Oak Ridge Today

Baby’s Best Fest celebrates World Breastfeeding Month

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Community members gather to show their support for breastfeeding during the 2015 Baby’s Best Fest. This year’s event will take place on Aug. 4 at the A.K. Bissell Park playground. (Photo by MMC)

 

By Kelly Goodman/Covenant Health

Like ice cream and a summer day, some things are just made for each other. That’s how we feel about breastfeeding. Breast milk is made especially for babies, and the staff at Methodist Medical Center and the Family Birthing Center want to encourage all new mothers to consider breastfeeding for your baby’s best health and development.

To celebrate World Breastfeeding Month, Methodist Medical Center, the Anderson County Health Department, and La Leche League will host Baby’s Best Fest, a free event featuring a family ice cream social, children’s activities, community resources, and more. Baby’s Best Fest will take place Thursday, August 4, from 6-7 p.m. at the A.K. Bissell Park Playground, located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“Breastfeeding is about making it work for you and your baby for an extended time,” says Cher Stallings (RN, BSN, IBCLC, CCE), International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in the Family Birthing Center at Methodist Medical Center. “So many mothers start out breastfeeding, but as they return to work or get caught up in a busy home life, they may give up breastfeeding earlier than they would ideally like. For some women, it’s a lack of support from family. For others, it’s a lack of tools or knowledge.” [Read more…]

Oh, Baby! Labor, delivery nurse takes job to new level with her own at-home delivery

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Clockwise from top: David, Jakob, Deegan, Megan, and Emery gather for a picture before leaving for home as a family of five. (Photo by Covenant Health/MMC)

 

As a labor and delivery nurse in the Family Birthing Center at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Megan Whaley, RN, FNP, knows a thing or two about childbirth. She has 11 years of experience and two boys of her own, but her delivery skills were put to the test on March 21 when the family’s newest addition made a dramatic entrance.

Megan was two days overdue and had been experiencing gradual contractions, but her previous labors had been hours-long and she was sure she had plenty of time. But as the morning went on her contractions got stronger, so she called her husband David who was at work in Lenoir City.

“She didn’t seem panicked in the first phone call,” remembered David. “I was at work in a meeting and an hour away. We thought we’d be fine, but then she called back and said we need an ambulance.”

“By 10 a.m. I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the hospital,” said Megan who recalls the overwhelming need to push that signaled her impending delivery. [Read more…]

Baby Dylan rings in new year at Methodist Medical Center

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New Year's Baby 2015 MMC

Photo courtesy Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge

 

He was due on December 28, and Dylan Cohen Williams was supposed to be one of the last babies of 2014.

But after making Mom and Dad wait a few days longer, on January 1, 2015, at 12:53 p.m. he became Methodist Medical Center’s first baby of the New Year.

Dylan weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and he was 20 inches long. [Read more…]

Honors: Nurse in Family Birthing Center named ‘MMCer of the month’

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Shelia Justice

Shelia Justice

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Shelia Justice, licensed practical nurse (LPN) in the Family Birthing Center at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named the “MMCer of the Month” for September.

In her duties, Justice provides care for post-partum mothers and babies as well as post-operative patients in the Family Birthing and Women’s Services Center. She is a scrub nurse for c-section deliveries and assists with other deliveries. Justice also ensures that the department is well-stocked and at the ready for patients. She has been with Methodist for a cumulative 13 years.

Justice is described by Donna Longmire, director of Surgical Services, as “an asset to Covenant Health, Methodist Medical Center, and the Family Birthing Center. [Read more…]

Honors: Tammy Sparks named May’s MMCer of the Month

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Tammy Sparks

Tammy Sparks

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Tammy Sparks, a licensed practical nurse and certified surgical technologist in the Family Birthing Center at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named the MMCer of the Month for May.

In her duties, Sparks provides care for patients in the Family Birthing Center, assists physicians with c-section deliveries, and assists registered nurses in patient care as well as stocks and manages supplies for the Family Birthing Center and operating room. She has been with Methodist since 2010.

Sparks is described by Donna Hamby, director of Surgical Services, as “an asset to her patients, co-workers, physicians, Methodist Medical Center, and Covenant Health.”

Hamby continued, “She provides excellent patient care and has good clinical judgment and skill.”

The person who nominated Sparks said, “She is the most efficient and productive employee that I have ever had the pleasure of working with.” [Read more…]