 Marsha Stegall, CLC is a Peer Counselor III at the Mississippi Department of Health’s District 2 WIC Breastfeeding program in Lee County. She has worked for the WIC Breastfeeding program for nearly 18 years, starting off as a stay-at-home breastfeeding mom/peer counselor, moving into the role of Lactation Specialist, and now working as a Peer Counselor III with her CLC certification. She recently participated in a CHAMPS site visit at North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo, where her input was golden! Supervisor Cynthia Coleman, CLC shares these words about Marsha: “Marsha Stegall is one of the most compassionate people I know. Every person that enters her office knows that she cares for them. She goes beyond the call of duty to help anyone. She has such a great relationship with many of her clients that they will stop by to show her their children whenever they are in the WIC clinic. She has a wonderful ability to recall names and situations surrounding births. She was even asked by one of her clients to be her child's godmother.” Marsha provides prenatal education by way of weekly classes, one-on-one classes and community outreach, and supports breastfeeding moms in the clinical setting, home, hospital (on occasion) and over phone. She collaborates with several area hospitals, including CHAMPS hospitals Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County and University of Mississippi Medical Center. She also works closely with a local pregnancy center and the Northeast MS Birthing Project. CHAMPS asked Marsha what her secret is to developing good relationships with her clients. Marsha responded: “I try to [be] that ‘listening ear.’ My office door is always open and I try to make them feel comfortable and I like to call them by name…I also try to put myself in their shoes when it comes to breastfeeding. For example, some moms do not have a good support system at home or have had trauma in their lives that we may not understand. I used to take it personally when a mom did not breastfeed or did not breastfeed for long because I thought I was not doing my job. I have learned that everyone does not have the same circumstances, and ‘any amount counts’ is my new motto.” What is one of Marsha’s most important achievements? In her estimation, “helping my own WIC daughter breastfeed her infant. I was the mother, grandmother and lactation specialist all rolled up into one, and it was great. I see the fruits of that labor every day in the healthy, spirited two-year-old that calls me Nannie.”  From left: Don Falgout, Rodney Gisclair, Jr., and Cody Walker This week’s CHAMPions of the Week are Rodney Gisclair, Jr., Lead CRNA, Don Falgout, CRNA and Cody Walker, CRNA, the team of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists who have helped to make skin-to-skin following cesarean sections a success at CHAMPS hospital Ochsner St. Anne Hospital in Raceland, Louisiana! Crystal Risinger, BSN, RN, IBCLC, Director of Emergency Department/Intensive Care Unit & CHAMPS Team Lead, says Rodney, Don and Cody were “quick to jump onboard when we implemented skin-to-skin in the OR. They would even help out by unbuttoning mother’s gown and trying to keep telemetry pads out of the way. Next when asked to assist with the transfer of mother and baby as one from the OR table to the postpartum bed they were quick to lead the way with that too. Their support helped to get other team members engaged.” “Skin-to-skin has really been a great thing to evolve here in our small rural hospital,” Rodney, Don and Cody share. “Mothers bonding with their babies so soon after delivery is truly a joy to be a part of. “The most challenging aspect of transitioning to skin-to skin was relinquishing ‘our territory’ to the mother-baby nurse to promote skin-to-skin. But, after the first couple of times observing mother and baby bonding so soon in such a way through skin-to-skin, it was really no big deal for us as anesthesia providers to step aside and let the bonding process begin. We are in very close proximity to mom during this time continuing to monitor mom and can easily step in and intervene if need be. On several occasions, babies have even latched on and began breastfeeding while still in the OR. “Being involved in transitioning to skin-to-skin has been very rewarding and inspiring. Mothers are appreciative to our anesthesia staff for allowing skin-to-skin to take place in the OR so soon after delivery. Thanks and praise from our moms is very uplifting and satisfying to the CRNAs here involved in the care of moms and their newborn babies in the OR.” Ochsner St. Anne Hospital is in the Dissemination phase of the Baby-Friendly pathway and will be reaching Designation soon! It truly takes a team of providers to make a hospital Baby-Friendly! Want to learn more? Connect with Crystal Risinger, who will be speaking on skin-to-skin in CHAMPS’ Wednesday Webinar on September 21, 2016 from 11 am – 12 pm CST. Rodney Gisclair, Jr. will also be speaking at our CHAMPS Mississippi conference on November 17, 2016.  