Tag: #nurse

TSC Talks~The State of Birth

TSC Talks about the State of Birth.

I had the honor of speaking to three accomplished women about the current state of birth both locally and nationally. We discussed the increasing interest in home births, the advantages and disadvantages of home versus hospital births and how those expecting, or expecting to be expecting, can best prepare especially with the extra consideration of Covid19.

Corrine Pelland is an Empath, Psychic Medium and Reiki Master. She is also a mom of two and tells us about her experience of both a hospital birth and an at-home birth. Corrine discusses the lack of control over the birthing experience that she experienced with her first child. She discusses being considered high risk because of her age and weight and how the entire birth experience was centered around preconceived notions based on the masses and not her individually. She was induced, unnecessarily in her view, was sick from the drug used to induce and delivered by cesarean section. She shares, “It was traumatic, and my healing my first two months of being a mother was physically painful and my anxiety post, I had postpartum anxiety to a very severe degree.” When Corrine became pregnant again, she knew she wanted a different birthing experience. She found Birth Matters and decided to try a natural, vaginal delivery at home.

Jodi Churchill Chapin has been a Registered Nurse for 32 years, most of which she has spent in Labor and Delivery. Jodi discusses bridging the traditional birth and hospital procedures with less traditional therapies such as Reiki. Jodi states, “And we incorporated, you know, you’re there, you’re exchanging energy. It’s how the patient uses her energy and is able to focus on the birth process. And I think what’s important is that being able to balance, you know, following policy and procedure, but also carrying out the patient (and) the family’s wishes of how they envisioned birth. I mean birth is, you know, one of those things, it’s like, even planning a wedding, you look forward to this one day you plan you plan you plan, you think it’s going to go one way and then plans change on a dime. And how it’s handled can make it or break it.”

Jessica Petrone is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), RN and BSN who has been in practice for 13 years. Her practice saw a record number of home births last year and Jessica believes that number will continue to grow. She relates, “But I think specifically in the last couple of years, there seems to be a shift in people just taking charge of their health care even in the medical setting. There’s more conscious awareness, practices and practitioners breaking away from the traditional systems and framework but yeah, we love home birth. We do a lot of water birth we work with a lot of different practitioners to enhance really healthy pregnancies. We absolutely consult with medical providers when it’s necessary.” Corrine shared about her experience with Jessica and Birth Matters, “So, I will say one of the biggest differences that I noticed on my very first appointment with a Birth Matters in the home birth midwives is they asked my consent, which nobody asked my consent. I mean, sure I signed forms but before touching me, nobody offered before examining me, nobody asked permission to touch my body.”

The conversation continues to the state of birth currently with the threat of COVID19. Jodi discusses the difficulty of taking the necessary precautions in the time of a pandemic while trying to connect with an expectant mom during the labor and delivery process. “This Covid19 has put a huge damper on healthy women wanting to come in to have their normal birth. Especially right now, today. Anybody and everybody walking into the hospital or around the hospital has to wear a mask. You cannot take that mask off anytime you are on hospital property that includes in the labor room, that includes the patient that includes the patient’s one person that’s helping them with birth, there are no visitors allowed, no children, family, nobody else. The only person allowed in the room is the one that will be wearing that second baby bracelet that’s given out when a baby’s born. I mean, labor, you’re breathing with women, you’re teaching. I mean, it’s all about the closeness. How do you socially distance yourself from somebody who needs your support, your encouragement, your empowerment?”

Jessica discusses the fact that more women are considering home births currently. “The influx of inquiries is so unexpected, I can’t keep up. I’m getting probably 10 emails a day, which it is impossible for us to entertain the idea of taking all these women on. And that’s true of a lot of midwives across the state, really. Not everybody is a good candidate. I mean most people probably inquiring last minute. We had yesterday, a woman inquire and she’s due March 30. That’s like, less than a week from now. If people are making choices out of fear and panic it is not what’s happening, and whenever we get an inquiry that somebody is so afraid of the hospital and so afraid of other providers and afraid of needles, I mean, we all encounter that in patient care, but they may not be a great candidate. But that’s not what’s happening right now. These are women that are realizing that their birth plan, what they thought they were going to experience in the hospital, is drastically different and there is obviously a great concern about becoming sick and being exposed but a lot of the women are making the choice based on the fact that their support person might not be able to be present with them.” Jessica recommends that women do their research before opting for a home birth.
I am grateful to these remarkable women for sharing their wisdom.

