As we enter the last month of 2021, you might be thinking about putting up those holiday decorations, buying something special for those you love, and how the heck has another year gone by already!? 

While we’re equally lost on that last point, we are able to help you out when it comes to finding a perfect gift for you or that someone special who is pregnant or newly parenting! As you know, we are all about empowering people with knowledge, so in that spirit as well as wish to avoid cluttering our lives with too much “stuff”, we’ve put together this list of our favourite courses with special discount codes for you, our loyal audience, as well as a few of our favourite products (that are a bit tougher to pass down or get second hand)!

Please consider using the links provided below as they are affiliates and help fund all of the free content we bring to you. 

COURSES WE LOVE

Pregnancy Nutrition with Noelle 

from Nourished Beginnings...

We want to remove the notion of guilt right off the bat - gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can happen to any pregnant person. Due to complex pathophysiological systems at play in pregnancy, that can cause insulin resistance among other things, sometimes gestational diabetes cannot be avoided. But today’s podcast, featuring Noelle Martin, RD, maternal dietician and co-founder of Nourished Beginnings, will provide you with a bunch of tips & tricks for managing your blood sugar levels confidently!

Gestational diabetes occurs due to something called insulin resistance. It means that your body is still making insulin, but your cells can’t use it. The body undergoes a lot of hormonal shifts during pregnancy, due to the presence of the placenta among other things, that cause it to handle carbohydrates differently, especially in the second trimester. Stress can also spike blood sugar levels. If you’ve tested positive for gestational diabetes, health practitioners...

Hypertension is the fancy word for high blood pressure, a common condition where the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is strong enough that it may cause health problems. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are health issues associated with high blood pressure in pregnancy, and they are the leading cause of maternal death due to long-term health complications, such as cardiovascular disease. They can also impact the health & safety of the developing fetus. Listen to the full podcast to learn more about the main types of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, how they are diagnosed, treated, and how they might be prevented!

There are basically four major types of hypertensive disorders that can occur in pregnant people. These are:

1. Chronic Hypertension (pre-existing)
2. Gestational Hypertension
3. Preeclampsia, Eclampsia & HELLP syndrome (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelets)
4. Preeclampsia Superimposed on Chronic Hypertension

Chronic...

There is a lot doctors and scientists still don’t fully understand about what includes labour, both pre and at term. But we do know that there are treatments that can reduce your chance of having a preterm birth, especially if you have had one in the past. Studies have shown that prenatal education is a key factor in reducing preterm birth rates, which can be crucial in creating a more positive overall birth experience both physically and mentally for mama and baby. So just by listening to this podcast you could be setting yourself upon a healthier journey into parenthood!

Preterm birth can be especially traumatic for those living in remote communities with limited access to specialized healthcare and newborn intensive care units (NICUs). This is why in 2018 Drs. Kirsten Duckitt and Jennifer Kask, our guests on today’s podcast, developed a prevention of preterm birth pathway in Northern Vancouver Island that is spreading to other remote communities. They share with us a...

As we all continue to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, today’s podcast is a recap of Dr. Sarah’s IGTV live discussion around the pandemic & vaccines in newborns and young kids with Dr. Rebekah Diamond, M.D. and founder of Parent like a Pediatrician.

It is hard to navigate all of the information that is being thrown our way daily. When it comes to kids, there seem to be two predominant narratives; the first is that COVID is super scary and everyone's going to have something horrible happen if they go near COVID, and the second is that COVID is no big deal, especially for kids.

COVID-19 remains the disease that tends not to affect children with as much intensity and acute illness, risk is less than it might be for a lot of other things that we worry about in pediatrics, but it's not zero. In addition to the Delta variant appearing to be a bit more virulent, protecting kids from COVID-19 just makes sense. Like with most parenting, we must weigh the risks of...

Today’s special episode examines the often undiscussed topic of birth trauma. Our guest Teela Tomassetti, a therapist for over 15 years specializing in trauma, had decided to pursue a PhD in birth trauma in dedication to a close friend’s traumatic experience. She did not know at the time that she would be facing a birth trauma of her own. Teela generously shares her personal story with us, discusses with Dr. Sarah how birth trauma can be defined, and how you might reach out for help if you feel you may have experienced it.

What is Birth Trauma?

While there is not one specific way to define birth trauma, one prevalent characteristic is that at its root it is a form of loss. That is not to say birth trauma is only defined as a literal loss of life, but a monumental experience where a part of your life or body has been profoundly altered. We often detach from the experience out of the need to lessen the pain of that loss, and to conform with societal pressure to move on...

Why do we even bother with car seats? This may seem like a silly question today, with stories of days gone by where babies were driven in old Chevrolets held in their parents laps seem rightfully scary! But looking at the statistics on car seat safety offers a strong reminder to take care that both the seat you choose and installation is done with full consideration of best practices and proper use.

Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of preventable death in children ages one through nine in Canada. Driving is one of the most dangerous things that we do, and most of us do it on a daily basis with our children in the mix. Child safety seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71% for infants under 1 year, 54% for toddlers ages 1-4 years, and 45% for children ages 4-8 years. Sadly, public clinics indicate that as many as 90% of child restraints are installed or used improperly. A car seat is a life-saving device, but it can only protect your child if it is installed...

When is the best time to start introducing my baby to solid foods? How will I know they are ready? What kind of foods should I give them? Is it better to offer whole foods, or purées? How long do I wait between introducing them to new foods? What about allergens!? HELP!

If any of these questions have crossed your mind, today’s podcast is necessary listening! Dr. Alicia and Nita Sharda, BSc, a Registered Dietitian, and co-founder of Happy Health Eaters discuss all of the above and help you demystify the various guidelines and misinformation you may come across on the weird, wild web. Nita has also generously offered our listeners 15% off of their online course, Start Solids Confidently, helping parents feel confident about introducing their baby to solid food. More info on that below! But first…

Top 5 Things You Need to know about Starting Solids with your Baby

How do I know it’s time to start solids?

Like we have said before - every baby is different. On...

How does your blood type affect your pregnancy?

You’ve probably heard about the four main blood type classifications in humans: 

A       B     AB     O

In addition to these four main groups, people’s blood types can be further sub-categorized as being positive (+) or negative (-). What that refers to is the presence or absence of something called the Rh (Rhesus) Factor: a protein, or antigen, that is present on your red blood cells.

If your blood type is categorized as Rh-positive, you have the protein and RhD antigen. If your blood type is categorized as Rh-negative, you do not have the protein nor the RhD antigen. This distinction most matters when you are Rh-negative and your baby is Rh-positive.

Why does it matter? 

A problem is more likely to occur in people who are Rh-negative (you have a negative (-) sign after your blood type), which certain ethnic populations are more likely to be. To give you a quick...

We’ll reveal the biggest secret discussed on today’s podcast right at the top: each baby is different. When it comes to sleep, what may work for one might not work for another, even for babies within the same family! That is what our guest today, Valerie Groysman, discovered with her own two babies as well as by counselling hundreds of families.

Valerie is a Registered Social Worker, M.S.W, R.S.W and Infant + Child Mental Health Specialist whose own journey with infant and toddler sleep led her to build her own business, Talkin’ Sleep. She seeks to find sleep solutions for families based on science, connection and intuition, offering alternatives to more traditional sleep training and crying methods. Keep reading to learn her Top 5 Newborn Sleep Tips and be sure to tune in to the podcast for a lot more great advice around newborn sleep!

Tip #1: Get to Know Your Baby

Not all cries are the same. Listening and watching your baby, you will learn that while they may...