Wood County Hospital’s Post

Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy condition that can be fatal for mothers and babies. But investment into research and development for this condition could save lives. Today, on #WorldPreeclampsiaDay we're highlighting our research with partners the Concept Foundation (non-profit) and Policy Cures Research that analyses diagnostics for preeclampsia and other pregnancy conditions. Read more: https://bit.ly/3USfRlH

After the loss of a baby during pregnancy or infancy, the innocence of pregnancy is gone. A subsequent pregnancy is a tightrope walk between joy and grief, hope and fear. A rainbow baby is loved and hoped for, and yet, after loss, parents know there are no guarantees. While a rainbow baby will never replace a baby who died, they deserve to be celebrated and to honor the family’s journey, never forgetting their precious baby who died. This is why we recognize National Rainbow Baby Day on August 22nd each year: to celebrate the rainbow babies, remember the babies who came before them, and honor each parents’ journey. Learn more about 🌈 rainbow babies 🌈 and get ways to celebrate ⤵️

🌺 It’s Black Baby Loss Awareness Week and we are grateful to share this post from Instagram Tommy's “Our babies are more than a statistic.” Why do we need Black Baby Loss Awareness Week? This week is Black Baby Loss Awareness Week, founded by Tommy’s midwife midwife_alicia. The week exists to raise awareness in Black communities of the support they can access during and after pregnancy and loss. Unfortunately, Black women and birthing people are at higher risk of pregnancy complications and loss compared to White women. This includes a higher risk of stillbirth, miscarriage and postnatal depression. But, Black families are the least likely to access support or treatment after pregnancy. Compared to White parents, they are: - more than twice as likely to have a stillbirth, - 40% more likely to have a miscarriage, - more likely to have postnatal depression, - the least likely to access support or treatment after birth. This is why, during Black Baby Loss Awareness Week, @blackbabylossawareness will be sharing organisations, charities and communities that provide support for Black families after loss. Here at Tommy’s, we believe everyone deserves the same opportunity for a safe pregnancy and birth. We know Black families are at a higher risk of complications, and want to do more to help. That’s why we launched our helpline for Black and Black Mixed-Heritage women and birthing people. And since then, our midwives have taken almost 500 calls from families in need of support: “I just wanted to say thank you so much for your lovely email. In sad moments i have referred back to this and re-read your words and it really helps.” Our dedicated helpline is available on weekdays, 9-5, and you can book a slot via the link in our bio. Our support resources are also available 24/7 at tommys.org. #BabyLoss

This October, in observance of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we hope to encourage involvement in our #foreverinmyheart initiative, inviting families to commemorate their babies by sharing their names. Your involvement in this meaningful project would be greatly appreciated. To kick off this initiative, we invite families to contribute a brief video stating, “[baby’s name] is forever in my heart." We welcome submissions from parents, grandparents, siblings, and other family members to create a collective video that introduces the movement, urging families nationwide to say their babies names. Would you be willing to contribute your video by September 1st? Please review the details below and confirm your participation. Below is an illustrative example of the video content we hope to gather: Examples for #Foreverinmyheart video: [Your Baby's Name] is forever in my heart The [Family Name] Babies are forever in my heart My little peanut is forever in my heart Olivia is forever in my heart. Feel free to involve aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Guidelines for video submission: Keep your video concise, focusing on delivering the one-sentence message. Film your video in a meaningful setting like your home, a memorial garden, or a graveside, or while holding a special object or memento. Submit videos for each family member, though not all submissions may be included in the final compilation, pending on quantity and content. Video Filming Dos and Don'ts: Do select a quiet environment. Do speak clearly and audibly. Do stabilize the camera to capture at least your upper body. Do allow a few seconds before and after speaking for editing purposes. Avoid filming selfie-style. Avoid noisy backgrounds. Refrain from wearing inappropriate attire. Ways to submit your video: (Choose any method) Email your video to Sarah Purcell at spurcell@nationalshare.org. For large video files, utilize services like Dropbox or Google Drive to share a download link. Send the video via private message to Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support on Facebook Messenger. For any queries or assistance with video submission, please reach out to Sarah Purcell or call the National Share Office at 636-947-6164. Help us raise awareness this October! Touching Lives... Healing hearts... Giving hope.