Corrine Pellard is an Empath and a Psychic Medium. Even as a small child, Corrine has had a special insight into other people’s emotions. Beginning in her early teenage years, her intuition would alert her when something important was about to occur, either for herself or a loved one. At age 14, Corrine began using the wisdom of Tarot Cards to enhance her psychic connection. As years went on, Corrine became more aware of her ability as her readings became more accurate and her predictions began to materialize. At the age of 30, she began having premonition dreams. After seeking the guidance of her Shaman, she came to accept that she is an Empath & an Intuitive. Corrine is a natural healer, using her Empathy, Intuition, and Reiki to heal others emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Corrine is also able to mediate communication between people who are no longer living to those who still are. She offers private readings and hearings and in-home parties. She is a wedding officiant offering custom designed ceremonies. Her true passion is teaching others to honor their own abilities and helping others heal themselves.
Beyond the Gate
508-690-0444
gobeyondthegate@gmail.com
https://www.gobeyondthegate.com/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/865777/2868628-sobriety-as-an-empath-corrine-s-story

Jodi Churchill Chapin has been a Registered Nurse for 32 years. She has an extensive background in women’s health as a labor and delivery nurse and has also worked in oncology. She resides in Framingham with her husband of 25 years. Together, they have 3 children ranging from middle school age to college, 2 dogs, 2 cats and a bunny named Kiwi. Jodi firmly believes that vulnerability is to be met with compassion, respect, and active listening to ensure that her patients have the very best outcomes. She credits her extensive nursing career and healer background with these virtues and skills. Jodi is also a Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Level II Practitioner. Through this healing art, Jodi may be able to help people who are struggling with a wide range of health conditions such as headaches, insomnia, back pain, cancer, heart disease, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and may even be used to help in the recovery from injuries and surgery. As an active member of the American Cannabis Nurses Association and a GNG team member, she helps advocate for people who choose to use cannabis as a complementary or alternative treatment, providing education, insight, guidance, and support in the process.
https://www.greennursegroup.com/our-team
https://www.emedevents.com/speaker-profile/jodi-churchill-chapin
https://green-nurse-sandbox.iriebliss.com/green_nurse_staff/jodi-chapin/

Jessica Petrone, CPM, RN, BSN
Jessica’s experience in birth includes her work as a Doula, her completion of a 3 year midwifery apprenticeship in a very busy home birth practice and being a mother of four, with the last being an unassisted home birth attended only by her husband and herself. Her own births led her to become a doula which led her to become an apprentice and, in turn, a midwife. But that’s the abbreviated version! Jessica has been attending home births since 2006. She is co-president of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance, a member of ALACE (Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators), and a member of the Birth Year Network (a Southeastern Mass, Cape and Islands Birth Resource Network). She holds certifications in CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation. She completed her formal education remotely through the National College of Midwifery in Taos, New Mexico, where she earned a degree in the Science of Midwifery. Most recently, Jessica has completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which included a 6-month preceptorship in a high volume/high risk maternity unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.
https://homebirthmatters.com/about/jessica-petrone/
https://www.modernmamamidwifery.com/the-midwives
http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/meet-jessica-petrone-sarafina-kennedy-birthmatters-llc-boson/
Supplemental Article:
https://nypost.com/2020/03/23/pregnant-women-share-what-its-like-to-be-expecting-during-coronavirus-pandemic/

All of our podcasts can be found at https://tsctalks.com

tsc talks the state of birth

TSC Talks Guest Sherri Tutkus

TSC TALKS GUEST SHERRI TUTKUS

In this episode, my guest Sherri Tutkus, RN, BSN, Founder & CEO of Green Nurse Group, came on the podcast to share a powerful and inspiring mother/son story that follows the timeline from receiving a diagnosis at birth of her son Nicholas with Branchio-Oculo-Facial Syndrome through current day. Sherri gives one of the most powerful illustrations over the course of the episode, of a mother’s love, courage, compassion, resilience and tenacity that I’ve ever heard, and is a fantastic example of holding onto presumption of competence as a guiding light, against all odds.

