Patient Spotlight: Doula Stefany Mills

It is time again for another Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight. Although I enjoy all of our Spotlights, this a more personal one for me because Stefany assisted with the birth of both Nora and, more recently, Javier.

Stefany is not only my patient at Bright Eyes, she is our doula. If you are not familiar with what a doula is, DONA International states that a a doula is “a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.”

But let me tell you what I think a doula is, based on my experience.  A doula is person who make one of the most important and most stressful times of your life better. They can help you understand your options and can act as liaisons with the hospital staff. They can anticipate complex or potentially problematic situations and help prepare you. Mostly they stand by you and support you, regardless of your preferred birthing method or result.  In short, they are great.

Before Nora was born, I had never heard of a doula. After the birth of Nora and Javier, I am a big advocate. I jumped at the chance to learn more about what Stefany does.

Dr. B: Thanks for being willing to answer some questions, Stefany. First, how long have you been a doula?

Stefany: 6 1/2 years

What lead you to become a doula?

I had two difficult labors due to my babies not being positioned properly Although they were both head down, they were not facing the right way which created long painful labors. When I was asked to support my cousin in her labor, I felt there must be something more I could do than just be there, so I started looking up doulas. I wanted to see what they do, specifically, to help the laboring mom. While reading and researching, something clicked and I knew this was what I needed to be doing for all moms.

What is the training like?

For DONA (my ceritifying organization)an intensives workshop is required along with a substanial amount of reading. Then a certain number of births need to be done complete with time lines and evaluations from the mother, Dr. and nurse. Each birth is written up with a description as well as what the doula learned from each. A written paper on the value of labor support is required as well. We are required to attend a childbirth education series (not as an expectant parent) as well as a breastfeeding education series (again not as an expectant parent). The entire process can take anywhere from a few months to two years.

Who could benefit the most from a doula?

EVERY woman. It doesn’t matter who she already has supporting her a doula is truly a necessity to have an empowering birth experience and every woman should feel empowered regardless of her delivery outcome.

What are some major misconceptions about doulas?

Many people feel they don’t need a doula if they are planning a medicated birth or even a c-section. Doulas are there to empower and support moms whatever their birth decisions are to be. Regardless of delivery choices, there will always be information necessary and work to be done. Another misconception is that women who have others supporting them don’t need a doula as they believe that it will be redundant. The fact is, we all have a job to do. This would be like saying I don’t need my doctor, nurse or midwife because I have support. Each person has a role to fulfill. A doula is as necessary as each of those other roles and his or her role is unique to that education. Neither the support people, the nurse, the doctor, or even the midwife has the same training and knowledge a doula does.

Anything else you’d like to share?

We believe every woman should have a doula and her decision to have one should never be factored by cost. We work with a sliding fee scale to be sure every woman can afford our services. We will support all of her birth decisions unconditionally.

Thanks again, Stefany. You have such a wonderful career!

If you would like to find out more about  Touched by an Angel Childbirth services on Facebook and http://www.angeldoula.com

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Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight: Leslie Joy Ickowitz Publisher and Editor of VERTICAL Tampa Bay

I have been very pleased with the response from the Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight and my goal now is to make it a monthly feature on Bright Eyes News. So every month, we’ll highlight a Bright Eyes patient who is doing something interesting and intriguing around Tampa Bay.

This month, I am pleased to spotlight Leslie Joy Ickowitz, Publisher and Editor of VERTICAL Tampa Bay.

So without any further ado…

Dr. B:  You’ve been involved in publishing for a long time. Tell me about your new project, Vertical Tampa Bay:

LJI:  VERTICAL is Tampa Bay’s first fully virtual magazine celebrating fashion, flavor, travel, culture and beauty (inside & out). It is a magazine with a conscience, designed to uplift our community. It is inspired by and speaks to the visionaries who call Tampa Bay home.

Prior to the launch of the premiere even, its reception has been marvelous. Everyone I speak to “gets it, believes in it and wants to be a part of it.” What more could I hope for? It’s a dream-come-true.

