=-8&sView=day&sLoc=0&sTrn=100000227

Local Breastfeeding Resources

Heather Till has in person prenatal classes and a bundle of classes on her website too.
Here is a nice hip stretch from her 💕

Cailey is one of the great doula options in Wilmington

Check us out!!

https://www.wilmamag.com/motherhood-support/











WILMA Magazine

Mommy & me yoga classes at Wilmington Yoga Center

We are so excited about our new offering to support mothers during their postpartum journey! Introducing: Baby Wearing Mommy + Me Yoga w/ Taylor Lawrence!
Come join us for a playful, light-hearted and feel-good class for Mamas and pre-crawling babies on Sunday afternoons! We will focus on community building through sharing our experiences of new motherhood while also bonding with our babies and getting to know our beautiful new bodies. Balancing both restorative core movements and relaxing breathing techniques/movements, we hope you leave feeling empowered and at ease in this transitional phase of life. During class, Sometimes wearing baby will feel better and sometimes placing baby on a soft blanket will feel like just enough space for mama to lighten her load a little - the choice is yours! We hope to see you there!
This is a 4 week series, Sundays August 7 -28th from 2:00-3:15pm.
To Enroll: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=164&stype=-8&sView=day&sLoc=0&sTrn=100000227

Newborn care class with Wilmington Coastal Doulas

offers fun, evidence based newborn care classes to help you feel prepared when your little one arrives 🤍

Classes are taught privately, in the comfort of your own home and scheduled at a time convenient for you!

Some topics we’ll cover-

🌿Your healing from birth and transition into postpartum

🌿Infant feeding (nursing, formula, bottle feeding, pumping…whatever works for your family!)

🌿Newborn care basics like bathing, sleep, swaddling

Reach out to book! 910.707.4507
📧 [email protected]

Interesting virtual childbirth education opportunity In October

Are you in your first trimester of pregnancy? We have an event designed just for you!

Join us on Saturday, October 15 for our live virtual conference. You will have access to live presentations that will prepare you to have an easier birth. Learn four body-centered movement and stretch routines that help your baby get into position. You will have access to these for 150 days after the conference, so you can continue to practice these for the rest of your pregnancy.

For less than a trip to the hair salon, you can learn the tools to make birth easier!

Register before it’s too late! Click the link here: https://spinningbabies.securechkout.com/2022-World-Confluence-Registration

Upcoming birth circle

We look forward to having you join us this Saturday at 10 AM at the monthly pregnancy and birth circle!

Event link: https://fb.me/e/5COWw5vNx

⛰ Today, we CLIMB!

Postpartum depression can occur in either parent

It's the week of Father's Day! Did you know dads can be impacted by perinatal depression too? The signs are a bit different than in moms and birthing parents, so make sure you know them:
🔷 Frustration or irritability
🔷 Feeling discouraged
🔷 Increased physical problems, such as headaches or indigestion
🔷 Problems concentrating
🔷 Increased fatigue
🔷 Lack of motivation
🔷 Loss of interest in hobbies or work
🔷 Self-isolation
🔷 Working constantly
🔷 Increased anger
🔷 Increased use of alcohol or illegal drugs, misuse of prescription medication
🔷 Violent behavior
🔷 Impulsiveness
🔷 Thoughts of self-harm or su***de

Parenting is hard. You don't have to do this alone - PSI is here to help.

📲 Call or text ‘help’ to the PSI HelpLine at 800-944-4773. You never need a diagnosis to ask for help.
💻 Join one of PSI's online support groups, including one for dads, at http://bit.ly/FindSupportGroup
🤝 Message us to learn about support groups!

DADurday is coming! Grab the special dad in your life and meet us at Long Leaf Park shelter 5 this Saturday for a fun family class! We'll also be making Dad a special gift on Wednesday after Stroller Strides. Bring a plain t-shirt in Dad's size to decorate and check off "Father's Day Gift" on your to-do list! 😉

We love PSI and the support they provide 🌈

Private childbirth classes are available with Wilmington Coastal Doulas

Ready to take a childbirth education class? We’ve got you!

Our private, in-home childbirth class is the perfect mix of fun and facts and able to booked at a time convenient for your schedule.

Some of the topics we’ll cover:
🌱The 3 stages of labor
🌱How body and baby work together to create contractions
🌱Writing your birth plan/wishes
🌱Learning your options for medical and non-medical pain relief
🌱Birth partner communication tools
🌱Labor positions and breath work
🌱The welcoming hour and immediate postpartum

Are you interested in booking a class?
📧 [email protected] or call us! 910.707.4507 📱

Happy Pride! 🌈

We’ll be there for this great annual event. Join us to help raise awareness about perinatal mental health

Why do you CLIMB?

Climb Out of the Darkness is an event raising awareness & support for the mental health of new families and Postpartum Support International-NC.

