Lamaze to Teach Childbirth Classes at new UofM Hospital

Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor will begin teaching their premier, comprehensive childbirth classes at the new University of Michigan Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital in January.

“We look forward to continuing our strong ties with Lamaze,” says Dr. Timothy RB Johnson, Bates Professor of the Diseases of Women and Children & Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Michigan.

Pregnant women and their partners will enjoy this in-depth, interactive 12-hour series held at the new hospital on Tuesday nights beginning January 17, 2012, and offered thereafter monthly. The series covers a wide range of topics based on Lamaze International's Six Healthy Birth Practices, including:

• the various stages of labor, birth, and early postpartum including early breastfeeding overview;
• relaxation and breathing techniques, comfort measures and positions for labor and delivery;
• partner's role with laboring mom; 
• pain management options and birth interventions; hospital procedures, and Cesarean birth.
• The class fee also includes a separate free breastfeeding class, offered at Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor, 2855 Boardwalk, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

“We are proud and appreciative of our strong support from the University of Michigan and its care providers around the area,” says Stephanie Schaldenbrand, Executive Director of Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor. “Teaching at the new hospital, as well as at our new center, will help us continue to offer evidence-based childbirth education to a greater number of growing families.”

All of the childbirth educators are highly trained, active in the birth community and are Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators (LCCE).

Classes run for four weeks, and meet Tuesdays from 6:00-9:00pm in the Family Resource Center in the Von Voiglander Women's Hospital. Class series are offered monthly, and pregnant moms and their partners are encouraged to register for a class that is completed 3-4 weeks before their due date.

Other offerings at Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor include:

• Childbirth classes on Monday and Thursday evenings, as well as on Saturdays and Sundays at Lamaze Family Center;
• Breastfeeding;
• Infant Care;
• American Red Cross Infant CPR;
• Support groups for new moms; and
• Toddler playgroups and art classes.
• Free monthly Miscarriage and Newborn Loss support group on the second Tuesday evening of the month;
• Postpartum Depression Support Group of Greater Ann Arbor twice-monthly meetings;
• Doulas Care orientation sessions.

Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor empowers, educates, and supports families from pregnancy to preschool.  To learn more about us and our classes and programs, call 734.973.1014 or visit www.lamazefamilycenter.org

LFC Seeking New Board Members for 2012

Lamaze has a few openings on its Board of Directors in the new year. Do you have a passion for Lamaze, and some time each month to volunteer in a leadership position and attend the monthly Board meeting? Does it intrigue you to help Lamaze move forward in 2012? Email Stephanie at info@lamazefamilycenter.org to learn more!

Lamaze Tree of Wishes Posted In Lobby

So many generous supporters of Lamaze have helped us this year, and we sincerely thank you. We've gotten many inquiries from families that come here every week about how they can help Lamaze, so here is our Lamaze Tree of Wishes, posted on our wall in the lobby today through the holiday season. To help, you can take an ornament when you are at Lamaze, or post on our Facebook page what you would like to donate and bring to Lamaze by Thursday, January 5, 2012.

Thanks for keeping Lamaze Family Center in mind while you do your holiday shopping and giving! We couldn't do it without you!

-ipod speakers/player for toddler classroom
-AA batteries
-toilet paper
-bean bag chairs for the toddler classroom
-Kroger or grocery store gift cards (for toddler group snacks)
-Home Depot/Lowe’s gift card (for paint in classrooms//reinforcement materials for changing table for babies in bathroom)
-gift cards to Office Max
-reams of white copy paper
-paper towels
-IKEA gift card (for chairs in childbirth classroom)
-$20 donation for toddler group art supplies
-$75 sponsors a low-income family in a childbirth class
-$50 sponsors a teen family in a childbirth class

New UM Hospital Open Today

Check out the latest logistical feat in Ann Arbor: moving a hospital while babies are being born!

http://annarbor.com/business-review/a-massive-logistical-feat-university-of-michigan-moves-patients-staff-equipment-to-new-mott-children/

And on a fun Lamaze-related note: baby Emma Matz's parents took their childbirth prep classes at Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor. Photo of Emma halfway through the article.

Lamaze Family Center is moving to a new location today!

Lamaze Family Center is expanding and moving into a larger space with two classrooms today, November 1, 2011 at 2855 Boardwalk, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. We are so excited to show off our new space and welcome you to the new Lamaze Family Center!

Another big announcement for our organization: beginning in January, we will also be offering childbirth classes at the new University of Michigan Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital. We're thrilled to be partnering with the University of Michigan. 