Cynthia Coleman, CLC, is the WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator for the Northeast Mississippi Department of Health. She was nominated as CHAMPion of the Week for her great work as WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator and for her invaluable input at a recent CHAMPS site visit at North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo! Cynthia and her staff work with 4 area hospitals, 3 of which are CHAMPS hospitals, and Cynthia serves on the community task forces for 2 hospitals, including CHAMPS hospital Baptist Memorial Hospital Union County. Cynthia shares how her breastfeeding journey began and what motivates her to do this work: “My journey to breastfeeding began at birth. I was one of the few children born in the 1960s who was breastfed. My mother always said that anything our body made for our children had to be better than what was made in a factory. I have no idea how many benefits she knew about breastfeeding, but I always tried to please my mother. I breastfed my children because my mom breastfed me. While I always intended to breastfeed, I can remember being ashamed to share that with anyone. I am thrilled that breastfeeding is closer to becoming the norm in the United States. I am glad to have the opportunity daily to discuss and teach reasons to breastfeed to our new moms. While there are many women who are not comfortable with breastfeeding, it is my desire to help them overcome any barriers to breastfeeding. It is rewarding to know that I have played a part in giving a baby the best start possible.” Cynthia adds that the experience of her daughter having a baby as a teenager, though difficult, helps her to work compassionately with other teen moms. Cynthia has worked for the MS Department of Health for 8 years. Her district includes 11 counties and “7 wonderful peer counselors.” Their main focus is to serve WIC’s prenatal and postnatal clients. They contact them on a monthly basis to build a relationship with them; educate them so they can make informed decisions about feeding their babies; provide hospital and home visits during the first few weeks of life; provide breastfeeding help in the WIC clinics; respond 24/7 to emergency calls; support moms in reaching their breastfeeding goals; loan pumps to NICU moms and moms returning to work or school; and refer clients to other agencies when needed. The MS Department of Health is also providing WIC clients with the new PACIFY app free of charge. The PACIFY app provides 24/7 support from an RN, pediatric nutritionist, or IBCLC. Cynthia shares that feedback about this app has been positive. Other outreach groups with which Cynthia and her staff work include: Northeast MS Birthing Project, Family Resource Center, Newborns in Need, Banah Pregnancy Center, and North MS Breastfeeding Coalition.  From left: Megan & Nicole Megan Timm, CLC, CTTS, Prevention Program Supervisor, and Nicole Santonastaso, NDTR, CLC, Healthy Start Educator and WIC Program Breastfeeding Coordinator, are doing great work at CHAMPS Hospital Norton Sound Health Corporation (NSHC) in Nome, Alaska! NSHC is a tribally owned health care organization that serves 15 villages of Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik and Yup’ik people, as well as non-Native people in Alaska’s Bering Strait region. They deliver around 70 babies per year, and approximately 90% of their maternity patients are American Indian/Alaska Native. High-risk births are referred to Alaska Native Medical Center, and babies in villages are seen by pediatricians or family practice doctors from NSHC. Megan was nominated for her wonderful leadership as Baby-Friendly Team Lead during the maternity leave of Wellness Director Kelly Zweifel Keyes, RD, LD, CDE. Megan shares: “Initially, I had a moment of ‘this is too big for me to take on,’ but after meeting with [AI/AN CHAMPS Project Manager] Kirsten Krane, she really assisted in building up my confidence to make some movement for NSHC. While meeting with departments, pulling data and seeing what processes were already implemented – I have been pleasantly surprised that NSHC is already doing some amazing work in this area and we are ready to take this on!” In addition to working on Baby-Friendly, NSHC recently did some amazing community breastfeeding events during World Breastfeeding Week. Nicole coordinated these events, which took place every day of the week and included: a documentary at a local movie theater; “Meet Your CLC” events in Nome and 2 villages; a breastfeeding educational talk titled “{Breast}Milk and Cookies”; and The Big Latch On. Nicole shares: “The entire town has really come together for all our events!” Women shared stories on social media, NSHC made and distributed buttons, and Nicole created a blog with “breastfeeding education, which sparked many conversations with health care professionals, conversations that will be crucial discussions during our transition to become Baby-Friendly."
Megan and Nicole’s passion for breastfeeding carries over into their personal lives as well. While Megan was pregnant with her first child, she remembers wishing that NSHC was Baby-Friendly. Soon after returning from her maternity leave, Kelly made her aware that this was becoming a reality. Her son is now 11 months old, and Megan has experienced her own breastfeeding journey with its own “obstacles and milestones.” Nicole recently participated in the 2016 Miss Alaska Pageant in which "Breastmilk: Our First Traditional Food" was her personal platform. She helped raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding and combatted shame related to public breastfeeding. She won the national award for community service with her platform work! Nicole shares: “Though I didn’t win the crown, I felt like the biggest winner for receiving an award for the most important piece of my pageant experience.” Congratulations, Megan and Nicole! Keep up the good work!  Interns presenting on breastfeeding at a "Milk Break" for health care staff and the community during WBW |
CHEER Champion of the weekEach Monday (besides public holidays), we will recognize a CHEER Champion for all the support they have provided for CHEER, CHAMPS, or the general public. Archives
January 2021
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