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From the Adler Center to all of you - Have a Safe and
Wonderful Holiday!
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Do you Suffer from Holiday Blues? |
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Now that winter is fast approaching, so is the holiday
season. For some people that means being with family, holiday parties,
fun and excitement. But if the holidays and winter bring feelings of
loneliness, isolation and sadness, you're not alone.
Up to 33% of American women will suffer a major depressive episode in
their lifetime. It can be triggered by a stressful change - the death
of a loved one, having a baby, difficulty with a child or spouse, new
responsibilities at work - or by a seasonal change. The more stress or
worry you have, the deeper your depression may be. It's important to
understand that depression is an illness, and it can be treated. Learn
to identify symptoms in both yourself and others.
If you tend to feel down during the holidays, there are some
things you can do to help keep the "blues" at bay. Resist the urge to
isolate yourself. Go some place where there are people to interact with
(the mall, a craft show, a friend's house, the recreation center or
gym). Spend time with people you like, people who make you laugh or
feel good. Talking to others stimulates endorphins - as does exercise -
which make you feel better mentally.
If you think your feelings are similar to the symptoms
described here, you may need professional help. Remember, depression is
an illness. It can and should be treated. Please talk to your primary
health care provider or let us know how you're feeling. We will refer
you to someone who can help.
Symptoms of Depression
You are depressed if you have 5 or more of the following symptoms
nearly every day:
- Depressed mood most of the day
- Markedly decreased interest or pleasure in almost all
activities most of the day
- Significant change in weight - loss (when not dieting) or
gain; decreased or increased appetite
- Difficulty falling asleep, early morning wakening or sleeping
too much
- Increased agitation or sluggishness
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate
feelings of guilt
- Indecisiveness or decreased ability to think or concentrate
- Recurrent thoughts of death or recurrent suicidal thoughts
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Women's Health Seminar - How to Protect Yourself From STDs |
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Our seminar this month is about "How to Protect Yourself
from STDs". Sharon Lenton, CNM, will be our speaker. Discussions will
include what STDs are "out there", signs, symptoms and testing. Many
women either don't know how to protect themselves or they are too
embarrassed to ask. Our staff at the Adler Center feels it's important
to provide women (and men) with as much health information as possible
that will assist them in making informed decisions. What you don't know
can hurt you!
Join us on Thursday, December 16 from 6:30pm - 7:30pm in
our Woodbridge office. Light refreshments will be provided. Bring your
partner or a friend!
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My Birth Story |
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I searched for a new obstetrical team after my third son
was born because I needed a routine exam. I had longed for not the
sterile OB but the glory of midwifery that I had been told about even
for people with difficult pregnancies. Each of my three children had
been delivered differently by different obstetricians. For each birth I
had felt such a sense of disappointment. With my third child my birth
plan had been totally disregarded with my concerns and almost led to an
Emergency C-Section simply from not listening.
On my first appointment to The Adler Center for Women's
Health I was awaiting a midwife when my pager went off to let me know
my mother was being rushed to the hospital so I ran out of the office.
Joellen, the Stafford receptionist, even called to check on me the next
day. I found out I was pregnant before my next appointment and was so
nervous to meet the doctor.
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Preparing for Labor and Delivery |
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Written by Monica Byrne, CNM
On November 18th, we held our first prenatal education seminar at the
Adler Center. The focus was third trimester and preparing for "The Big
Day". It was very casual and a lot of great topics were discussed.
Thanks to those that came out.
I started with an explanation of who midwives are, how
we practice, and what our team approach for obstetrical care is at the
Adler Center for Women's Health. We reviewed when it is important to
notify the midwife on-call for labor and non-labor concerns. I also
covered some logistics of delivering at Potomac Hospital, their
neonatal and obstetrical services, policies, and the registration
process.
We discussed some basic labor information including
cervical dilation, effacement, station, and fetal position. (It's
amazing how a cervix can resemble a LifeSaver!) We talked about the
idea of a due month versus a due date and what it means to be "term"
(37-42 weeks pregnant). This included some of the concerns of
delivering a baby preterm, before 37 weeks, and post-term, after 42
weeks, including fetal development, infection, respiratory problems,
blood sugar instability, and placenta functioning. I also reviewed our
approach to inductions at the Adler Center and some prescription and
non-prescription ways that can be utilized to promote labor for a
healthy term pregnant woman. We discussed the use of herbal
supplements, home activities, gel preparations, and different methods
of induction such as vaginal and intravenous medications and breaking
the bag of waters.
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Employee of the Month - Felecia Chinn |
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I am the Practice Administrator for the Adler Center (as
well as the editor for our E-Newsletter). I have worked with Dr. Adler
for almost 16 years. I am responsible for practice development and
enhancement, marketing, and all practice operations to include
financial and personnel issues. With the assistance of my staff, I
develop office policies, procedures and risk management programs for
the Adler Center. Although my responsibilities can be overwhelming at
times, I really love my job. My staff is exceptional - they are all
caring, compassionate, bright and they all truly enjoy working with our
patients.
As for a little personal information about myself - I am
recently remarried (4 1/2 years) to my husband, Mike. I have two
children, a daughter, Megan, and a son, Ben, as well as two stepsons,
Brian and James. I also have a grandson, Tyler, who is 1 1/2 years old.
When I am not spending time with my family, I enjoy interior decorating
and doing crafts of any kind. Shopping is my number one favorite thing
to do - the motto "shop till you drop" was written specifically for me!
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We Value Your Input.... |
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So far our monthly E-Newsletter has had terrific response.
Currently, we have over 2400 readers! More and more people are signing
up to receive it daily. The purpose of our E-Newsletter is to provide
you, our reader, with current information on health issues as well
information about The Adler Center and our staff. Let us know what you
would like to see in our next E-Newsletter by clicking the link below.
If you aren't already on our email list and would like to receive our
monthly E-Newsletter, click
here.
We have also been updating our website monthly. Our goal is
to keep you informed with current information. So far we've
added the ability to obtain information about our practice such as
appointment scheduling, patient forms, medical records and our
prescription line. We've added links to our E-Newsletter issues and
even a video to our site. Information about our Monthly Women's Health
Seminars is also available through our Resources page. After each
seminar, we place an article on the web with the information that was
provided to the attendees. Check out our Resource
page and our Contact
Us page and let us know what you think!
New additions to our website include:
Coming soon: a Patient History form to fill out prior to
your appointment
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Send Us Your Baby Story! |
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Our subscribers have loved reading our baby stories each
month. Many people have told us that they can't wait until the next
E-Newsletter to read another! If your baby was delivered by The Adler
Center, and you would like to share your experience on our E-Newsletter
and website, we urge you to write an article and email it to us. Don't forget
to send a picture to go along with the article!
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