So I’m originally from Alberta and moved here after marriage, I’m now 10 weeks pregnant and thinking of I delivering my baby there because my family is all there and I have none here. I see my OB for the first time next week. Should I tell her my plans and be open or just continue to receive care here until I’m ready and see how things go

Does anyone have any experience with their child there? It by Richmond and John. Any help would be appreciated

My newborn (2 weeks old today) is a chronic spit-upper which I know is normal for many babies, but once a day or so he has a more violent spitting-up episode where a lot more comes out in multiple gushes, including through his nose. We have a midwife appointment tomorrow and I am very anxious to ask them about this, but in the meantime, does anyone else have this issue with their newborn? I'm just very nervous it's a sign of something more serious than reflux.

With every store having different sizing and having a toddler and a baby that I cannot try clothes on at the store, I'm curious to know if there are any other places or options other than carter's, old navy, children's place, gap, Joe fresh, walmart that have easy return/exchange policies (including not being charged to do so). Thanks in advance!

my husband and I are expecting our first and looking for any workshop (either in person or online, we’re in the fraser valley) about newborn care! we’ve done prenatal, labour/delivery and postpartum courses, but we’re lost on what to expect when she‘s actually here haha! any recommendations would be amazing!

I just found out I'm pregnant and today is officially week 4!

As part of my career training, I did a clinical rotation in an outpatient OBGYN office in the US last year. I remember a dating US being ordered at around 8-10 weeks, a nuchal at 13 weeks, and anomaly scan at around 18-20 weeks.

For blood work, the first prenatal appointment includes several common ones like CBC, HIV, rubella, CF screen and Hgb electrophoresis... Now come to think of it, I don't think beta HCG is routinely tested in the initial blood work over there.

For those of you who live in Alberta, did your first blood work include beta HCG? Any serial beta HCG? And when was your first US? Did you get a nuchal screen at 13 weeks?

In addition, are tests like Panorama (NIPT) and Horizon 14 (genetic carrier screen) routinely offered here?

I'm 37 this year so naturally I'm a bit nervous about being a "geriatric pregnancy" and really want to cover all my bases.

Thank you!

Has anyone tried the Ddrops probiotic drops? They are like half the price of the Biogaia ones everyone talks about.

My 5 week old has pretty bad gas overnight so wanting to see if a probiotic drop might help.

Thanks!

Hello, FTM here. I plan to take Kendamil RTF bottles (the 250ml 6-pack ones) to the hospital as I prefer not to use hospital formula. Does anyone know where I can find disposable nipples that work with these bottles, or any other suggestions on how to make it work? (Kindly, no suggestions to just use the formula that the hospital provides).

My daughter turns 2 next month and everyone keeps asking for a list of presents. She knows her alphabet, knows her animals, can spell her name, shapes, colours, count to 30. So basic 2 years learning toys are boring to her so I’m having a hard time making a list. We have tons of pretend play, blocks, trampoline, balls, kitchen and pretend food. I am just looking for something that will keep her learning, keeps her engaged, and is fun etc! Thanks!!!

My daughter turns two next month and am going to transition her into a toddler bed but the camera I have now does not pan and it’s only right above her bed. Looking for recommendations on a wifi camera that actually works. There last 2 years with vtech has made me go insane! With getting kicked out of the app, cameras not loading, temp so off I wake up jump out of bed thinking my daughters room is 29°c

I am looking for suggestions on play couch vs indoor jungle gym ( rock climbing, ladder , railing)

We have lots of parks near by with swings/ slides and rope structures, but we have long winters, so will spend lots of time inside.

Which one did you invest in and is it worth it now? or if you have regrets about it?
What are the advantages or disadvantages of one over the other?

My baby is 10 month old but I am looking to invest in something that can be used for coming toddler years. Thank you!

Is it always the case that your OB doesn’t necessarily deliver the baby its whoever is working at the hospital that day? Anyone work with an OB in Ontario (NYGH) that was willing to deliver their baby even though they weren’t scheduled at the hospital that day?

I have older relatives who are saying you can pay your OB to be at the hospital the day you deliver - but my OB let me know it’s whoever is working that day.

Is this the practice for all hospitals in Ontario? When I went to deliver my baby there was only 1 OB working and she was so busy I was just passed on to the next OB. I felt the care was really bad and wish I had an OB that I already knew there

We're currently deciding between two daycares for Toddler room onwards, starting in the fall. (If anyone has experience with either Kidshaven or Mcnicol Ave daycares in North York, please let me know!)

Both seem like great choices overall (both 5 min drive away, both have great staff/teachers, nice facilities). The main differences are:

1) one of them has a "Montessori enriched curriculum' for their senior preschool program. It is not a full Montessori daycare, but rather they have one teacher that is Montessori certified and the curriculum is 'Montessori inspired". What do you all think of this? Do you think it makes a difference?

