Local nurses launch revolutionary postpartum consulting service Two local maternal and child health nurses, Beth Battaglino Cahill, R.N., and Lisa Madden, R.N., have launched Staying Sane LLC, a consulting company dedicated to providing survival solutions and services for pregnant women, new mothers and their families. Lisa Madden and Beth Battaglino Cahill have more than 30 years of combined experience as maternal and child health nurses and provide services, support and programs for couples in the "fourth trimester" of pregnancy. "Today's healthcare system is not providing the care and services it was able to do 10 to 15 years ago,"says Madden. "Many new mothers and families are going home with questions and concerns on how to take care of their baby and, in increasing cases, babies." Madden, multiple birth specialist and a mother triplets said,"Even after spending 10 years as a maternity nurse,and working in a NICU unit, I know I had the working knowledge to take care of these three newborns; however I felt completely overwhelmed to handle motherhood individually." In a recent study published July 16, 2007 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, among 4,300 mothers of healthy infants polled,17 percent of new mothers and infants were"unready"for the transition at the time of discharge.Eleven percent of mothers felt unprepared,and 5 percent of pediatricians felt mother-infant pairs were undeveloped. Staying Sane LLC is a company founded by maternal and child nurses and fully staffed by registered nurses developed to assist newly pregnant, soon-to-be mothers and families throughout their pregnancy and during their"fourth trimester"or"quadmester"— birth to 3 months of age. Services include,but are not limited to: • Basic Baby Care 101 review • breastfeeding support • provides and scheduling hands-on help from a qualified registered nurse • offering guidance on how to find a pediatrician to fit your needs/style • supplies warmth and compassion through like-minded women fostering support and offering compassion during the transition from pregnancy to motherhood Battaglino Cahill says,"Today's new mothers do not have the traditional extended family support system in place that existed 20 years ago.Many have relocated to a new area,are working full-time, and are 35+ who have had solid careers and are now stepping into that next chapter of their lives." She adds,"Staying Sane provides the support that is missing for so many new families." Kelly Hammond, M.D., an ob/gyn in the New Jersey private practice of Karoly, Kaskiw, Hammond, and Jacoby for 13 years, says the onslaught of today's information can provide inaccurate interpretation." New mothers often get confused on what they should or should not do,and when they go on a blog or the Internet they receive a lot of misinformation.What Staying Sane does, being healthcare professionals, is they can figure out what the issue is and what the person really needs — you need more of a consultant to do that," says Dr. Hammond. Because new mothers often don't know where to turn for postpartum help, Dr.Hammond says many turn to the pediatrician's office that is focused on the new baby,whereas it might be the woman who needs help and support.She says, "We've seen women come in after telling us there is something wrong with their episiotomy — or something else — and there's a hidden agenda like,'I'm feeling overwhelmed, I can't sleep or my husband's not helping'which are all the things we went through as mothers but we had family and we got through it. Many women today don't get that support ... that's not happening for them." An added benefit to at-home consulting, the nurses at Staying Sane have the ability to help recognize and respond to the symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD),a condition that affects one in eight new mothers and is considered the No.1 complication of childbirth, according to PSI: Postpartum Support International, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Santa Barbara, Calif. "As nurses,our objective is taking care and meeting the needs of today's mothers and their families,"says Battaglino Cahill. "We know there is a need for a continuum of care once the patient leaves the hospital. Staying Sane is that solution." About Staying Sane LLC Staying Sane LLC is the first and only comprehensive independent company in the Monmouth County area providing services, support and programs for couples expecting one or more babies. Staying Sane is owned and operated by two maternal and child health nurses with more than 30 years of combined experience. For more information, visit www.stayingsaneconsulting.com or call 732-539-1989.