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If you or someone close to you has ever experienced kidney stones you know the discomfort associated with this condition can be quite troublesome. When kidney stones begin to interfere with day-to-day activities and affect quality of life, it’s time to take action.

Kidney stones are hard pebble-like clusters that develop in the kidneys when urine becomes highly concentrated with certain salts and chemicals. Kidney stones vary in type, shape and size. It’s when the stones begin to move through the kidneys and urinary tract that they can become very painful. However, in some cases,... Read More »

After giving birth, mother and baby are encouraged to begin breastfeeding as soon as possible. Sometimes breastfeeding can be a confusing and challenging process for mothers. Remember that every pregnancy is different, and your expectations and results will vary with each baby. Even if you weren’t able to breastfeed your prior baby, it can be completely different with your next baby! One proven method which supports breastfeeding is skin-to-skin contact with mother and baby after delivery.

Skin-to-skin contact is when the newborn is placed, unclothed, on their mother’s bare chest,... Read More »

If you are expecting or a new mother, Hillcrest Hospital Cushing offers free childbirth classes to mothers who deliver at our hospital. These classes focus on a variety of topics to help prepare mothers, such as: labor and delivery, breastfeeding, newborn care, infant CPR and a sibling class for your other children adjusting to a new member of the family.

Robin Baird, RN, is the instructor for the childbirth classes at Hillcrest Cushing. She has lived in Perkins, Oklahoma for 27 years and worked as a registered nurse in the labor and delivery unit for 10 years before leaving to... Read More »

During the breastfeeding stage of motherhood, many concerns mothers have can be due to common misconceptions. Many mothers worry they aren’t producing enough milk or they possibly have “low milk supply”. This can be a discouraging process for mothers who feel like they are not feeding their baby enough or are having several issues when trying to breastfeed, such as: pain, issues with latching, finding time to pump, etc. Utica Park Clinic OB/GYN Dr. Amanda Miles addresses these issues and how she works through them with her patients. Above all, it is always important to remember, every... Read More »

At 5 o’clock in the morning, Phyllis Ross, registered American Medical Technologist (AMT), 68, arrives at Hillcrest Hospital Cushing and starts her day in search of answers. “It is my job to get the chemistry analyzer up,” she says. “I do the maintenance and run all the controls to get everything ready to go for the day.” Working quietly behind the scenes in the laboratory, Phyllis is highly skilled at conducting tests that will help physicians accurately diagnosis their patients’ conditions to determine the best course of treatment. It is a career that is critical to providing health care... Read More »

During the winter season it’s normal for parents to leave big winter coats on their toddlers as they’re buckled into car seats, yet a national news story is saying this could actually be a fatal mistake.  As seen in this demonstration video, while the car seat’s straps over the child’s winter coat appear to be snug against their body, in reality, they are loose. This unintentional looseness can cause the child to be projected from his or her car seat in the event of a collision.  Experts say you should take the winter coat off before strapping your child in. Also, if you are able to pinch the... Read More »
Trick-or-treating is a lot of fun for kids, but having a bag full of candy might not be the best thing for your little one.  The good news is there are ways for parents to curb the binge candy eating without being the bad guy.    Put on a spooky movie - If your child wants to collect candy from 6 pm to 9:30 pm you can always provide another option. If you put on a movie and serve some healthy treats beginning at 7:30 pm, after they have trick-or-treated for a good hour and a half, you can really cut down on the quantity of candy they collect.   Get smaller bags of candy - Filling up a... Read More »
There is plenty of information and advice out there on what to eat so that our bodies can remain or become healthy. Yet, often, how we eat our food is just as important as what we eat.  Most of the time, we chew our food when eating it. This is a given. But what researchers are finding is that being more conscious when chewing can actually make a difference in our health. Here are four reasons why:    Mindful eating leads to feeling full faster. The slower you chew your food, the more aware you are of what you’re eating. This means that you will be able to notice when you are full, which can... Read More »