UNC Nash Women's Center Support and Resources Provide the Healthiest Start in Life 

When Joey Galligan was preparing to become a first-time mother, she turned to the UNC Health Nash Women’s Center team to help her along the journey. Galligan remembered feeling nervous before and after her daughter Charlotte Gail Turner was born, but several women’s center team members reassured her through every step of the process.

“I had a very good experience in all parts of the women's center. The labor and delivery team was very cool, calm, and collected, which made me calmer,” Galligan recalled. “The doctors were thorough and confident. The mom and baby team was very helpful and worked hard to keep me comfortable.”

And while Galligan felt well taken care of during her birthing process, the care she received after Charlotte’s arrival was also above and beyond her expectations. Several UNC Nash team members stepped up to make things a little easier for her as a brand new mom.

The lactation consultant team was also praised for helping Galligan during her breastfeeding journey. Since breastfeeding was new to her, Galligan said she decided to attend lactation classes offered by the women’s center prior to giving birth to Charlotte.

“I knew nothing about breast feeding prior to the classes, so I definitely learned a lot and they made it easier to understand what the lactation consultants were telling me once it was time to execute,” Galligan shared.

The new mom went on to describe how helpful and patient all of the lactation consultants were as she learned to breastfeed her daughter.

“Crystal helped get Charlotte to latch appropriately and helped calm my first-time mom jitters. Shannon and Ellen helped me for several weeks after birth to make sure Charlotte was consuming enough milk from me and to calm my anxieties. They gave me lots of pointers to keep her latched and to increase milk production,” Galligan explained.

The experience and resources Galligan describes are examples of what helped UNC Nash earn a prestigious international “Baby-Friendly” designation by Baby-Friendly USA, the national authority responsible for upholding the highest standards in infant feeding care in hospitals.

The designation means UNC Nash is adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Those standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.

“Our women’s center has long been a recognized leader in the care of women and newborns,” said Christie Poling, director of the Nash Women’s Center. “This designation is a tribute to our commitment to ensuring every woman who delivers a baby at our facility is given the resources, education and support needed to help her and her baby get the best, healthiest start in life. And for moms who are unable or choose not to breastfeed, we provide education and resources for them to support healthy nutrition in those early weeks of life.”

Galligan never once questioned that commitment of the women’s center team during her own journey, due to the support she received for her and little Charlotte.

“Breastfeeding can be so much harder than most women think it is and can take a lot of pain, effort, and determination. For me, it was so important to have these women pushing me and cheering me on with each obstacle I came across. I wanted to give up so many times, but they kept me going,” Galligan recalled.

After Charlotte was born, Galligan was in a car accident that sent her to the emergency department. When women’s center team members found out, they jumped in to ensure Galligan’s breastfeeding plans stayed on track.

“I ended up in the ER after a bad car accident that broke my pumps. At the time, I was barely pumping enough to satisfy Charlotte, so missing a pump was really not ideal. The women's center sent over a pump I could use while waiting for the ER doctors to see and assess me,” Galligan explained. “They go above and beyond to make sure your breastfeeding journey goes as smoothly as possible.”