- Pregnancy & Birth, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogGroup prenatal care like CenteringPregnancy® can be an excellent way for new moms to build friendships and make connections. Beyond this emotional support, however, you may be wondering how group prenatal care will affect your baby’s health. Over the last couple of decades, there have been many studies comparing the benefits of group prenatal care to the benefits of one-on-one prenatal care with a provider. While more research needs to be done, the data gathered so far shows that group prenatal care can have a positive impact on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Here’s what the research has to say. Group Prenatal Programs Like CenteringPregnancy® Often Result in Better Health Outcomes for Mom and Baby Healthier Newborns While we’re just beginning to understand the impact of group programs versus traditional one-on-one prenatal care, initial study results indicate that group prenatal care programs lead to the same — if not better — outcomes for newborns. Since birth weight is one of the most important health factors for a newborn baby — low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) can lead to serious health problems and was one of the first measures closely studied. CenteringPregnancy® has been shown to have a positive effect on newborn outcomes, including birth weight and preterm delivery. A 2015 Yale School of Public Health study showed that group prenatal care resulted in: Babies with higher birth weights compared to those receiving individual prenatal care Less babies that were small for their gestational age Shorter neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stays, when that level of care was needed Study results also suggest that group prenatal care promotes breastfeeding, and more women are likely to initiate breastfeeding if they participate in a program like CenteringPregnancy®, especially adolescent moms. Breastfeeding can have many benefits including: Helping to protect your baby from infection Reducing the risk of your baby developing a chronic illness later in life Supporting your baby’s development Healthier Pregnancies With the group discussion and provider-led activities in each CenteringPregnancy® visit, there are more opportunities to reinforce healthy behaviors among the women in the group — and a healthier mom often translates to a healthier baby. Women participating in group care, such as CenteringPregnancy® meetings were: At less risk for a preterm birth Less likely to get pregnant quickly after giving birth Less likely to go to the emergency room, especially in the third trimester More likely to make healthier lifestyle choices, such as eating healthy, exercising and abstaining from alcohol, nicotine and drugs More likely to maintain a healthier weight throughout their pregnancy When it comes to prenatal care, women enrolled in CenteringPregnancy® programs attended more prenatal visits and were more likely to attend both prenatal and postpartum appointments. And, because of the structure of each CenteringPregnancy® meeting, you can enjoy up to 10 times the support, time and pregnancy knowledge compared to individual visits with an OB-GYN or midwife. Learn More, Talk With Our Team Today When you’re deciding the right type of prenatal care for you, it’s important you find a program that fits your personal needs and preferences, whether it’s with a group or one-on-one with your provider. If you have more questions about CenteringPregnancy® please visit our program website.
- General Page Tier 3BlogAs technology advances, we continue to search for ways to make life just a little easier. Over the past century, food has been at the center of this mission. While we have gained time and energy as a result of processed foods, we have also gained many health issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The word “processed” often causes some confusion. Most foods we eat are processed in some way. Apples are cut from trees, ground beef has been ground in a machine and butter is cream separated from milk and churned. However, there is a difference between mechanical processing and chemical processing. If the food contains a single ingredient, with no added chemicals, it is still real food. On the other hand, food that have been chemically processed and made solely from refined ingredients and artificial substances are processed foods. Processed foods are addictive and designed to make you overeat. Studies show that the “reward system” in our brain can sometimes allow us to consume more of our favorite foods than our bodies need. Sugar, salt and fat are the ingredients that make these products highly rewarding, tempting us to go back for more. Below are the four food groups to avoid as much as possible: Deli meat, bacon, hot dogs and sausages. Processed meats have been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Sodas and sweetened beverages. Sugary drinks contain more added sugar than you should consume in a day. Sodas are linked to an increased risk of heart, kidney and liver disease, stroke, diabetes, pancreatic cancer and osteoporosis. Quick meals. Jarred, canned, frozen and microwavable meals often contain too much sugar, sodium and preservatives. They also typically contain too little vegetables and too many refined carbohydrates. Commercially baked goods. Besides sugar and saturated fat content, packaged cookies, cakes and desserts often contain trans fats. So, let’s consider the benefits of shopping at farmers markets to minimize reliance on the grocery store and processed foods. You can taste real flavors. Fruits and vegetables ripen fully in the field and then brought directly to you. No long-distance shipping. No sitting for weeks in storage. No preservatives. They are simply fresh from the farm. You can enjoy seasonal food. Farmers markets allow for variety and perhaps a chance to try new fruits or vegetables including some “ugly produce” that may not look as nice as the produce we are accustomed to, but taste just as good. You can also find produce often not available in the grocery store, such as red carrots, a rainbow of heirloom tomatoes, purple cauliflower and much more. You can learn cooking tips, recipes and meal ideas. Farmers are often passionate cooks with plenty of free advice about how to cook the foods they are selling. READ MORE: 6 reasons to shop at a farmers market Enrich your healthy food options and explore local farmers markets by visiting www.aaedc.org. The AAMC Farmers Market is open Fridays from 10:30 am – 1:30 pm through Oct. 25. It is held in the Hospital Pavilion South (ground level) located at 2001 Medical Parkway. Authors Ann Caldwell and Maureen Shackelford are nutritionists and registered dietitians at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach them, call 443-481-5555.
- PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLearning to juggle the demands of work with the needs of your new family is hard no matter how you feed your baby. Pumping at work allows you to continue the special breastfeeding relationship you established and reap the health rewards for you and your baby. Legally, your employer must provide break time and space for mothers to pump breast milk. Getting familiar with your rights as an employee and the logistics of pumping can help you feel more confident in your decision to continue breastfeeding. Prior to Returning to Work Learn how to juggle it all. AAMC’s Breastfeeding and the Working Mother class will teach you the secrets to maintaining a good milk supply, the proper use of your breast pump and proper feeding of baby while away from mom. Get familiar with your pump. At least two weeks before you plan to return to work, get your pump out of the case and figure out how to make it work. Check to see if the maker of your pump has a helpful online tutorial. Remember, most insurance companies now cover the cost of your pump. Talk to your insurance company for their policy. Start freezing. Don’t stress thinking you need to stockpile frozen milk before you return to work. Ideally, each day you will pump enough milk at work to feed your child the next day. Having some frozen milk can be helpful though. Before you return to work, find a time you can pump each day. Pumping after your morning feeding, when you tend to have the most milk, is recommended. Freeze the milk in the amount your baby takes in a bottle. Get familiar with tips for storing, freezing and thawing breast milk. Discuss logistics. Talk to your employer about where you will pump and store your milk. Remember, the law is on your side. Legally, the space for you to pump must be functional for expressing milk, shielded from view, free from intrusion, available as needed and NOT a bathroom. Back to Work Block off your schedule. If you control your schedule, block out 30-minute time slots every three hours. Try to estimate when you will last feed your baby before heading to work, and go from there. Consistency in your pumping time will help you maintain your milk supply and help pumping become part of your routine, but your body can be flexible. The most important thing is to not skip pumpings. The number of times you pump will depend on how many feedings you miss while you’re away from your baby. Find support. Get support from other women who are working and breastfeeding. Talking about the challenges, offering tips to simplify the process and sometimes just laughing about how you’d like to throw your pump out the window will keep you motivated. Join AAMC’s Back to Work and Breastfeeding Support Group or AAMC Smart Parents on Facebook to connect with other moms. If you’re not sure if you want to continue breastfeeding after you return to your job, it could be helpful to set up a ‘trial period’ for yourself. Trying it for a set amount of time will give you a chance to get familiar with a routine and help you make the ultimate decision of how long you’d like to continue. Author Kim Knight is a board-certified lactation consultant with Breastfeeding Works which offers home consultations and workplace lactation support. She has provided support to thousands of breastfeeding moms during the course of her career. Kim is a busy mother of three, teaching AAMC’s Breastfeeding Basics and Breastfeeding and the Working Mother classes in addition to leading the Breastfeeding Support Group. Breastfeeding Resources Breastfeeding Basics Class: Learn how to prepare for breastfeeding, how to hold your baby, how often and how long to feed, how to avoid common problems and much more. Breastfeeding Warm Line: Anne Arundel Medical Center's lactation staff is available to answer any questions you might have about breastfeeding. You can reach our consultants seven days a week via our Warm Line at 443-481-6977. Simply leave a message and they’ll return your call between 9 am and 4 pm the same day. You can also e-mail our lactation staff anytime at [email protected]. Breastfeeding Support Group: Breastfeeding mothers are welcome to this gathering on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. The group is led by Kim Knight, a board-certified lactation consultant. The group is very informal and welcoming to breastfeeding mothers regardless of experience or degree of commitment. Bring your baby! Find a Lactation Consultant: A board-certified lactation consultant can help address your breastfeeding concerns or challenges. You can find one in your area through the United States Lactation Consultant Association directory. Back to Work and Breastfeeding Support Group: Discuss questions and concerns common to nursing moms who returned to work. Share your experiences and hear new ideas on how to continue to work and breastfeed successfully. This group meets the first Friday of every month at the Big Vanilla in Pasadena. AAMC Smart Parents: Join our Facebook community focused on the journey of parenthood. This is a safe, non-judgmental group to ask questions and get answers from local moms and dads, and AAMC experts. Originally published April 15, 2016. Last updated Aug. 5, 2019.
- Behavioral Health, Orthopedics, Weight Loss, WellnessGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWe know the benefits of exercise: It can control our weight, reduce our risk of certain diseases, improve our mood and mental health, and lengthen our life. But it can be hard to get motivated. If you could use a little push, look no further than a workout buddy. “Exercising with a partner holds us accountable and keeps us motivated,” says orthopedic surgeon James York, MD. “It can also help us overcome our fear of trying a new class or exercise equipment, bring variety to our workouts and increase our commitment to achieving fitness goals.” Your exercise buddy could be a co-worker, spouse, friend, family member or new gym acquaintance. Look for: Someone who is slightly fitter than you, so he or she can motivate you Someone with similar fitness goals Compatible schedules Once you’ve found your perfect workout partner, try a few of these exercises: Take a class at the gym, like a spin class or boot camp Create a no-equipment, high-intensity routine at your home (think squats, push-ups, crunches, planks and high-knees) Rock climbing Try one of the martial arts, especially tai chi Learn about more than 20 fitness classes and workshops available through AAMC. Author James York, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon at AAMC and practices with AAMC Orthopedics. Originally posted February 15, 2017. Last updated Aug. 5, 2019.
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center has received the Mission: Lifeline® Gold Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award by the American Heart Association (AHA) for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks. Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication. AAMC earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients. “When it comes to heart attack patients, taking quick action can make a big difference and save lives,” said Jerome Segal, MD, medical director of Cardiovascular Services at AAMC. “Good communication and seamless coordination with our Anne Arundel County partners in the Emergency Medical Services Division and multiple departments within the hospital lead to top-notch services. We are proud to say that we have extremely efficient systems and pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care.” This year, AAMC also received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award. AAMC is one of only 225 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor. Services for heart attack patients Hospitals that meet AHA quality standards not only know the importance of treating quickly and safely, but they also follow evidence-based research that helps to determine why a patient had a heart attack or stroke in the first place. To learn more about AAMC’s heart services, visit www.askAAMC.org/heart.
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