Left: Aviva Elchonen shows off her new-
born, Faiga, to Dr. Brent Davidson, certi-
fied nurse midwife Lorie Pender and reg-
istered nurse Sarah Friedman at Henry
Ford West Bloomfield Hospital Birthing
Center. Above: A birthing suite at the
Henry Ford West Bloomfield Birthing
Center
11
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path as well as a rooftop garden that opened
recently.
"In addition to providing an opportunity
for healthy movement and relaxation for
the mothers who labor at the center, we
hope the garden and its intentional design
elements will have an inspiring and calm-
ing influence throughout the hospital," said
Danialle Karmanos, who said the vision for
the garden was driven by her husband, Peter,
a master gardener.
Henry Ford West Bloomfield
Hospital Birthing Center
Aviva Elchonen of Southfield is a registered
nurse in labor and delivery at the Henry Ford
West Bloomfield Birthing Center.
"I taught parenting classes at the center
after I graduated nursing school, and I enjoy
working there Aviva said. "My husband,
Aharon, and I thought the center was the
perfect place to have our baby because they
provide several delivery options for women,
like me, who are Orthodox Jews, including
midwifery services. These women are not
only well trained medically, but they also are
instructed about the traditions and guide-
lines required to meet the needs of Orthodox
families.
"In this program, ifs a midwife who
admits the Orthodox woman to the center,
stays with her during labor and helps her in
whatever way she can:' Aviva said. "There's a
doctor on call 24/7, but it's the midwife who
holds your hand and helps the mother push
the baby out:'
She gave birth to Faiga on May 20.
Registered nurse Sarah Friedman of
Southfield also works at the center in labor
and delivery, and also is Orthodox.
"I was fortunate to deliver [two of my four
babies] there because the staff understands
the Orthodox Jewish husband is not involved
with the deliver' she said. "Most of the time
they're not in the same room during labor
and they don't cut the cord. As a patient, I
was grateful I didn't have to explain any of
this to the staff while in labor and that my
husband felt no pressure to respond to ques-
tions that weren't appropriate for us:'
10 August 6 • 2015
According to the 2013 data from the U.S.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
most new mothers gave birth in a hospital
with the help of medical doctors. Certified
nurse midwives attended close to 8 percent
of all births, up less than 1 percent since the
mid-1970s.
Friedman gave birth to Ayala on May
10, 2014.
Brent Davidson, M.D., service chief for
women's health services at Henry Ford West
Bloomfield, describes the hospital's birthing
center as a family-centered environment that
uses a collaborative approach.
"Physicians, midwives, nurses and lacta-
tion consultants work together as a team at
the birthing center," Davidson said. "Care is
provided in comfortable, home-like suites
during the mother's labor, delivery, recovery
and postpartum phases. Suites include spe-
cific areas for the newborn, the patient and
family. Amenities include hydrotherapy tubs,
special sinks with warming lights for the
newborn's first bath and sleep sofas for new
fathers.
"Our highest priority is a healthy baby and
healthy mother; he said. "We want to make
the birthing experience safe, comfortable and
individualized, recognizing and respecting
each couple's preferences for childbirth. The
birthing center also includes two suites for
those requiring a C-section for their baby's
delivery.
"Interestingly, many of our patients at the
Birthing Center are Orthodox Jews because
our staff is trained to work with the cultural
and religious needs of this population. In
addition, kosher food is available. Because
we offer these services, we also have a signifi-
cant number of Muslim patients who deliver
at the birthing center:'
DMC Huron Valley-Sinai
Hospital Harris Birthing Center
"Our daughter, Whitney Drew, was born
at the Harris Birthing Center; says Brooke
Lasky-Margulies of West Bloomfield. "I
chose a traditional birth and found it to be
non-stressful. The nurses were very accom-
modating, but what really made the experi-
ence more wonderful was that the nurses
talked to me in a language I could under-
stand:'
She gave birth to Whitney Drew on
May 21.
Danny Benjamin, M.D., OB-GYN, said,
"I haven't seen a trend toward more natural
childbirths or home births that aren't medi-
cally supported, but I have
observed that women
want more choices for
their baby's delivery.
Patients spend time
carefully creating their
birthing plans, which pro-
vide guidelines for what
procedures and support
Dr. Danny
they want during labor,
Benjamin
delivery and recovery. We
go over those plans with
them during their last month of pregnancy,
making sure our goals for keeping the baby
and mother safe are met and that everyone is
on the same page:'
The large private rooms at the Harris
center are arranged in a circle around the
nursing station so that medical staff has easy
access to all patients.
"We're a smaller suburban hospital with a
culture of community that we extend to our
patients by giving them our local personal
touch:' Benjamin said. "For example, the
women who work at the hospital use the
birthing center to deliver their babies and
can give patients firsthand accounts of their
experience:'
The good news about having a baby today
is that a wealth of information is avail-
able from physicians and on the Internet.
However, ifs important to discuss the pro-
posed tests, treatments or interventions
with your doctor or midwife. This means
researching the possible plans for care and
treatment options and becoming a full par-
ticipant in making decisions during your
pregnancy and birth so you can identify
which technology and birthing approach will
give you and your baby the best outcome.
❑
1, 04
Mireille Plotke
Sal Castro
Discover Tradition, Cuisine
Of Bygone Jewish Egypt
The "Different Cultures, Different
Foods" program series will intro-
duce Mireille Plotke and Sal Castro,
who are, respectively, Jewish natives
of Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt.
As with most Jews who fled or
were violently expelled from the
Middle East and North African
Arab lands, little has been shared
about their traditions and cultural
heritage.
Join in reliving the very differ-
ent experiences of Mireille and of
Sal who grew to adulthood in cities
where they were increasingly unwel-
come.
Taste traditional Jewish cuisine
of Egypt following their presenta-
tions on Sunday, Aug. 16, from
2:30-4 p.m., hosted at Keter Torah
Synagogue in West Bloomfield. The
cost is $10.
RSVP by Aug. 13. Register by
PayPal at www.jrefugees1948.org or
by email at jrefugees@gmail.com .
For details or RSVP, call (248) 891-
2563 or (248) 891-3665.
Program series co-sponsors are
StandWithUs-Michigan, Greater
Detroit Chapter of Hadassah,
National Council of Jewish Women,
Greater Detroit Section and Zionist
Organization of America-Michigan
Region.