We will still be teaching our evidence-based, high-quality childbirth classes on weeknights and on weekends at our new location. Other classes taught at Lamaze include:

• Breastfeeding,
• Infant Care,
• American Red Cross Infant CPR,
• Support groups for new moms, and
• Toddler playgroups and art classes.

We will continue to offer our free monthly Miscarriage and Newborn Loss support group on the second Tuesday evening of the month, and host the Postpartum Depression Support Group of Ann Arbor twice-monthly meetings and Doulas Care orientation sessions.

Please save the date for our Grand Opening Event on
Saturday, February 4, 2012! More details to come soon.

As always, our goal is to educate and empower women and their families in cooperation with your care. Thank you for your continued support of Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor.

For more information, go to our website at www.lamazefamilycenter.org.

Five Tips on Choosing a Childbirth Class

From Lamaze International: A recent report from the World Health Organization set off alarm bells for many expectant parents. The report showed that newborns in 40 countries, including Cuba, South Korea and Poland, have a lower risk of death than newborns in the United States.

For expectant moms, one of the best, and often overlooked, ways of improving the odds of a safe and healthy birth is to take a good childbirth education class. But how do moms know whether they are choosing a class that will make a difference?

“A good childbirth education class can make the difference between feeling out of control and overwhelmed, and being able to handle the expected and unexpected on the day of your baby’s birth,” said Marilyn Curl, President of Lamaze International. “A really good class will also help moms-to-be avoid routine interventions like inductions and being confined to bed, which can actually increase the risks around birth.”

Read the full article and get the tips, click here.

Feedback needed from childbearing women

Childbirth Connection is requesting feedback from childbearing women for a small online survey designed to help guide their maternity care decision aid partnership with the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making. The survey will gather information about how women use the Internet to find pregnancy and birth information and will support decision-making.

Women who are planning a pregnancy, are currently pregnant or who have been pregnant in the past two years are being asked to complete the brief, confidential online survey. Participants are eligible to win a $50 Target gift card. The survey closes on August 31. To take the survey, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/birthdecisions.

For more about Childbirth Connection, go to http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10674.

Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week!

World Breastfeeding Week Event: Creating A Supportive Breastfeeding Culture...In Our Homes, In Our Workplaces...In Our Communities

Don't miss this cool event on Thursday August 4, 2011: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Joanne Motino Bailey, Director of the University of Michigan Nurse-Midwifery Service, leads a distinguished panel in a discussion of breastfeeding in conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 - 7). World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year in more than 120 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.

The panel, which includes local health professionals Linda Faubert, RN, LC; Lauren Helms, MD; and Katherine Pasque MD, will discuss many key issues, including basic support of breastfeeding from partners, family and friends; return to work strategies (including conversations with colleagues and supervisors); and societal influences. The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Breastfeeding Excellence, Mott Children's Hospital.

Stephanie Schaldenbrand, Lamaze's Executive Director, will be in attendance to represent LFCAA and our ongoing education and support for breastfeeding moms and babies.

LFC Helps to Fight Back Against Cancer

By Guest Blogger Julie Lubeck-Hofer, LFCAA Board Member

What if you could personally help find cancer causes or cures? What if your involvement, and that research, ultimately leads to eliminate cancer as a major health problem for this and future generations? What if you could make it so just one family never had to hear the words “you have cancer?”

You have the opportunity to join nearly 100,000 other Americans who have signed up to be part of historical research that may help determine what things in our lives might prevent cancer, to help this and future generations.

Lamaze Family Center has joined forces with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital to provide kid’s activities during enrollment in this important research on Saturday, June 25.

At Relay for Life of Ann Arbor, the American Cancer Society will be enrolling participants for their newest research study, the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). Once enrolled, a participant’s 20-30 year commitment to the study will involve completing periodic follow-up surveys.

I will definitely be enrolling! I lost my mother to cancer 7 years ago. When your loved one is diagnosed with cancer you’re willing to do anything. Giving a blood sample and filling out questionnaires is nothing. I would enroll over and over again if they’d let me.

Individuals may choose to participate if they are willing to make a long-term commitment to the study, are between the ages of 30 and 65 years old and have never been diagnosed with cancer. If you are a cancer survivor, please help spread the word and encourage family members and friends to enroll.

Visit relayforlife.org/annarbormi or cancer.org/cps3, call 1-888-604-5888 or e-mail cps3@cancer.org to learn more.