What led you to go virtual with VERTICAL? Describe how that makes it different from other projects with which you’ve been involved.

Going virtual was an easy decision (even though I’m a fan of print publications). Beyond the obvious green factor, there are several advantages to VERTICAL’s virtual delivery.

Without the overhead of print, ink, chemicals, etc., VERTICAL offers a more affordable and much more powerful advertising solution to help businesses continue marketing. Direct links to featured-and advertiser websites enable the instant gratification we all lust for—advertisers want to drive traffic to their sites while readers want access to more information, in the moment.

In addition to the striking aesthetic impact of the digital presentation, VERTICAL’s interactivity empowers readers to shop. If you see an ad or an article about a spa for example, with one click you can access the spa’s website to view the menu of treatments and make contact to schedule an appointment.

It’s exciting to be ahead of the curve.

The Media Kit that I have seen at VerticalTampaBay.com looks gorgeous. Have you been pleased with the reception that has gotten?

Everybody is flipping over the media kit! I am honored to have a talented team of individuals contributing to VERTICAL. Susan Jeffers is a phenomenal photographer and Pamela Bloomgren is an amazing wardrobe stylist and makeup artist. Bill Baker is Tampa Bay’s celebrity hair stylist and our cover girl, Olivia, has a bright future ahead. Add my art director, James Burgos of Boulevard Creative, to the mix and that’s a recipe for style and success!

What other exciting projects are you working on?

A few things:

VERTICAL is a proud media sponsor of Tampa Bay Fashion Week 9/23 – 9/26 (www.fashionweektampabay.com).

While subscriptions to VERTICAL will always be free, we are bringing an optional membership program on board starting with the holiday issue (November/December).

And another one of my favorite activities: connecting people. I’m happy to be the “unofficial publicist” for lots of wonderful individuals.

Every day, VERTICAL exposes new possibilities to me. There’s much more excitement to come on the horizon…

Thanks again, Leslie. Anything else you’d like to share?

Yes, two things:

VERTICAL is a true community magazine. It is as much yours as it is mine. In every issue we are donating ads to local charities and featuring entrepreneurs and philanthropists who contribute to the greater good of the Tampa Bay area. I hope our readers will participate by nominating people and organizations that deserve the attention. I may not be able to say, “yes” all the time but you can bet I’m going to try my best. Submit nominations to: info@verticaltampabay.com

It is my pleasure to invite Bright Eyes customers and friends to receive a complimentary subscription to VERTICAL. Click here to sign up: http://bit.ly/verticaltampabay

Thanks to Leslie for taking the time to talk about her exciting new project. If you’d like to find out more you can at VerticalTampaBay.com or you can follow Vertical on Twitter. It is always fun to hear about and be involved in new projects going on in Westchase and Tampa Bay.

If you are a patient and would like to be in the Spotlight, email spotlight@brighteyestampa.com or find us on Twitter.

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Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight: Randi

For our next  Patient Spotlight, I talked with Randi. She has been a patient since the very beginning of Bright Eyes. Every time I talk to her, she has some sort of artistic endeavor going on.  She is so busy, that it took a while to put this together:

Dr. B: Hi Randi, thanks for participating in the Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your family.

Randi: My husband Bruce and I have two children, Jennifer, 16, and Samantha, 12. We have been living in Tampa for 7 years and love it here! Bruce is a photographer and a salesperson, and a workaholic . Jennifer attends Robinson High School and is going into 11th grade. Samantha is going into 7th grade at Davidsen Middle School. We also have a Golden Retriever named LUCKY.

What are your favorite things about Westchase?

The people! I love the community feel and how everyone is always willing to help everyone out. I have never lived in an area where everyone is so friendly and warm.

What was the inspiration to form the Westchase Community Theater?

