Providence St. Mary Postpartum Clinic

Registered Nurse Sherri Miller keeps pictures of baby poop on her wall.

New mother Jennifer Mouat loved that. She turned to Sherri and the free Postpartum Clinic at Providence St. Mary Medical Center many times after the premature birth of her first child, Haakon, 2 years ago, and again for the birth of her second child, Siri, in 2009.

Through the Postpartum Clinic Sherri helped Jennifer and her husband, Haydn, understand what was normal and what was not, addressed concerns and boosted their confidence as new parents.

“I asked about everything with Haakon, from his jaundice to his feeding to what was normal for baby poop to look like and how to store breast milk,” Jennifer said. “I asked about his weight gain, and also about my recovery from the birth.”

“…One of the things I really appreciated was she always made me feel like I could do the things that I needed to do and it wasn’t going to be a big deal. I always left feeling empowered.”

Providence St. Mary launched the free Postpartum Clinic in 2007 to provide a follow-up visits starting a few days after mom and baby went home following childbirth. The parents can call Sherri at any time with questions, and can visit as often as necessary.

“It’s huge for parents,” Sherri said. “You are sending them home with this new baby, and once they get there the exhaustion kicks in, the baby isn’t sleeping, and they are overwhelmed by family visits. To be able to come in, get their questions answered and the baby checked reduces their stress so much.”

At the visits, the baby’s health, bilirubin levels and weight are assessed, hearing is re-checked if needed, concerns are discussed, and the mother is screened for postpartum mood disorders. Sherri keeps in close touch with the family’s doctor throughout. She also can assist the new mother with bra fitting and other needs.

Giving new parents open access to see a medical professional so soon after the birth can ward off a myriad of problems before they become serious. For example, in 2006 before the clinic was launched, 16 babies had to be re-hospitalized for jaundice at Providence St. Mary. That number now averages around three a year.

The majority of mothers with babies born at Providence St. Mary use the free clinic at least once. Pediatricians also refer mothers to it to help provide close monitoring of mother and baby when there are concerns about issues such as poor weight gain or difficulty breast feeding.

“It’s a wonderful resource to have,” Jennifer said. “I don’t have to call my doctor every time I have a question.”