Our #PreeclampsiaAwarenessMonth Theme is: Your Experience Counts! Your journey through pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood is unparalleled. Your experiences, insights, and feedback from your own care are invaluable assets that drive improvements in maternal healthcare. EndPreeclampsia has supported patients in real time with evidence-based information for nearly two decades. Our members come to us for education about hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, for support through one of the greatest traumas of their lives, and for help to learn how to speak up for themselves and their babies in an informed and respectful way in order to achieve appropriate care and better outcomes, so that is what we deliver. Across our decades of experience as survivors, peer-educators, patient advocates, and patient advisors we see the same problems in maternal healthcare over and over again. Because we see more cases each year of #preeclampsia, #eclampsia, #HELLPSyndrome, #gestationalhypertension and #chronichypertension in pregnancy than any single hospital or clinic around the world we have important insights to share with our patients and our clinical and research partners. #YourExperienceCounts and we are going to highlight this topic throughout the month of May! Together, let's work towards a future where every mother receives the care, support, and respect she deserves. #MayisPreeclampsiaAwarenessMonth #WorldPreeclampsiaDay #May22isworldpreeclampsiaday #PreeclampsiaAwarenessMonth #CountMeIn #YourVoiceCounts #KnowyourCounts #YourExperienceCounts #preeclampsia #eclampsia #HELLP #HELLPSyndrome #EndPreeclampsia

Today, Iowa Clinic OB/GYN providers Drs. Wanakee Carr, Evan Olson, Katelyn Buhrow and Amy McEntaffer attended the Count the Kicks Changemaker's Luncheon to help raise funds for the organization and their mission to eliminate stillbirths. The Iowa Clinic is a proud supporter of Count the Kicks. Count the Kicks reports a 32% reduction in stillbirth rates in Iowa since its inception. Fetal kick and movement counts should start at 28 weeks of pregnancy. This is an important indicator of fetus health and can be a lifesaving measure for some expectant mothers. Learn more about Count the Kicks here: https://bit.ly/3TH5lhK #TICGivesBack #CounttheKicks #FetalAwareness #ExpectingMoms

Our #PreeclampsiaAwarenessMonth Theme is: Your Experience Counts! Your journey through pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood is unparalleled. Your experiences, insights, and feedback from your own care are invaluable assets that drive improvements in maternal healthcare. EndPreeclampsia has supported patients in real time with evidence-based information for nearly two decades. Our members come to us for education about hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, for support through one of the greatest traumas of their lives, and for help to learn how to speak up for themselves and their babies in an informed and respectful way in order to achieve appropriate care and better outcomes, so that is what we deliver. Across our decades of experience as survivors, peer-educators, patient advocates, and patient advisors we see the same problems in maternal healthcare over and over again. Because we see more cases each year of #preeclampsia, #eclampsia, #HELLPSyndrome, #gestationalhypertension and #chronichypertension in pregnancy than any single hospital or clinic around the world we have important insights to share with our patients and our clinical and research partners. #YourExperienceCounts and we are going to highlight this topic throughout the month of May! Together, let's work towards a future where every mother receives the care, support, and respect she deserves. #MayisPreeclampsiaAwarenessMonth #WorldPreeclampsiaDay #May22isworldpreeclampsiaday #PreeclampsiaAwarenessMonth #CountMeIn #YourVoiceCounts #KnowyourCounts #YourExperienceCounts #preeclampsia #eclampsia #HELLP #HELLPSyndrome #EndPreeclampsia

Cayaba Care moms are more likely to breastfeed their babies compared to PA benchmarks. At Cayaba Care we are focused on making maternity care more humane and empathic while improving maternal outcomes. Our Maternity Navigator-centric model is proving to be effective and showing strong results. The benefits of breastfeeding for both babies and mothers are well documented. The WHO lists breastfeeding as one of the best activities for child health and survival. Cayaba’s Maternity Navigators provide ongoing breastfeeding education during pregnancy, and our certified lactation consultants visit moms in-home and meet them virtually to help with breastfeeding. These efforts are paying off. Since 2023, across hundreds of births, our data shows that 84% of Cayaba moms have breastfed compared to only 75% of moms in Pennsylvania. This is progress!

Areas with no maternal healthcare, sometimes called “maternity care deserts,” put pregnant people at increased risk of dangerous, and even deadly, pregnancy complications like maternal sepsis. They often make it harder for patients to begin receiving treatment quickly, and, in some cases, a long drive might discourage a patient from going to their doctor or make it impossible to seek treatment at all. We’re committed to improving outcomes for people who develop sepsis during or following a pregnancy, so that more survive pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. To learn more about the problem of maternity care deserts, how they relate to maternal sepsis, and how pregnant patients can identify the signs and symptoms, visit MaternalSepsisWeek.org. 

March is Pregnancy After Loss Awareness Month. As we trudge out of the darkness of winter and into spring with the hope of new life blooming, we recognize March as Pregnancy After Loss Awareness Month. During this month, we spread awareness and acknowledge the difficult journey of balancing joy and grief during a subsequent pregnancy after loss. We hold hope with the courageous parents walking the journey of life after loss and celebrate their parenthood. Courageous parents, you are not alone. 💜 Learn more about Pregnancy After Loss Awareness Month and how you can participate ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eMAweKf 💜 Share your story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/epBhtQmv 💜 Follow Pregnancy After Loss Support to learn more and participate in Pregnancy After Loss Awareness Month all throughout the month of March. #PALAwareness #PALAwarenessMonth