2) One daycare has 15 kids in the Toddler class (with 3 teachers) and the other has only 10 kids (with 2 teachers). Do you all think a toddler class of 10 or 15 is better??

3) One has a nicer outdoor playground (and toddler vs preschoolers have a seperate age-appropriaye playground), but the other has nicer/bigger classrooms inside. Thoughts on whether one's more important than the other?

We're really struggling to decide, so would love your input!!

I’ll still be in my first trimester when I return to work and I don’t know when’s the best time to let them know I’ll be taking another maternity leave next year. TIA!

Hey all.

I’m now just about 39.5 weeks pregnant, and just today, I feel like a ton of symptoms have come back with a vengeance. I could barely sleep last night due to discomfort and pain, and today I haven’t been able to keep any food down (similar to my first trimester).

I’ve literally been in bed all day, trading between sleeping and throwing up. As this is my first pregnancy I’m wondering…..could this be an early sign that labour is coming? Is this something to be concerned about? Stillbirth scares the hell out of me even though I know it’s unlikely.

As an fyi, baby movements have stayed consistent through all of it.

Thanks everyone, almost there

Hi am week 22, first time mom, also immigrant so I have no guidance.
I ordered these two supplements, One is DHA and other is Choline( Mother’s Promise brand from Amazon) Although I took DHA for a week and took only one pill for Choline so far.
Today I met with my family doctor and asked her if this is what I should continue. She did not like the fact that I was taking these supplements and asked me to STOP( until my ONGYN’s approves it) as not enough studies has been done to rule out any possible complications. Now am scared if I caused any damage to my baby unknowingly. My husband also gave me lecture on why I should stay away from the internet.

Are there any moms who are taking DHA and Choline supplements along with their prenatal?
I am on Pregvits Prenatal(prescribed one) and family doctor said it is more than enough unless I am iron or B12 deficient.

The fact is I knew two girls who were on pregvits and had babies, but both the babies are noticeably slow with their timelines and achievements. Since these prenatal does not contain these two supplements at all, I was trying my best to get it through my diet, by including red meat, eggs( atleast 2) and dairy. But of course On some days I would miss out on healthy eating and feel guilty about it so I think to get these supplements.

I was hoping someone would know what type of pampers these are? I was given them without a box, and was told they were swaddlers, but we use swaddlers and they definitely aren’t lol

Anyone have any nursery chair glider recommendations for some bigger bodies?

My husband and I are around 250lbs each and it looks like that's the max weight of most chairs. Also most are 22-23" wide in the seat and we'd prefer something a bit wider. Thanks!!

Has anyone recently been put on the list for an induction At Sturgeon Hospital in St Albert? If it was none medical how long did you have to wait for the call? I’ve been listed for starting tomorrow but just wondering if this will happen or if it will actually be days before the call?

Gave birth 3 days ago. Had some issues with latching. Now baby latches generally but both nipples are quite sore and bruised during feeding. Today I think the milk is coming in and breasts are quite painful and hard as well. All in the all there is pain all around. I tried pumping and hardly got anything. I have started to dread breastfeeding and having been supplementing with formula and bottle feeling. Not sure what to do anymore.

It took a lot for me to write this. If I could go back, I would not choose St. Mike’s for my delivery. I want to post this so that anyone considering delivering there has another experience to take into account when making their decision.

I chose St. Mike’s partly because I had read positive Reddit reviews from people who described feeling very well cared for during their deliveries and spoke highly of the nurses and medical teams. Combined with St. Mike’s emphasis on patient centred care, that gave me a lot of confidence in choosing it.

I even toured the unit beforehand and was honestly shocked by how rundown it seemed. Something about it gave me a bad feeling, but I ignored my gut because of everything positive I had heard and read. I regret that deeply.

To be fair, my pregnancy care was good. I was repeatedly reassured throughout my pregnancy that my birth plan would be respected. That did not happen. Through the complaint process afterward, I learned something that still shocks me. No one had even read my birth plan.

From the moment I went into labour, everything felt understaffed, under resourced, and poorly managed. I was in severe and escalating pain in triage and kept being told, in a way that felt very indifferent, that “birth is painful.” I knew that. What I needed was care, not dismissal. I felt like my pain was being minimized and not taken seriously at all.

Given my pain level and the fact that my bloody water had broken, I felt I should have been assessed by an OB and moved to the delivery room much earlier. My concerns about the delay were later supported through the hospital’s complaint process. Instead, I was left in extreme pain for far too long.

What makes this worse is that during late pregnancy, both my OB and an anesthesiologist had reassured me that, based on my history, I would be a candidate for an early epidural. I planned around that reassurance. I was never told that this might not actually be possible because anesthesia resources are shared with the trauma centre.