Join us June 25 at 9am at Halyburton Park for the 10th annual CLIMB! Register and learn more at https://climbout2022.causevox.com/team/team-wilmington-nc

Local La Leche League Meetings

🥳 IN PERSON MEETINGS ARE BACK!! 🥳

We are SO excited to finally see all you wonderful breastfeeding parents back in person again! Join us for community, support, and love at our two upcoming meetings:

Wednesday, May 4th at 10:30 - Long Leaf Park
Join us at the gazebo by the pond - don’t worry, it’s far enough away that your bigger littles won’t see the playground 😉

Saturday, June 11th at 10:30 - SpringHer Studio at Independence Mall
Located in the mall, just outside of Dillard’s (right before the children’s play area - use the entrance between JC Penney & Dillard’s on the Independence Blvd side of the mall)

Neither of these locations have chairs for seating, so please bring your own blankets/towels!

We can’t wait to see all your lovely faces soon ❤️

❤️ some of our favorite l&d nurses and a cute dog ❤️

May Birth Circle date

Save the date for the next birth circle - Saturday, May 7th!

Come share your birth story if you so choose, ask questions if you have any, and let's support one another.

Event link: https://fb.me/e/54j2rYRUV

It’s time for the Port City Breastfeeding Project’s spring photoshoot

If you didn’t know the PCBP Spring Photo Shoot Fundraiser with Pierce Productions is LIVE! Sign up, get some photos taken and support your local breastfeeding community!

May 6th & 7th mornings, afternoons and evenings available! $35 sent via PayPal.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0f4eaca92aa2f9cf8-port

Hospital Visitor Policy update -
Starting 4/25, siblings 2yo and up can visit! Still two visitors total and all visitors must wear a mask.

Tune in to one or all of these reproductive healthcare talks in Novant’s Virtual Community Education Series

Midwife puts focus on Black maternal health

❤️

Midwife puts focus on Black maternal health Certified nurse midwife Ebony Marcelle is part of a new generation of midwives pushing back on popular misconceptions about her profession. TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones reports for the 3rd Hour of TODAY on Marcelle’s mission to improve outcomes for Black mothers in her community and beyond. (Sponsore...

Birthright – A Podcast About Joy & Healing in Black Birth

Check out this great podcast called Birthright. It is a collection of Black women’s birth stories told in an effort to find joy and healing in birth

“By seeking out and exploring positive birth stories we can build confidence, find solutions and identify blind spots in our quest to make the birth experience equitable for all Black birthing bodies.”

https://birthrightpodcast.com/

Birthright – A Podcast About Joy & Healing in Black Birth Everyone has a birthright to . Before, during, and after childbirth. It’s time to reclaim that for all, starting with Black women and birthing people. Welcome to Birthright, a podcast about stories of joy and healing in Black birth. In case you don’t know, Black women and birthing people are 243...

It’s Black Maternal Health week. Here are some sobering facts -

It’s Black Maternal Health Week. Did you know that breastfeeding is not only great for baby but also can have long term benefits for mom’s health in so many ways? Thank you to a local support group for black breastfeeding moms, Chocolate Milk of Wilmington, for sharing!

https://portcitybreastfeedingproject.org/community-resources/chocolatemilkofwilmington/

April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week. This year we want to remind the community that breastfeeding indeed improves black maternal health. Here are a few of the benefits:

🤱🏾Lower risk of breast cancer
🤱🏽Lower risk of ovarian cancer
🤱🏿Lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis & lupus
🤱🏾Less endometriosis
🤱🏽Less osteoporosis
🤱🏿Less diabetes
🤱🏾Less cardiovascular disease
🖊: Cleveland Clinic

We challenge you to spread the good news about breastfeeding especially to black mothers and parents. Breastfeeding can save lives.

💕

Need a new to add to your weekend playlist? We have plenty to choose from - like this episode where we talk about mom's postpartum mental health. https://share.transistor.fm/s/471dfdd1

What to know about your post-pregnancy mind and body

Lots of postpartum questions answered here!

What to know about your post-pregnancy mind and body A nurse practitioner decodes everything from postpartum hair loss and bleeding to mental and physical changes. And why it's OK to cut yourself some slack.

Postpartum group lead by Salt & Cypress Counseling has space for more members

Email me at [email protected] to register

Wonderful news for NC families!

Great news to kick off the month! Postpartum Coverage Extended to 12 Months for NC Medicaid Beneficiaries Beginning April 1: https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/postpartum-coverage-extension

These stretches generally feel amazing! They can be helpful thru out your pregnancy and in labor. Check them out and ask us any questions about them at your next visit.

Why try to restore years of a tight hip on the day of labor? Improve your range of motion day by day for comfort now and ease in birth later. Improving body balance improves physiologic function—even birth! Balance in tone and alignment may increase your chance of having an easier birth and better sleep while you are pregnant.

