My heartfelt thanks goes to all at The Adler Center who provided support to me and my baby, Sharon, during pre- and post-natal care. I cannot believe that this is the fourth child - much less fourth daughter - whom I have delivered through your practice! I can't imagine having gone anywhere else for this pregnancy, as I have had nothing but positive experiences with all of the staff throughout the past nine years. I can be assured of a friendly voice answering the phone when I need to speak with the receptionist.

Joellen has also been instrumental in acting as a liaison between me and my insurance company, making countless calls to arrange preauthorization for services. A million thank yous for that! The nurses, too, have been great in answering questions and providing consistency in care.

I am also grateful for the presence of a phlebotomist so I wouldn't have to travel to an independent lab. She drew my blood ever so gently! Lastly, thank you for your extra special care and your concern over my sometimes challenging medical conditions. I would also like to mention that Rita-Marie was fantastic in the delivery room. I have to admit that I was skeptical about midwives initially, but now I am a firm believer.

Again, thanks to all of you! I appreciate all you've done for me and my family.

- Sandy Bodolay

Our next Women's Health Seminar will be hosted by Monica Byrne, CNM on November 18 in our Woodbridge office from 6:30pm-7:30pm. Monica will be discussing what you should do to prepare for your labor and delivery. This will be a question and answer session - be sure to bring a list of questions you would like to discuss. We do have limited time so remember to keep your questions brief. Bring your labor partner! This information is important for them as well. Light refreshments will be served.

I have wanted to sit down for a while now and share our experience with the Adler Center and the birth of our little girl, Kira Sherwood. I started with the Adler Center when I was almost two months pregnant after a friend from work gave me the recommendation. From my first visit, I was so happy and relieved that I made the switch from my previous practice. I was going to be able to deliver at Potomac Hospital and everyone I encountered at the Adler Center was so friendly, helpful, and informative. I am so impressed with everyone and I love all of the midwives that took such good care of me and Kira. Midwives are so skilled and wonderful and I was so thrilled to have Rita-Marie deliver Kira on August 1, 2004.

After being so upset that I was 5 days overdue with no signs of labor and then hearing that my friend's wife had delivered her son a whole month early that day, Saturday July 31, I went to bed around midnight. I got about an hour of sleep before a contraction woke me up around 1:30 am. They continued and seemed pretty regular and they hurt much more than the Braxton Hicks I'd been having for months. I let it go a while and then woke my husband Aric up. He timed the contractions for an hour and they were about 3-4 minutes apart and 30-45 seconds long. At about 4:00 am I called the midwife on call at the hospital - it was Pam. She said it sounded like the real thing and I could come in in about an hour if I wanted, but that it was probably still sort of early since the contractions were only lasting 30 seconds. So I called my parents and told them to make their way down here, praying it was the real thing and I didn't wake them up at 4:00am to come down here for nothing!

Written by Sara Pinkman, CNM

The staff at the Adler Center for Women's Health has made a commitment to educating our patients and the community about health issues that concern us all. We would like to raise awareness about a condition, which has been somewhat of a silent epidemic.

Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone condition that features loss of normal bone density. This condition leads to abnormally porous bone that is more compressible like a sponge, rather than dense and solid like a brick. Bones are comprised of both protein collagen and calcium. A loss in bone density causes bones to become brittle, and can lead to frequent fractures.

It is estimated that one in two women over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis related fracture. This condition is a threat to 28 million Americans and is currently one of the most under-diagnosed and under- treated disorders in medicine. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, women over 60 have a one in four chance of breaking a bone due to osteoporosis. Elderly women (and men) who suffer from severe osteoporosis experience hip, wrist, spine and other traumatic fractures from minor falls that would normally not occur in young adults (or persons who do not have osteoporosis). Rehabilitation and reconstruction with a prosthetic hip can be painful and difficult to treat. Other serious effects of osteoporosis include loss of height (from vertebral compression fractures), restricted mobility and kyphosis, a humped back (called a dowager's hump). Elderly people with broken bones may never recover completely or they may continue to have pain and disability and even die.

I have been working with Dr. Adler since December of 1986 - 18 years!! I've known him since he was Chief Resident at Fairfax Hospital. I'm the Clinical Coordinator for The Adler Center. My responsibilities include overseeing the nursing staff as well as the front desk staff. I also schedule surgeries and inductions for our providers. I assist our Practice Administrator, Felecia, as needed. I really enjoy helping our patients. Since I've worked here for so long, I actually have been able to see several of our patients each year - it's fun keeping track of what's going on with them and the children that we've delivered for them.

I work with a great staff. Dr. Adler and Felecia are great bosses to work for. I'll probably be working for The Adler Center for life - I'm not going anywhere else! I've been married for 31 years to my husband, Mike, and have three children - Kim, Keith and William. I also have three grandchildren, Tashia (11), Ruben (8), and Ashleigh (3) as well as a german shepard named Mia. My favorite thing to do is to go to the beach. I love the beach and the ocean. I find it very peaceful and go every chance I get.

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!