Last summer, Vanessa Lewis (music teacher at Westchase Elementary), Linda Whitelaw (art teacher at Westchase Elementary) and myself started a summer camp called the Act ‘n Artz Academy. It was a great success, and between that and seeing how much the children at Westchase enjoyed performing in the shows they did through school, we thought there was a need to offer something in this area.

How is the camp going this summer?

We are in the middle of camp now. It is a two week summer camp. The years theme is “Tales of Temples and Tombs” and is about Ancient Egypt. We are doing some VERY cool art projects- we just finished Papier Mache Pharaoh masks and mummies, and we are working on fans, t shirts, and all kinds of amazing projects. At the same time, we are working toward our show which is held the last day of camp at 1 PM. It is a musical, and the kids are having a blast learning the songs and choreographing their dances! We are so fortunate to be able to hold our camp at the Wellspring Church, (although it is not religiously affiliated in any way), it is bright, colorful, cheerful, and air conditioned!!

You are sure busy. What other projects do you have going on?

I am a party planner and I specialize in planning Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s. I am currently helping 4 families to plan their events. It is sooo much fun!

Wow. It sounds like having fun is your job! We are happy to have you as as our first “Patient Spotlight!” Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Thank you so much for inviting me to participate. If anyone would like more information about the camp or the theater, please e-mail me at westchasetheater@yahoo.com.

Great, Randi. Thanks so much for talking with us.

If you are a Bright Eyes Patient and would like to participate in the Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight, just let me know. If you’d like to become a patient at Bright Eyes, just come on by – we’d love to take care of you.

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Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight: Michele Northup

July 22nd, 2009

Here at Bright Eyes Family Vision Care, we have some very interesting patients. I am always amazed at the things that patients have going on. Whether it is starting a business, a community project, or personal hobby, our patients always having something fascinating to talk about.

So Bright Eyes has decided to feature our most interesting patient on our blog with a new series called: Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight! And although I have had a few ideas about who to Spotlight, Michele Northrup made it very easy by coming in and tweeting her entire eye exam on Twitter!!

But before we get to the exam tweeting, let me tell you about Michele. She is an incredibly funny, energetic woman. She is always doing a million things and has a million more ideas. One idea that has kept her very busy is her company Intensity Academy, that produces Award-winning hotsauces.

But I’m not the only one who has noticed. For one, Michele is a finalist for Business Woman of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. This is a big honor and she is very excited about it. But she also is a sought-after social-media consultant, who teaches classes on how to market brands via websites likes Facebook.com and Twitter.com.

So now that you know a bit about Michele. You can see how she works in action, via her eye exam at Bright Eyes. Here is a sampling of Michele’s tweets, including pictures:

@Brighteyestampa on my way to my 1st eye appt with @NateBW & crew at Bright Eyes in Westchase. Twitter Tour of the appt to come. Stay tuned!

@BrighteyesTampa crew welcoming me for my 1st eye appt.

Seeing 3-D testing depth perception. I passed w/ flying colors! @BrightEyesTampa

@BrighteyesTampa checkin’ to SEE if my eyes are healthy & bright! Doc Nate & crew are GREAT! Dialation next!!

@BrighteyesTampa ’s fashion eye consultant! Helping me pick THE perfect pair of glasses!!!

Here are the lenses I like…a neutral metal frame. Whatcha’ think???

RT @BrightEyesTampa: If anyone wants to make an apt call 813-792-0637 or http://brighteyestampa.com. Say you saw us on twitter for discounts

RT @BrightEyesTampa: When you buy a compete pair of glasses at @BrightEyesTampa, mention Twitter or @MicheleNorthrup and get a FREE bottle of hotsauce!

@BrightEyesTampa bringing the whole fam. in to SEE the fab folks in westchase!I LOVED my appt so much yesterday I decided to rally troops!

So in honor of Michele being the first Bright Eyes Patient Spotlight and for being such a good sport, I am offering a FREE bottle of Intensity Academy hotsauce to anyone who purchases a complete pair of glasses and  mentions that saw the ad on Twitter.

Cheers!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
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