WINNIPEG
May, 2011
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Birth Centre a Natural Choice Describing the emotions that come into play at the moment of birth, that magical, mystical instant of change is always difficult. The greeting card industry tries really hard to capture the feeling, but the truth is, you’ve just got to be there. “There” used to mean a maternity ward at a hospital, but that’s changing. Now expectant mothers have a choice of where they want to have that experience and their options go far beyond which hospital an obstetrician works from or whether or not they will receive painkillers.
The alternatives are birthing centres. The newest, the South Winnipeg Birthing Centre, is slated to open in Winnipeg at the junction of St. Anne’s and St. Mary’s Roads in May 2011. It’s been a long wait since a community based interest group got together in 2004 to talk about alternative birthing spaces for women with low risk pregnancies living in South Winnipeg. By March 2007 a formal proposal was presented to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority by the Women’s Health Clinic. WHC will operate the Centre once it’s open. That proposal outlined the importance of providing women with an opportunity “to give birth without pharmacological and/or surgical interventions”. It also outlined plans to provide women and
by Anne Cote
their families with prenatal care and education, postpartum physical care, emotional support, as well as education and guidance for breastfeeding and early years childcare.....all in the same comfortable, non institutional setting. The South Winnipeg birthing centre is described by government as a centre of excellence in providing primary maternity care in collaboration with all care providers--midwives, nurses and physicians. It’s not meant to be a facility for women with high risk pregnancies or whose babies require immediate specialized medical care at birth. There are very specific guidelines as to who can be admitted to the Centre. Mothers expecting more than one child or who have complicating health conditions are two examples of women with high risk pregnancies who would be referred to other health centers.
For women in good health with low risk pregnancies there are advantages to giving birth at the Centre. The model of care plan at the facility describes a process which provides “continuous one-to-one support during labour for all birthing women, provided by midwives, trained doulas (labour companions) who share a common first language and/ or culture with the birthing women.” The Centre will have four birthing rooms and is situated in an area the WRHA has noted has a high population of recent immigrants. The doulas are particularly important to ensure all women have a positive birthing experience. Efforts will be made to provide all information to mothers before, during and after birth in their own language to ensure they and their babies thrive. Women in labour can be assessed at home prior to (continued p 4)
“continuous one-to-one support during labour…”
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Manitoba Fearless
WINNIPEG
tackle football
Tanis Wilson with Richard Harris, assistant head coach, defensive line coach for the Winnipeg blue bombers, and guest coach for the Fearless
When you’re ready to take
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Most women celebrating Mother’s Day will be thinking along the lines of brunch, or a day at the spa while others will be concentrating on their line of scrimmage and gearing up to sack their opponents in a most satisfying and unlady-like’ fashion. On May 8th, the Manitoba Fearless Women’s Tackle Football team will be in Saskatoon for a pre-season controlled scrimmage. We’ll get to see members of the Fearless in action against Winnipeg’s newest team, the Nomad Wolf-Pack on May 15th at East Side Eagles Field in East Kildonan, 723 London St. Kick off is 11AM It may still come as a surprise that there is such a thing as women’s tackle football but the Manitoba Fearless are in fact part of the newlyminted WWCFL – Western Women’s Canadian Football League with three teams in Alberta and two more in Saskatchewan.
First as a player then as a coach, founder Tanis Wilson has been the driving force of the league from day one with the start of the Fearless in 2007. Although both her dad and brother had been active in football for many years, the sport was off-limits for her until the age of 16 when she could start touch football. She continued to play and enjoyed the sport for twenty years but in the end she knew what she longed for was the ‘real thing’.
