Alpharetta Midwifery Care - Your Body, Your Care, Your Choice!

November 23rd, 2011

Starting in December, the midwives currently delivering at North Fulton Hospital are forming a new group called Atlanta Midwifery. Their focus on holistic, family-centered care will allow for 24/7 practitioner access and a level of birth support unmatched by any other group in metro Atlanta. The group will also offer a monthly education series where new and prospective mothers can spend extra time with area specialists while meeting other likeminded families.

The Atlanta Midwifery group will continue to deliver at North Fulton Hospital (NFH). By maintaining a low 20.8% c-section rate, North Fulton Hospital is considered the preeminent facility for natural childbirth in Atlanta. The friendly and intimate birthing facility allows the staff to get to know a family and assist with the extra support they may need.

Atlanta Midwifery boasts three certified nurse midwives, Janet Fedullo, Sherry Nored and Kim Storey. With over 50 years of birthing support combined, each is well-versed in several delivery methods including natural (epidural/pitocin free), vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC), Bradley, hypnobirthing and water births.

Fedullo, having worked in several freestanding birth centers across the country, is an expert in using hypnobirthing techniques.

“I have found that women can tap into their natural instincts to bring about an easier, more comfortable birth experience,” says Fedullo. “This is considered a very good path to achieve the natural childbirth that women are seeking today.”

With an extensive background working in rural areas, Nored is a specialist in the overall natural birth experience. She has spent over three decades coaching countless women through labor without the use of pitocin or an epidural injection.

“There is an overwhelming sense of humility and accomplishment when a woman is able to deliver naturally,” says Nored.

Storey has been a women’s health practitioner for over 20 years and has coached hundreds of water births.

“This popular method of labor and delivery helps to ease the pain of a drug-free labor while welcoming the baby into a familiar environment,” says Storey. “Women opting for a natural delivery come to really appreciate the relaxing nature of the water while in the birthing tub.”

The group is backed by two long-time area physicians including Dr. Hughan Frederick and Dr. Tressa Scineaux. Both doctors strongly support natural delivery and boast the lowest c-section rates in metro Atlanta.

Additional information, bios, and a listing of upcoming events for Atlanta Midwifery can be found at atlantamidwifery.com. If you wish to make an appointment, please contact the family liaison at 404-805-2059 or info@atlantamidwifery.com.

Posted November 5th, 2011

Author: Corrinna Edwards, CD, HPCE, PT

DOULA STUDY

Local doulas: Corrinna Edwards,  Tara Thompson,  Cynthya Dzialo,  Sheri Aizerman,  Nicole King,  Sekesa Harding

Doulas are priceless. A doula helps facilitate a positive birth experience for all parties involved. She brings forth a calm presence to the birthing room, and provides continuous uninterupted support, which hospital staff can’t replace. She is only focused on the mother and family she is with, unlike the nurses who have paper work, several mothers at once and multiple tasks during the labor and birth.

She assists and encourages partner involvment. Fathers, mothers, sisters, friends who are not trained or experienced with attending births get the best of both worlds. They can participate and feel comfortable and confident being involved, and they can have a break when needed, food and sleep. Everybody involved in a birth has work to do and needs rest so their energy stored up when the mother needs their presence most.

A doula provides comfort measures, suggests positions for labor, massage, and her bag of tricks when special circumstances arise. Doulas help increase the chances of having a birth with little or no intervention at all.

Invest in a doula! You only have one opportunity to birth this child, even if you have more children later. A woman always remembers her birth and this memory is imprinted on both the mother’s and the baby’s nervous system.

Give your baby and your family the gift of a doula!

 At AWS we support Breast Cancer Awareness. On July 20th, 2011 The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released new breast cancer screening guideliness recommending yearly screening mammorgams for women beginning at age 40.   Call today to schedule your annual exam and discuss your breast cancer screening recommendations!

Posted Sept.19th, 2011

Why a water birth?

Waterbirth was not always an option and still isn’t in many hospitals locally and nationally.   It has become more and more popular over the years at North Fulton Regional the practitioners at Alpharetta Women’s Specialist provide their hospital services..

Women who choose waterbirth are normally educated prenatally and have done extensive research on the benefits leading to their decision.

Some of the benefits may include but are not limited to:

• Smoother transition for the baby, birthing from warm water into warm water.
• Creates greater pain relief and buoyancy for the mother.
• Keeps the mother’s perineal tissues relaxed, warm and supple for minimal (if any) tearing.
• Allows more room for comfortable positions more favorable to the mother and the baby (optimal fetal positioning).
• Relaxes the mother completely with the skin being the body’s largest organ.

For more information on waterbirth please call Alpharetta Women’s Specialists at 770-817-1970, and book your free consult today.