Many parents are faced with the overwhelming task of choosing a quality child care option for their infant or child and it can be hard to know which direction to go – there are so many choices! There are large, institutional centers, in-home facilities, as well as cooperatives. At this time, Western North Carolina is in a bit of a child care crisis because there are too few spots and too many babies and children in need. Don’t be surprised if your search takes awhile and if you’re pregnant and think you will need care, by all means, get your infant on a waiting list before he/she is born.


The personal factors that your family needs to consider include educational philosophy, finances, hours of need, and location preference. Having a clear understanding of what your family requires is the first step to finding what you are looking for, but some flexibility may be helpful.

Beth Kowalski of Mountain Child Care Connections stays up to date with which centers have openings for particular age groups with weekly reports from area providers. She is a great resource and welcomes parents to call her for a free phone counseling session. She covers topics that include child care quality indicators, what questions to ask would-be providers, star-ratings, and current openings and locations. Her phone number is 877-752-5955.

Another great resource is ncchildcare.net where information on all the centers in the 13 counties of Western North Carolina can be found. On this site, you are able to set parameters based on location, type of facility (in-home or center), age, etc. You can also discover details on complaints made against a particular center and if they were substantiated.

An out-of-the-box solution that many parents are attempting is child care cooperatives. In this model, each parent takes a shift in watching the babies/children and then is allowed the opportunity to leave their child at other times. From what I have seen, this requires very diligent and clear communication and obviously, the right combination of involved families!

One last interesting child care option if you have extra space in your home is hosting an au pair. Typically, an au pair is someone who travels from another country to do a long-term homestay with a family as a live-in nanny. They do things like pack lunches, drive children to school, cook, and provide child care. At aupaircare.com you can find more information about au pairs and locate a great match for your family.
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It is rarely an easy decision to send a little one into someone else’s care, so this may be an emotionally challenging hurdle for many parents. With the right support and good information, you will hopefully feel like you are prepared to make the best choice for your family. Good Luck!
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As a woman who endured 2 back labors myself, I know first hand just how painful and unrelenting those contractions often are. Personally, I feel it is important to give pregnant women every possible opportunity to avoid starting labor with a posterior baby. Some women birth posterior babies without any back labor but generally, with a posterior baby, labor tends to last longer, be more painful, and results in a higher rate of Cesarean – so why wouldn’t we do all that we can to try to change the babies position? Obviously, just as with breech babies, sometimes there is absolutely nothing we can do to change the position – perhaps there is a reason the baby is choosing the posterior position? It is best to be aware and proactive but try not to be fearful.


A posterior position simply means that instead of the baby’s face facing the mother’s sacrum, the back of the baby’s head is pressing against the sacrum, which typically causes contractions to be irregular and concentrated in the lower back. A classic sign of posterior labor is when the mother is unable to rest between contractions because the pain never seems to subside completely. She can be distraught with the discomfort and nothing seems to help.


There isn’t enough research to determine the exact reason why so many women end up with back labor (15-30%). It is thought that our sedentary life style contributes to a more common posterior presentation. We do a lot of sitting – at a desk, driving cars, on the couch, eating meals at a table – and it becomes easier for the heaviest part of the baby – the back – to drift toward the back of the mother as she reclines. A baby can get quite comfortable in this position making it hard to reposition once labor starts. 


Just as there are interventions to change the position of a breech baby and avoid a potential Cesarean birth, there are also ways to shift a posterior baby into a more optimal position. Here are 8 things you can do prenatally if you suspect a posterior baby:
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We are so proud of Michele Gee who recently published a piece in WNC woman!  It's titled 'A Mother Is Born: A Doula's Perspective On Birth' and you can read it here. 

Michele is currently accepting new clients, and you can schedule an interview or book her services here.

by Michele Rosa Gee

Are you pregnant right now? In this hot, humid, sweltering weather? I’m so sorry! I remember my sweet little August baby all too well! Surviving this heat is hard enough, but the heat takes an extra toll on pregnant women because of the added weight and increased body temperature. Pregnant women are more prone to dehydration and fatigue so it is important to pay attention to your body’s cues and give it the attention it needs. 

Drinking enough water is key to staying healthy during any pregnancy, but especially in the summer time. Staying hydrated isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Here are a few tricks I’ve learned to help with hydration and staying cool:

• Bring a full glass of water to bed with you at nightand commit to drinking the whole thing upon waking (after emptying your bladder for the fifth time, of course). Starting the day off with ample hydration sets the stage for a healthy and energetic day and for some reason, drinking first thing in the morning increases your thirst receptors so you will crave water for the rest of the day, increasing the liklihood that you will actually drink it.
• Enjoy an electrolyte drink like coconut water, Replenish, or Emergen-C. Or, better yet, make your own with the following ingredients: 
o ½ c. fresh squeezed orange juice
o ¼ c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
o 2 c. water
o 2-4 tbs. honey or coconut sugar
o 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• If you have a juicer, make a replenishing veggie juice with carrots, celery, cucumbers, and spinach – some of the most hydrating vegetables.
• Make your own popsicles with juice, yogurt, or coconut milk, and add berries.
• Carry a squirt bottle with cool water to spray yourself with – and add a few drops of cooling essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, roman chamomile, or geranium if you like.
• Plan your day so that exercise and outdoor activities are done first thing in the morning or in the early evening when the air has cooled down.
• Go swimming! Enjoy the weightlessness of being in the water and cool your body.
• Try to find clothing that is made with natural fabrics like cotton and linen rather than anything made with synthetic fabric, which tends to increase sweating.
Many pregnant women also suffer from swelling in the legs or feet (edema) that is often exasperated during the hot weather. This can become downright unbearable. You might consider easing this discomfort by reducing consumption of salt and caffeine. Wearing comfortable, high-quality shoes that are a ½ size bigger than your regular shoe size can also be helpful. Many women find it beneficial to spend some time during the day, whether at work or at home, with their feet elevated or placing their legs up a wall (a common yoga pose for edema) to allow the blood and fluids to drain back down legs. At times, it is necessary for a woman to use compression stockings to keep the edema at bay. Though not the sexiest attire and certainly frustrating to have to pull onto a large, pregnant body, these stockings can make a huge difference in overall comfort of the legs when edema is severe. 

Even though summer time pregnancy can be a drag, it is not without its joys! Don’t let the summer roll by without filling your tummy with the fresh produce that is so bountiful at this time. Show off that beautiful bump of yours at the beach or pool while you absorb Vitamin D from the sun’s rays, which will keep your mood elevated. Give thanks for fewer wardrobe dilemmas as you throw on your simple maternity clothes. And, don’t forget – when your baby is born, he or she will adjust well in the warmer temperatures and need a lot fewer layers to stay warm.