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Wilson had been looking at starting a girl’s tackle program for years. “When Football Canada made it part of their mandate to increase the participation of women in tackle football, it gave me the perfect opportunity to then approach Foot ball Manitoba. I didn’t need their help so much as their support to get the information out and they were phenomenal. We ended up with about 55 girls come out for our first sort-of practice and the rest is history.” At the moment, the team includes players sixteen-years and over. “We like to say, sixteen to death,” says Wilson. They range from 5’ and100 lbs to women who are 6’, 250 pounds and a good mix in between. They come from all walks of life; lawyers, housewives, sales professionals, businessowners . The emphasis is not just on athleticism. “We want players with heart; women who are passionate about the game of football.” There is relish in her voice and a glint in her eye as she describes the ‘dual personality’ of football. “This is a collision, not a contact sport, but it’s also a strategy-intense game. Our coaches were surprised, even shocked that women so totally grasped the concept of the game and we started right from the beginning: what is offense and defense, what is the line of scrimage and so on from there. Women seem to understand the subtleties of the game more quickly than men.” That being said, these are women who revel in the physical demands of the sport, embracing not only the assertive but downright aggressive nature of it and make no apologies for it. With the goal of providing girls the chance to play she was denied, Wilson has also established the Manitoba Girls Football Association, the first of its kind in Canada for ten to twelve-year-olds. “These are the future WWCFL players. In the next 10 years we hope to introduce graduated age groups until finally, we can make the women’s league truly eighteen plus.” Wilson likes to dream big and having coached the first ever women’s Canadian team to make it to the World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden last year, she knows there is a bright future for women in the sport. “Within the next five years the International Federation of American Football will be applying for IOC status ( International Olympic Committee) and it will cover both men’s and women’s teams. It is conceivable that the girls starting now have a good chance of making it to the Olympics in the next 8 to 10 years. That is the ultimate in sport. What a goal; what a dream but a real and achievable dream for these girls. It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it!” ■
www.fearlessfootballwomen.com
Stretch Marks Stretch Marks From the minute we confirm impending Motherhood, many of us mark every milestone until Baby Day. Even ‘war stories’ have a certain charm, but unlike swollen ankles and limited wardrobes, stretch marks are one reminder we’d love to have fade sooner rather than later. Striae gravidarum refers to scarring of the skin associated with pregnancy and is believed to be caused by hormone changes. The glucocorticoid hormones prevent the fibroblasts from forming collagen and elastin fibers the quickly growing skin needs. This leads to dermal and epidermal tearing = stretch marks. There’s no lack of home remedies and well-meaning advice but clinical dermatology studies refute any claim to completely remove or reverse stretch marks. These studies do indicate that Low Intensity Laser Therapy or LILT is one of the best options to visibly reduce the colour and smooth the texture of skin affected by as much as 75%, although the average is closer to 50%. LILT is a completely drug-free, painless and non-invasive therapy. It emits no heat, sound, or vibration. Instead of producing a thermal effect, LILT acts by photochemical reactions in the cells (bio-stimulation). First developed to treat pain issues by promoting deep healing, new applications and techniques have been discovered to treat skin damage. Several sessions are needed; usually a minimum of four over several weeks. A reputable center that specializes in laser therapy is best equipped to provide you with details of what may work best for you.
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Birth Centre (continued from page 1) going to the Centre. A midwife or birthing aide will be available to care for the mother and baby until they’re ready to go home, between 3 and 12 hours after the birth.
News & Events Donna Sarna Physiotherapy is once again offering 1-Hour interactive workshops in exchange for your donation to The Alpha House Foundation WINNIPEG WALKS FOR ALS Saturday, June 4 Registration 9:00 a.m. – Walk 10:00 a.m. Assiniboine Park, South Picnic Area This summer, on Friday, June 24, the Winnipeg Goldeyes and the ALS Society of Manitoba will host ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Night in memory of this great man, whose name has become synonymous with ALS. Join us at Shaw Park, as we pay tribute to this baseball hero and at the same time raise awareness help to battle this disease.
A Minimum Donation of $5 is Recommended. Please Feel Free to Give Generously Happy Back Workshop Tuesday, May 31st 6:30pm-7:30pm
Management knows that even the most careful prenatal assessments can’t provide a guarantee that every delivery will be perfect and the Centre has a contingency plan for those emergencies. The midwives and staff will know where the nearest hospital is that can deal with an obstetrical emergency, that emergency transport service can be initiated within a half hour, 24 hours a day. They also ensure communications between the Centre, transport and hospital are available. The latter is especially important when the midwife is examining a mother in labour at home. ■
Proper alignment of the spine and core activation will be addressed. Looking after yourself, your family and your community does pay. It can even pay you! We earn income working from home, part-time (without interfering with our jobs and families). I can introduce you to wellness products, enviro-friendly cleaning solutions, and the great company behind it all. Contact suzy_wpg@yahoo.com or call between 9am & 5pm: 235-1427
Jaw Pain Tuesday, June 21st 6:30pm-7:30pm The workshop will focus on education on why jaw pain occurs and treatment techniques used by physiotherapists. Space is Limited to 15 Participants. Call 452-2608 to Reserve Your Spot
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CONTACT US! You can reach the Publisher — Mireille Theriault — at mireille@winnipegwellnews.ca, by calling 887-2999, or leaving your comments and questions on our discussion board at www.winnipegpwellnews.ca
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The information in this publication is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice. We encourage our readers to always conduct their own research into any treatments or programs and to consult with a medical professional prior to the start of same. Winnipeg WellNews is published monthly with 2,000 print copies per zone distributed through waiting rooms at most walk-in medical centers, dentists, chiropractors, alternative health practitioners, natural food and nutritional supplement stores as well as fitness and exercise facilities...wherever health and wellness matters.