CHI - St. Anthony

Educational Opportunities Car Seat Checks—If you're unsure whether your child's safety seat has all the straps and buckles in the right place, the Family Birth Center has five certified car seat technicians who will look it over for you. Whether at the farmers market or in the hospital parking lot, you can have the team review your child's seat with a checklist and fix anything that is out of place. Childbirth Class—This five-week series is offered in the evenings and covers the end of pregnancy through the stages of labor and delivery. Participants learn relaxation and breathing techniques, breastfeeding tips, and pain management methods, and also take a tour of the facilities at the Family Birth Center. Lactation Support—Although breastfeeding classes are still being developed, the Family Birth Center does offer lactation consulting for new mothers both immediately after birth and in follow-up appointments a few days after mother and baby go home. Mom and Baby Support Group—This support group, started last year, is free and meets the first and third Fridays of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. A lactation consultant is always present, as are other mothers who have gone through special peer-counselor training. "The day we become a parent is a rare event in the bigger picture of life," says Elizabeth Michael, RNC, IBCLC, lactation consultant with CHI St. Anthony Hospital's Family Birth Center. "We strive to provide amazing, evidence- based care and education during this dynamic transition to parenthood." To get more information about classes offered at the Family Birth Center, or to sign up, call Elizabeth Michael at 541-966-2541. NURTURING A NEW BOND "One thing we're really excited to offer is our Cesarean section procedure called the 'gentle C'," Tracy says. "When a mother undergoes a C-section, often she is concerned about not having that bonding moment immediately after her baby is born. Our 'gentle C' procedure allows for skin-to-skin contact with the mother right after birth, as well as for the entire hour or so that the mother is in recovery." Because skin-to-skin bonding is so important to both mother and child, the Family Birth Center tries to make immediate contact available in every birth situation that they medically can, Tracy explains. "If the baby is born completely healthy, we want him skin-to-skin with mom as quickly as possible, and that's something we can do because we do our own recoveries in our department," Tracy adds. "In the end, our focus is all about what needs to be done to take care of mom and baby. Being allowed to be a part of this amazing experience is something we don't take for granted." To learn more about the Family Birth Center, visit sahpendleton.org/svc-family-birth-center.html. "I'm proud of the staff we have. I think the people here just go above and beyond." — TRACY WART, DSN, RNC-OB, MANAGER OF THE FAMILY BIRTH CENTER sahpendleton.org /// CATHOLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES 3

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