VCU news

By Leha Byrd

Leslie Fehan had a good excuse for being late to the Richmond preview of the film "The Mama Sherpas."

She arrived a few moments late for the introduction she was supposed to give because “a baby decided to be born,” she said, after hurriedly approaching a microphone inside the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Medical Education Center’s Learning Center, the site of the screening.

Fehan is a certified nurse midwife in the Virginia Commonwealth University Health Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The department hosted the official Richmond premiere of the documentary film, directed by Brigid Maher, which highlights collaborative care practices, where doctors and midwives manage women’s care together, at four medical facilities across the country.

VCU Health was a fitting host for the screening, because it offers this type of collaborative care to area women. In addition, its Labor and Delivery Unit recently received an impressive overhaul with upgrades that include private, in-room labor tubs and showers. Each room is equipped with wireless fetal monitoring that allows moms to move freely during labor. Fehan is one of VCU Health's four midwives who work with physicians in what is called a collaborative care practice.

We have the most phenomenal midwives who work with us.

Christine Isaacs, M.D., said the unit’s offerings have been a staple in the area. She is medical director of midwifery services at VCU Health.

“The midwifery model of care is not new here. We have had it for over 17 years,” she said. “We have the most phenomenal midwives who work with us.”

Meghann Batten, Naomi Sullivan and Stephanie Sherrell work alongside Fehan as certified nurse midwives at VCU Health. During labor, VCU midwives offer emotional support, relaxation techniques, water therapy, massage and position changes.

Throughout “The Mama Sherpas” movie, natural birth with the assistance of a midwife is described as a safe and harmonious birthing option, typically followed by skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding. In June, VCU Medical Center earned the Baby-Friendly designation, part of a global initiative by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund. Achieving the designation meant meeting rigorous criteria for providing an exceptional level of attention to newborn feeding and mother-baby bonding. The designation has been awarded to fewer than 10 percent of U.S. hospitals, and VCU Medical Center is the only hospital in Greater Richmond, and one of six organizations in Virginia, to receive the accreditation.

David Chelmow, M.D., chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said the unit’s upgrades allow VCU Health medical professionals to continue administering superior care in a facility that is reflective of the quality of care.

“For most mothers and families, the main improvement is getting the same great care we have always provided in a much nicer environment. Labor tubs are much more available for laboring women. And the rooms are bigger, allowing women to move around while in labor, and still have privacy,” he said. “We can also deliver high-risk care for more complicated births in a way that is much more comfortable for patients. For high-risk patients, we now have a cesarean delivery room with an attached resuscitation room. We are also capable of doing more things to help patients in the regular delivery rooms. We have two rooms for high-risk patients where they can stay in the Labor and Delivery Unit for observation, without being in a labor room.”

After the viewing, Maher spoke of her reasons for creating the movie, which included less than desirable care after having a 7 pound, 15 ounce baby by C-section.

“I knew my calling the next couple of years was to make this film,” she said.

The Labor and Delivery Unit’s expansion included gaining 10,000 square feet. The Mother-Infant Unit is next to be renovated, with an expected 2016 completion date, and will include a total of 26 private rooms for postpartum mothers, babies and family members, conference rooms for patient education, and the addition of many computers throughout the unit to provide more efficient care.

VCU Health doctors and midwives say they’re dedicated to ensuring patients are afforded all options, and the best options for their baby's birth.

“Whether women deliver with our physicians or our midwives, our philosophy stays the same,” Isaacs said. “Women-centered, individualized care.”

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