I am thrilled to be involved in both organizations and participate in this event. We see amazing support for this study in our community. This is a personal way you and I can FIGHT BACK against cancer.

Hope to see you there!

Julie Lubeck-Hofer, Lamaze Board Member and Relay for Life of Ann Arbor Promotions Chair

Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay at Lamaze

Lamaze hosted a fun, one-hour workshop this weekend for a parent and their child to learn and practice "The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It." with Dr. Anthony DeBenedet. Dr. DeBenedet's new book of the same name is now available for sale.

Anthony talked about the importance of parent-child play in development, bonding and trust-building, and demonstrated some great moves for parents and children to use. His book contains over 70 different activities and also delves deeper into the benefits of parent-child roughhousing and good old-fashioned horseplay.

Anthony DeBenedet, M.D., is a board-certified physician and an incredibly active and adventurous father of three girls. An avid athlete, he holds an orange belt in Judo and enjoys basketball, tennis and golf and lives in Ann Arbor. His eldest daughter is a proud Lamaze Parent Toddler Playgroup grad and his middle daughter is currently enrolled in a group as well.

At right, Anthony demonstrates the "Red Tornado" and a mom and son show off the "Flying Fox." The workshops were fun, interactive, and have all of the parents and kids great ideas on how to incorporate these moves safely and effectively into their play at home.

Watch our website for upcoming workshop dates with Anthony! We thank him for his time and expertise and can't wait to learn more.

Lamaze Staff Gathers at Annual Meeting

Just wanted to give a shout-out to our amazing educators at Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor.

Pictured at left: Front row, Jodie Hughes and Debby Busick. Back row: Cara Genisio, Elizabeth Satterley, Sharon Paskus, Julie Leonard, Kim Mitchell, Meredith Lovelace, Lisa Hartmann, Stephanie Schaldenbrand, Carol Chase, Karen Kairys

Cesarean Awareness Month: Transparency and Skin to Skin at University of Michigan Hospital

There are many reasons why I love working at Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor; I love making connections with expectant families, helping moms forge new friendships and find resources in our community, and hearing how birth fundamentally changes a family and a woman's perspective of her body and her strength.

One huge plus of working here is our strong working relationship with the University of Michigan Hospital, as we provide their patients with childbirth education classes as a separate, non-hospital-based entity. One of our recent requests after meeting with Dr. Tim R.B. Johnson, Chair of the University of Michigan's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was to have our educators view a Cesarean birth, and I was lucky enough to see one this morning.

I arrived at the nurse's station and was greeted warmly by the two nurses I shadowed. After donning my jumper, which resembled a biohazard/Pillsbury Doughboy outfit, I put on booties, and was given a face mask to put on once we reached the OR. I met Mom and Dad, who were excited to meet their baby. Mom felt well-supported and prepared to deliver via Cesarean (for a condition that was medically indicated). Dad asked me lots of questions about Mom's recovery, breastfeeding support, and where he would be in the OR, and after a meeting with the anesthesiologist, Mom was wheeling into the OR.

The last time I was in the OR was for my son's Cesarean birth about 3.5 years ago. What I didn't realize from the last time I was there was the amount of busyness, charting, counting supplies, quality checks, and comforting words to Mom. I was not emotionally prepared and in labor when I arrived at the hospital.

This morning, Mom was very calm and excited, but understandably nervous about baby and if he would cry when he arrived in the world. She was assured that he might take a moment after having fluids suctioned, but it was normal. She need not have worried, as Baby greeted the world with a hearty cry, covered in white vernix, as he was about a week early.

Baby was skin to skin with Mom, in just a diaper and hat, within 12 minutes of being born. Signs all over Labor and Delivery exclaimed the benefits of early skin to skin contact between mom and baby (as do we in our Lamaze childbirth and breastfeeding classes), and the hospital staff took it seriously and made sure Dad was involved and helping support Baby on Mom's chest. Dad was invited to see Baby right away while the nurse was cleaning him and checking his vitals. The atmosphere in the OR was upbeat, efficient and happy as both Mom and Baby were doing very well.

The nurses were incredibly nurturing and confident, which helped Mom and Dad, but also were super helpful to me as an observer. One of the nurses actually walked me through the steps of the surgery before baby was born and as the OBs made their incisions and delivered the baby, and kept me updated on the newborn procedures of Baby.

Three other of our educators are observing a Cesarean birth as well this week, and I know that this opportunity is amazing, unique, and very appreciated. Our families that enroll in Lamaze childbirth classes will benefit from our firsthand accounts of all types of births at UofM.