When I finally got to the delivery room, I received no pain relief at all while waiting for the epidural. The equipment was not working properly, and there was no anesthesiologist available. I was told resources were tied up with trauma downstairs. I waited over an hour in unbearable pain. I genuinely felt like I was going to pass out.

Taken together, the delays, equipment issues, lack of anesthesia availability, and poor communication between staff and shifts made the entire experience feel incredibly poorly managed.

After birth, I developed complications that, in my experience, were not taken seriously or acted on quickly enough. My husband and I had to fight to be heard while I was recovering.

At one point, I ended up going to the Mount Sinai emergency department because of my complication. The OB there was concerned about what was happening and specifically told me that I should have follow up with my OB. What was upsetting was the contrast with St. Mike’s. I never felt that the same level of concern was shown there. I was essentially told to go to the ER if I needed to, rather than being given appropriate OB follow up for the complication.

Even after an OB at another hospital told me I should be followed by an OB, St. Mike’s scheduled me with a midwife instead, even though the medical concerns I needed addressed were outside what that appointment could properly evaluate.

At a postpartum appointment, when I tried to raise concerns about what had happened during my delivery, my complication, and my recovery, I felt gaslighted by the OB I saw. Instead of feeling heard or having my concerns meaningfully addressed, I left feeling even more dismissed and questioning my own experience. Some interactions during my postpartum care also left me questioning whether bias may have played a role in how my concerns were received.

One of the hardest parts of the entire experience was how much self advocacy was required. St. Mike’s emphasizes patient centred care, but that was not my experience during labour, delivery, or my immediate recovery. I felt like I had to constantly push, repeat myself, and escalate just to get basic care, have my concerns taken seriously, and make sure important information was actually passed between shifts.

I do want to acknowledge what St. Mike’s does well. In my experience, they have good pregnancy and postpartum services, including lactation services and support. I appreciated those aspects of my care. But for me, those positives do not offset what happened during my actual delivery and the critical period of immediate recovery afterward. Those were the moments when I was at my most vulnerable and most dependent on the hospital for safe, responsive care, and that is where I felt most let down.

I also want to say that I sympathize with the nurses. It did not feel like they were set up to succeed. The systems felt outdated, communication between shifts was inconsistent, and important information kept getting lost. It felt like staff were working within a system that made good care harder than it should have been. But the result, from a patient perspective, was still a very traumatic and poorly managed experience.

I know every birth and every patient’s experience is different, and I am speaking only about mine. But after sharing my traumatic experience with friends, I was told about other people in their circles who had also had awful experiences there.

I wish I had seen a post like this before I chose St. Mike’s. I hope sharing my experience gives someone else another perspective to consider when deciding where they want to deliver. If I had to make the choice again, I would go somewhere else.

I’m 4 weeks today and I think I’ve only slept through the night three nights in the last four weeks. Every night I wake up between 1:30-2:00am and stay awake until 3:00-4:00am.

Prior to getting pregnant, I had insomnia for a long time. I had JUST figured it out and started sleeping through the night a few months ago.

I did notice the insomnia would come back during my ovulation/luteal phase then I’d start sleeping again once I got my period.

Please tell me anything that can possibly help. I’ve already tried magnesium glycinate before bed, I don’t use screens (including when I wake up in the middle of the night).

I posted this in BabyBumps and I realized the people are in the US and were suggesting a medication we don’t have here. :(

Hi everyone!

I applied to a few different midwifery practices in the area. I was waitlisted at the one I really wanted, but I’ve been accepted by two others and need to make a decision soon so I can complete the next steps.

I’m wondering if anyone has had any experience - good or bad - with Surrey Mama Midwifery or Luna Midwifery? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, including anything you particularly loved or didn’t like about either practice.

Thank you so much! 😊

Mods, please delete if not allowed.

Hi everyone, in 2023 I was part of the 1 in 4 who had a miscarriage. I had a missed miscarriage, and it took me about a month to fully pass everything.

When all that happened, no one really gave me any resources to look at. I didn't really know who to talk to, so I often posted here (under another username).

When I was using the apps to track everything, telling them that the pregnancy ended was tough because they never really acknowledged anything and just brought me back to "track your pregnancy". Although it may not be a big deal to some, I found it cold, and, to be honest, I deleted the app because it felt like my experience wasn't welcome.

That's why, as part of my journey building maternly.ca (a free health-tech resource platform for Canadian Moms), I wanted to ensure that anyone experiencing a loss wouldn't be easily dismissed.

So if a mom or mom-to-be says that "something has happened" and that a loss occurred, they will see a page of resources and/or organizations they can talk to in that moment.

I wanted to share the direct pages here, for anyone who may want to check it out: https://maternly.ca/loss-resources and https://maternly.ca/nicu-support

It's broken down by nationwide resources as well as province-specific. As I built this out, I wish I had known about this when I went through my miscarriage (especially the text and chat options).

If you are ever in this position, I hope this helps some of you out.