Welcome to the first in my monthly blog series meeting with local practitioners in Peel Region. The first interview I did was in January with Dr. Blake Broker, a local chiropractor in Brampton. (Forgive the lateness of the actual post since my family was ill for weeks after the meeting). He is trained in the Webster Technique, which is a series of adjustments used specifically in pregnancy to help optimize the mother’s pelvic function and is often recommended to mothers with breech babies. Dr. Blake and his wife Justine Blainey founded The Justine Blainey Wellness Center together, located here in Brampton and…

As a birth worker, I talk about labour and birth all the time. I work with clients to create birth plans to help prepare for the big day. Yet, there is little time spent preparing for after baby arrives, when you are healing from birth, tired and sore, all while caring for a brand new human! So, I thought I would share some tips here on how you can prepare to have a great postpartum period. 1. Fill your Freezer. I cannot emphasize the importance of delicious nutritious foods in your freezer before your baby arrives enough. Sure, you might…

Are you wondering what it’s like to give birth at Brampton Civic Hospital? Brampton Civic Hospital is the closest hospital to where I live, and serves the over 500, 000 people living in the city of Brampton. It is the only birth facility in our city, aside from the option of home birth if you are being cared for by midwives or giving birth at one of the hospitals located in Mississauga. In this post you’ll find tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way. I won’t call them “secrets” but they are things I’ve learned through experience and trial…

Ever since I became a parent myself, sleep and attachment theory have been near and dear to my heart. You see, when I became a parent, I had no idea what normal infant sleep was supposed to look like. I grew up with many people telling me that babies wake up all the time. I also grew up with the stories of my own sleep habits, including that as a baby I didn’t really wake. I was what we call “a good baby.” So, with such an abundance of conflicting information, I had no idea what I was in for…

As you prepare for birth, you may (or may not) have a clear picture of how you want that experience to look. You may wish to have a drug-free vaginal childbirth, or you may want an epidural. With both of these scenarios and any other scenario that may arise, birth does not always go according to the plan we set out in our mind’s eye. At some point an intervention may be proposed, changing the birth plan. These types of situations may happen suddenly, or unfold slowly over the course of the birth. Preparation is key to coping well with…

Placenta encapsulation is currently going through a revival in North America, and with that comes many questions about the practice and benefits. Traditional knowledge of the uses and benefits of the placenta in the postpartum period has been lost with the institutionalization of childbirth in recent history. For many centuries before, the placenta was carefully honoured and would never be disposed of in the hospital incinerator as medical waste as it is in our modern society. The placenta is a powerhouse of nutrients, and can help with mood stabilization, milk production, postpartum recovery and fatigue and reduced postpartum bleeding. Traditionally,…

I am a maternal support practitioner (doula) because I feel a call to service in a way that is meaningful and spiritually satisfying. For me, this takes the shape of caring for women’s emotional and psychological needs during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. I recognize the deep impact birth has on each and every mother, and wish to provide support that is focused on the psychological wellbeing of the mother and not clinical tasks. In Ontario, midwives are covered by OHIP as highly skilled healthcare providers. If you have a midwife, you do not have an Obstetrician, as they…

Cute little babies sporting these adorable cloth diapers are popping up everywhere, and you’re wondering if it’s as easy as it looks in the pictures. I mean, what do you do with the poop? There are whole blog posts dedicated to this topic! As far as cloth diapers go, we have seen a renewal in their popularity. Today’s cloth diapers are not your mother’s cloth diapers from the 70s and 80s with safety pins and rubber pants. These cloth diapers are fun, trim fitting and covered in super cute prints. If you’re thinking that you might like to give cloth…