Cesarean Awareness Month: Support for VBACs at LFC

Did you know that April is Cesarean Awareness Month? According to the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), the U.S. cesarean rate stands at 32.9%, but some states have rates of more than 40%.

“Cesareans are far from the niche occurrence of yesteryear. Every woman in her childbearing years MUST sit up and take notice of this alarming and astonishing rate of surgical delivery,” says ICAN President Desirre Andrews. “Now more than ever, women and babies need access to evidence-based care.” Click here to read the ICAN blog.

Lamaze Family Center's evidence-based childbirth classes help give families real tools and support to prepare for their births and make empowered choices. We teach families to recognize the "cascade of interventions" but also be flexible and realistic.

Additionally, we offer a Review Workshop class for second- (or third- or more) time moms who want refresher for their next birth, and we are hearing more and more from moms who are seeking a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Our next class meets Wednesday, May 25. This class isn't just for moms who have taken Lamaze previously; moms and their partners can enjoy devoted time to think about their next birth and reassess their priorities, hopes and plans for the upcoming birth.

Want to celebrate a recent VBAC or honor a friend? Buy your baby a VBAC onesie! Gotta love Etsie.

ICAN is asking for birth stories, and I'd love to hear some second-time birth stories to share with our readers. Email me at meredith@lamazefamilycenter.org

New Car Seat Safety Recommendations: Rear Facing Until Age Two

We know this has been all over the news this past week, and wanted to make sure that our Lamaze family had the latest information:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have released updated child passenger safety recommendations. Parents are advised to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age two or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. In addition, most children should continue to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

While previous recommendations suggested that it is safest for infants and toddlers up to the limits of the car seat, they also cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum. Because of this, many parents turned their car seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated their first birthday. The new recommendations stress the importance of selecting a car seat based on a child’s age, height and weight and keeping children in seats for as long as possible, until they reach the seat’s maximum height and weight requirements.

For more information from AAP, go to http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx. For more information from NHTSA, go to http://www.nhtsa.gov/Safety/CPS.

Excerpted from the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition Newsletter

Introduction of Solid Foods and Obesity

An interesting blurb underscoring another benefit of breastfeeding:

A study appearing in the March edition of the journal Pediatrics examines the association between timing of the introduction of solid foods during infancy and obesity at 3 years of age.

Researchers studied 847 children in a prospective pre-birth cohort study, with obesity at three years of age as the primary outcome. The timing of introduction of solid foods was measured as less than 4 months, 4 to 5 months and 6 or more months. 67% of the infants were breastfed in the first four months of life, and 32% were formula-fed. By 3 years of age, 75 children (9%) were obese (measured by a body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for age and gender). Among breastfed infants, the timing of solid food introduction was not associated with odds of obesity. However, among formula-fed infants, introduction of solid foods before four months was associated with a sixfold increase in odds of obesity at age 3 years. To review the study online, go to http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/127/3/e544.

From the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition Newsletter

Science & Sensibility » In Response: “The Doctors” Got it All Wrong

Instead of re-writing a response to the recent "The Doctors" show about epidurals, read this great response from the Science & Sensibility blog.

Science & Sensibility » In Response: “The Doctors” Got it All Wrong

Who has time for sex? Don't miss this moms-only workshop on March 26

By Guest Blogger Kelly Grocoff, LSW

Why teach a class called “Sex and Intimacy After Baby: Making it Matter for Moms”? Aren’t there a thousand other things mothers need to worry about? Who has time for sex?

In my classes and workshops, I make a case for sex. Why? Sexual health concerns are as important as any other health concern. Healthy sexual activity has numerous medical and psychological benefits, including many that are important for mothers, such as improving mood, aiding in sleep and keeping the pelvic floor muscles strengthened and toned.

My next workshop, for moms only, will be held at the Lamaze Family Center on Saturday, March 26 from 1:00pm-6:00pm. It will be an opportunity for moms to get answers to some of the trickiest postpartum questions, and engage in honest, thoughtful discussion about how to re-establish sex and intimacy after having children.

Many couples find that along with the multiple joys, challenges and changes of child-rearing comes an end to "Sex as We Know It." For some it gets better, but for many others it gets worse; it can create distance between two partners and is often marked by physical or emotional pain. But instead of accepting sub-par sex as the new normal, I encourage couples to identify what is not working, talk about the changes and make a commitment to their sexual relationship. For many couples, the postpartum period is the first time they have ever had to talk about sex. With commitment, honesty, and a sense of humor, couples can start a life long conversation that will help them adapt to a sexual relationship that inevitably changes throughout the life span.