Sherri Tutkus is the founder and CEO of GreenNurse Group, Nursing Director at Irie Bliss Wellness and host of GreenNurse on the Go Radio Show. Sherri is a cannabis nurse, patient and advocate. She earned her Bachelors in Science and Nursing from Boston College. She is highly skilled Registered Nurse with 30 years’ practical experience in various departments within the hospital and home setting. She is utilizing her expert nursing skills as a medical center specialist, clinical nurse liaison and educator to bridge the gap between patients and the cannabis community. Sherri has been educating and implementing holistic integrative healing modalities within her practice for over 20 years. She educates on the endocannabinoid system and the safe utilization of cannabis at dispensaries, hospitals, clinics, patients homes and she regularly does pop up events, seminars and expos. Sherri is an international speaker and she has contributed to the writing of the first cannabis nursing textbook with her cannabis nurse colleagues that will be available in nursing schools across the country. Sherri is a member of the American Cannabis Nurses Association and founding member of The Cannabis Nurses Network and was nominated as one of two nurses for “Health Professional of the Year” for the 2020 New England Cannabis Convention. Sherri brings passion and purpose to her work teaching bio-psycho-social-spiritual healing using cannabis as a tool.

In the first part of this podcast, Sherri discusses her own background and connection to cannabinoid medicine. The tools she learned in her own journey enabled Sherri to cope with frequent and ongoing surgeries, procedures, treatments for her son Nicholas and advocate vociferously on his behalf.

“When I’m presenting to people, I use myself as a case study. Because basically, prior to me getting ill, I had a history of migraine headaches, ADHD, and anxiety, that was managed with traditional medicine. I was functioning, I was healthy, single mother of three, child with a disability that we’re going to talk about, but knowing that I had migraine headaches and at ADHD symptoms should have been a clear indicator that I had an Endocannabinoid deficiency. So everything that we do or don’t do in our lives as far as health and wellness affects this neurotransmitter signaling system called the endocannabinoid system, and that the job of that system is to bring balance.”

She goes on to explain, “By the end before I discovered cannabis. I was on over 16 pharmaceuticals. So, as I’ve learned over time, if you’re taking more than 10 pharmaceuticals, there’s 100% chance of having an adverse drug reaction. Polypharmacy. I fit into that polypharmacy category. I am not anti pharma. However, what is really essential for people to understand when they are being prescribed pharmaceuticals is to ask those critical questions and to look at what side effects there are to look at the blackbox warning Okay, how many people have died? You know, what are the side effects, what are the adverse effects, you need to have knowledge knowledge is power. The other thing that people People don’t realize is that a lot of pharmaceuticals have a drug nutrient depletion”

She goes on to explain, ” I have have a history of Polycystic Ovarian Disease which is very interesting. And that yeah, that is considered to be a clinical Endocannabinoid deficiency diagnoses as well. So I had issues with fertility all along. … And then my third pregnancy… it’s interesting, you know I gained all kinds of weight and wasn’t happy and I started changing my lifestyle when the babies came. And all of a sudden my reproductive system started to auto regulate. I was using specific supplements and nutrition. I changed my diet, I became vegan, I did a raw diet, and all of a sudden, I’m a fertile Myrtle. And before we know it, I’m pregnant with my third”

From here, Sherri goes on to discuss the birth of Nicholas and the immediate realization that he had multiple issues of which she was not aware of up until the moment of his birth. She explained to me in writing prior to the recording of this episode, the following, “All of my births were traumatic experiences however this pregnancy was the best and the easiest. I had an uneventful healthy pregnancy. I broke my water 6 weeks early and when my first boy was born he was not breathing and they had to resuscitate him and over the course of my first postpartum days I learned that my son had a rare genetic disorder called Branchio-Oculo Facial Syndrome.”

