Blog

Breastfeeding and Summer Heat

Lactation Consultant Cheryl Coleman shares tips on staying cool while breastfeeding this summer on the blog.

Now that summer and hot temperatures have arrived, breastfeeding moms just “wanna have fun.”  Breastfeeding your baby should not keep you from enjoying your summer outdoor activities, if you can remember a few key points for you and your baby.

Hydration

We quickly become dehydrated in the hot, humid Oklahoma summers.  Don’t go out without a bottle of water.  Keep drinking plenty of juice.  Both water and juice are your best fluids.  Sodas are fluids but they... Read More »

Hillcrest Healthy Beginnings Transport Team “Takes Off” to Improve Care for High-Risk OB Patients and Newborns

The Peggy V. Helmerich Women’s Health Center at Hillcrest Medical Center, in partnership with Tulsa Life Flight, is launching Oklahoma’s only dedicated high-risk obstetrics air transport service.

Beginning Monday, June 3, the Hillcrest Healthy Beginnings Transport Team will pick up expectant mothers who are nearing labor and need advanced medical care for either themselves or their baby. The team will transport women from Eastern Oklahoma, and across the region including southern Kansas, western Arkansas and western Missouri, to the Helmerich Women’s Health Center on the Hillcrest... Read More »

Talking to Your Children about the Oklahoma Tornadoes

For parents across the state watching the devastation unfold on television, as tornadoes swept through Central and Northeastern Oklahoma Sunday and Monday, knowing how to talk to children about why these events happen can be a challenge.  Although we would like to shelter our children from tragedy, the reality is children easily pick up on parents’ reactions, both verbal and non-verbal, as well as the continuous coverage at every turn. Children know what is going on around them, but likely won’t fully understand how it affects them. Events like the Moore, OK tornado can leave children with... Read More »

Mom and Baby: Skin to Skin

Hillcrest lactation consultant Cheryl Coleman shares the importance of skin to skin contact between mom and baby today on our blog.

Holding your baby against you, skin-to-skin, gives your baby the best start to life after birth and helps with the initiation of breastfeeding.  

Holding your baby skin-to-skin (S2S) starting within the first few minutes of birth supports three vital changes that your baby will make in the early hours after birth.  

First, S2S holding will help your baby maintain a stable temperature.  They are coming from a nice warm environment to a... Read More »

Tips When Breastfeeding and Traveling

Hillcrest lactation consultant Cheryl Coleman shares tips for nursing mothers traveling this summer on the blog today.

We’re getting to summer vacation time and new mothers are confronted with the issue of how to feed their baby when traveling.  Breastfeeding is the most convenient option for any traveling, as well as being the safest.   Regardless, there are always things to consider when planning to feed and travel with your baby.  

If you are traveling by car, the safest recommendation is to stop at a rest stop or safe place along your route to breastfeed your baby.  If... Read More »

What's in a name?

If you ask any new parent what’s in a baby name, they will likely tell you a lot of time. Either they’ve had their baby’s name picked out for years, or they’ve spent countless hours debating it. Some know right off the bat when they find out they’re expecting. Others look with a blank stare at the birth certificate in the hospital not sure what to write as discharge nears.

Naming a baby is a big decision. After “Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl,” most people are curious if you’ve picked a name. And everyone wants to weigh in. We can’t help but have our preferences and... Read More »

Thinking of conception? Try these fertility boosting foods.

A healthy weight and body mass index (BMI) can help regulate your menstrual cycle and help boost your fertility chances. You should try to aim for a BMI between 19 and 24. If you have a BMI below or above that, check with your health care provider before trying to conceive. Not sure what your BMI is, here is an online calculator.

If you are in a healthy weight range and want to increase your chances of conceiving, researchers have found dietary changes that reduce the amount of trans fats, animal proteins and carbohydrates can help regulate ovulation.  For 1 in 4 women experiencing... Read More »

Life-Saving Screenings for Newborns

Having a baby is one of life’s greatest moments for new parents. Anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new member of the family comes with many firsts, milestones and discoveries. Emotions are high as mom and dad count fingers and toes and claim baby’s eyes and nose. For second-time mom, Rachel Satarawala, those first hours after the birth of her daughter were as many parents describe, a “blur.” “From the start of contractions at home to the time she arrived at the hospital, it totaled an hour and a half,” she says of the whirlwind course of her daughter’s birth.  

“Eventually when... Read More »