Some common questions mothers have are: will I ever get my sex drive back? Why is my partner so interested in sex when I am not at all? Why should I consider sex when all I want to do with my free time is sleep or take care of things around the house? How can I show my postpartum body to my husband? Our kids are now much older and it seems like our sex life is forever changed. How can I learn how to enjoy sex again?

In “Sex and Intimacy After Baby” we discuss these questions, and many more. I hope to see you there.

Register now for the March 26th workshop, from 1:00pm-6:00pm at Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor. The five-hour workshop is $60 and includes the great book "Sex Matters for Women," by Sallie Foley, MSW; Sally A. Kope, MSW and Dennis P. Sugrue, PhD. The workshop is for moms only and open to any mom who has given birth in the last ten years.

Expectant Moms: Come to Nesting, a Creative Prenatal Retreat at Blue House

Lamaze Family Center Ann Arbor and Blue House proudly introduce a retreat on Saturday, March 5, dedicated to a day of creative empowerment for expecting moms. Whether you are a first time mom or a busy momma expecting #3, pregnancy is a journey to cherish. What better way to mark this time in your life than to celebrate what matters most. Come enjoy a day just for you and your baby.

The retreat includes two crafting projects (no previous experience required, so don't be intimidated if you aren't a Martha Stewart-type!), delicious local food, prenatal yoga session, and a comfort measures and birth wish list session, co-facilitated by yours truly (Meredith Lovelace, LCCE, one of the Lamaze Family Center's childbirth educators.)

The retreat is on Saturday, March 5, from 9:30am-4:00pm at Blue House Ann Arbor, 1026 South Main St. (corner of Main and Pauline, across from the Big House.) Limited to 20 mommas, so sign up now if you are interested!

Go to Blue House's site for more information and to register.

Induction of Labor Info Posted at Childbirth Connection

Childbirth Connection has launched a new area of their Web site to provide evidence-based information about the benefits, harms, and appropriate use of induction of labor, which affects approximately one-third of births in the US. According to Childbirth Connection, a systematic review of evidence published in 2009 found that many of the accepted medical indications for labor induction lack rigorous research demonstrating health benefits. Another systematic review published late last year demonstrated harms of elective induction of labor (without medical indication). The new resource sums up the evidence from these reviews and other high quality studies to help childbearing women make informed choices. The resource can be accessed at http://www.childbirthconnection.org/induction. The site was launched as part of a partnership with the March of Dimes and the Leapfrog Group.

The Leapfrog Group, an organization aimed at mobilizing large employers to improve health care quality, released data from their national hospital survey that shows many hospitals falling far short of targets to eliminate elective deliveries before 39 weeks. The database of hospital rates can be found at http://www.leapfroggroup.org/tooearlydeliveries.

Summarized from National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition newsletter, 1/31/11

Two Birth Stories for One Baby Boy

Guest Blogger Sara Saylor reflects on her adopted son's two birth stories today on his third birthday.

My son has two birth stories. One took place in a small village in Ethiopia. The other happened 8,324 miles away in Dallas, Texas.

Buturo was born in rural Ethiopia. As I listen to my friends talk about prenatal care, doulas and birthing plans, I think about my son’s first mother. I’ve tried to imagine the day he was born. I think of her pushing him into the world as the sun streamed through her thatched roof. Who was with her? A sister? A midwife? What did she think when she held his little, slippery body for the first time? What did she hope for him when she gave him the name Buturo, which means hard worker? Did she picture him becoming a farmer like his father? I can’t imagine she ever thought he’d grow up half a world away.

Around the same time Buturo took his first breath, my husband and I gave birth to our adoption plan. We had been through two painful miscarriages. It had rocked us to the core. Although I underwent numerous invasive tests to try to figure out why my body had failed me, there wasn’t a magic answer, no certain explanation. Maybe it was a clotting disorder. Maybe it was just bad luck. There was no reason not to try again, but we just couldn’t. It had been too hard, too heartbreaking. So we decided to adopt. The outcome seemed more certain. Eventually we’d become parents even if it took awhile.

So in January 2008, two mothers a world apart, held this new child in their hearts. She likely dreamed of a good life for him. And I dreamed of being there for a child who needed me. Buturo is celebrating his his third birthday today at our home in Ann Arbor, and we will not only celebrate his birthday, but we will also light a candle to honor the woman who gave him life.