Do you know all of the daily activities? Daily activities bring comfort to your pregnancy and prepare you for an easier childbirth—lengthening muscles and increasing range of motion in your pregnant body to make space for baby’s best birth position. Many of the daily activities can be found on our Daily Essentials download video. You can find the video or learn more about the daily activities here:
https://www.spinningbabies.com/pregnancy-birth/daily-activities/

WALK EVERY DAY. Walking briskly with full motion lengthens the psoas muscles (a large pair of internal “wings” from spine to thigh). Lower back strength grows while moving the pelvis. Long, supple psoas muscles give us better range of motion, emotional groundedness and flexibility, better fetal descent, and better fetal positioning.

FORWARD-LEANING INVERSION. It potentially untwists the ligaments supporting the lower uterine segment and cervix (uterosacral, cervical, round ligament). When you rise upright again, these ligaments relax. Repeating the stretch many times helps to release a possible spasm or asymmetry and allows the baby’s head to fit more easily during labor.

MATERNAL POSITIONING. We’re sure you’ve seen or done these positions before: knees lower than the level of your hips, belly lower than your hips, let your belly be a hammock for your baby, let your lower back sway forward as you stand and walk, sit on a kitchen chair—backwards, be sure that your hips are not lower than your knees when sitting on an exercise ball, and keep an upright back by sitting on the front of your sitz bones—not back on your sacrum. Adequate water intake and a healthy diet are also a big part of this!

STRETCH. Stretching out every day is good for circulation, metabolism, and comfort. Each day, release tight bun muscles from your feet up and your head down. Try these exercises: TMJ (tight jaw) release, neck rolls, open your shoulders, Windmill, forward lunges, calf stretch, and squats.

PSOAS RELEASE. A tight psoas muscle pair keeps baby high. A longer, more supple psoas is one of several factors helping baby engage at 38 weeks gestation. Digestion, walking, balance, and comfort are all enhanced with a longer psoas muscle pair rather than a shorter or less supple psoas.

HIP OPENERS. Open up those hips daily! This technique balances the pelvis and “opens” the hips, allowing for easier descent of the baby in labor.

PELVIC TILTS. Loosens the hips and sacrum. Relaxes the lower back and soothes an achy back at the end of a long day.

REST SMARTSM. Gravity-friendly maternal posture is the 2nd Principle of Spinning Babies® positions that let your baby’s back settle in your “hammock”, while resting or while on bed rest, or even in labor.

RELAXING WHAT IS TIGHT IN GENERAL. Continue to relax the abdominal muscles and ligaments and move the pelvic joints. Relaxation doesn’t only mean taking a deep breath. Breathing evenly and deeply is important. For good fetal positioning and labor progress, the ligaments, joints, and fascia (the membrane surrounding our muscles, organs, and bones) need to be relaxed and symmetrical.

Tip: For best results, and if you can, use the Forward-leaning Inversion.

Happy World Doula Week!!
We are so grateful for the wonderful doulas in town and for the support they provide our families (and us too!!) ❤️

🌈 🌸 get outside & get active with Fit4Mom Wilmington

🌸☀Spring has sprung and there's no better time to get out and enjoy it! ☀🌸

Whether you're coming to an with your little ones in tow or attending a class at our in , spring is a beautiful time to reset and prioritize your health!

We have 2 programs launching this week, too:
🤰6 week session of FIT4BABY launches Monday, 3/21 with with and 2 FIT4BABY on the schedule later in the week. Space is limited and filling up fast so snag your spot now by emailing [email protected].
🏃‍♀️8 week VIRTUAL training session for the all women's on May 10 starts this week! happening now through Tuesday makes this only $60! You'll get a training schedule and daily check-ins and challenges to help get you to the finish line feeling confident. Purchase online (https://fit4mom-wilmington.pike13.com/shop) or email ([email protected]) to get set up.

Now, check your schedule and get enrolled for the week ahead! We can't wait to see you!💗
wilmington.fit4mom.com/schedule

Prenatal yoga series with Wilmington Fit4Mom

Save the date for Port City Breastfeeding Project’s spring photoshoot

Please save the date!
Our Spring photoshoot will go live April 22nd for sign-ups for May 6th & 7th!
Pierce Productions has volunteered to be our photographer and we are so excited about her work!!
Please share.
Photo credit: A.Marie Productions photo was used from a previous pcbp shoot.

We see you 🌈 ❤️

March is Pregnancy After Loss Awareness Month 🌈

If you have a rainbow baby or are expecting yours, please know:
❤️ We see you.
❤️ We honor you.
❤️ You are not alone.

If you need support during this time, PSI is here for you.
❤️ Call or text HELP to 800-944-4773 to reach our HelpLine.
❤️ Join the Pregnancy After Loss Online Support Group, which meets weekly on Mondays (time varies based on the leader). Check out the schedule and register at http://bit.ly/FindSupportCoordinator