BOFS is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Each child of an individual with BOFS has a 50% change of inheriting the variant. Nick’s dad carried the gene and at the time of diagnoses the gene had not been identified.

She discusses the realization of impact, “you have these craniofacial anomalies that required over 15 surgeries, but the things that they said about mental retardation was not true. The surgical stuff they were able to do . I engaged upon a journey with him that I would do anything for him. It was kind of like, I just got to do this. And so he became my full time job. ”

I asked Sherri the question, “How did you do it? How did you handle this huge weight of reality repeatedly?” She explained, “I got back to really the basics of self care and being present and grounded. I had already have a lot of those spiritual tools. My son opened up the door to the unseen worlds for me, which is a whole other show. But literally, I kind of felt like and I know it sounds crazy, but I’m sure other mothers can agree or associate or identify…. that I just felt a really strong connection with him and being able to understand what his needs were even before he could communicate.”

She goes on to add, “it gets back to what I can and cannot control you know, even if I can’t control my emotions, even if I’m out of control, like hysterical or anxiety-ridden or sad, I still can have the ability to control what I’m doing and not doing in my life. And so what I knew to be true was in order for me to be the best version of myself, I needed to do everything that I could to take care of myself. And that included my mental health.”

She goes on to say, “But he’s a true miracle. I gave him every opportunity. And he basically showed me through his own actions and his kindness and compassion and his grit and his ability. The kid had so much resilience and he wanted to heal, you know, he’s not mentally retarded, he got set up with the Deaf Services as we found out later, he doesn’t have sensory neural hearing loss, he has a bone conduction hearing loss. And so he basically told me one day Mom, I want to smile with the rest of the kids. And I was like, oh, of course you do. How do I make that happen? And boy, that was a scary journey. We literally embarked upon the journey of having my boy get a smile.”

“The amazing craniofacial team at Boston Children’s Hospital did an experimental surgery that is called facial reanimation. And basically they didn’t know. They said it would evolve over time, would the nerve take and would it connect and would it work? So here we are… I don’t know here we are going. Through 16 hours of surgery 10 days in the hospital, not knowing if this is going to work or not. That was another faith based thing. Honestly, you know, it’s all you have, and then literally one morning when I was waking him up for school, all of a sudden he sits up in bed. He smiles. So he’s really he’s come a long way. He’s 14 years old now. When he was in sixth grade, he said, I want to go to public school. Oh my god, how is he going to be able to go to public school? So I was like, Okay, let’s try to make it happen. And we embarked on the journey of integrating him into the public system.”

Bringing us to current day, Sherri explains, “You know, he is thriving. He’s finishing up the eighth grade this year. And his freshman year, next year in high school, he will be in the public school. He still has an IEP, he’s going to be in all honors and advanced honors classes is number one subject Spanish. And one of the other thing is that, you know, oftentimes as parents, we may feel sorry for our kid and you may feel bad. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself. He doesn’t feel bad.”

A final quote, “So what can I control? I try to control other people. And we can’t control anyone. We can’t. And that’s the part that was the biggest lesson that I learned. And he taught me that, he taught me where my power lies and where it doesn’t lie and how to choose and pick my battles and what’s important and what’s not important. And in the grand scheme of life, when you can pull back from that and see, what am I doing to be the best version of myself, so I can help my child thrive?”

Sherri’s links:
Green Nurse Group: https://www.greennursegroup.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenNurseSherri
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherri_tutkus/,

https://www.instagram.com/greennursegroup/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Green_Nurses
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherri-tutkus-rn-bsn-912b7776/

All of our podcasts can be found at https://tsctalks.com/podcast/

TSC Talks guest Sherri Tutkus