What is babywearing? Babywearing is the practice of wearing or carrying a baby in a ring sling, wrap or other type of carrier around the newborn ages. On today’s podcast, we discuss the many benefits of babywearing, how to correctly position your baby when doing so, and the different types of carriers available and their respective characteristics. Joining us are Megan Tennant & Sam Bright, Physiotherapists & Clinic Owners of Kids Physio Group. 

The Benefits of Babywearing

Bonding

Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation in secure attachment between baby and parent with just one hour of babywearing per day. Being close to the carrier’s heart can affect baby’s own heart rate and breathing depending on who they are close to, therefore leading to increased bonding, attachment, and regulation!

Removing Pressure off of Baby’s Head

Newborns spend most of their time on their backs. Babywearing helps to reduce the pressure from the back of...

There are so many reasons why somebody might not be breastfeeding. Everything from traumatic birth, structural issues with the baby and their ability to latch, history of trauma or abuse, or the parent’s neurodiversity may make the sensory input of breastfeeding intolerable. But regardless of the reason, we should never question people’s decisions surrounding this important and personal parenting choice!

Mallory Whitmore is a Certified Infant Feeding Technician, advocate for informed, supported infant feeding choices for everybody and formula feeding mother of two. She began her formula feeding journey when she, like so many of you listeners out there, was feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, disappointed, and full of guilt and stress about formula feeding.

On today’s podcast, she shares with us some of the main reasons people are unable to breastfeed, her recommendations when it comes to choosing which formula is right for you - some of which we share below! And some...

Did you know that accidental and unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in children? Accidents happen, and as parents, we do our best to avoid them and create the safest possible environment for our children. But as we learn on today’s podcast, we may need to refresh our knowledge on updated guidelines and common misconceptions. It's so important that everyone has some life-saving skills for their family.

Holly Choi is the Co-Owner of Safe Beginning First Aid, a Lifesaving Society-Certified First Aid Instructor, a CPSAC-Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician-Instructor, and also sits on their national board of directors. She is an expert in all things child safety, including the proper use and installation of car seats, childproofing, and infant/toddler first aid. And she has shared her top four lessons parents need to know right off the bat to keep their baby safe.

The Essential 4 Lessons for Keeping Baby Safe

1. Newborns Can Roll 

There is a huge...

It seems simple enough - and for the majority of people of birthing age conceiving is not a complex science - but with this episode we’d like to take a step back and discuss the very basics of getting pregnant! 

We chatted with Dr. Beth Taylor, a Fertility Specialist at the Olive Fertility Centre in Vancouver. Dr. Beth offered a lot of great insight into how you can know if you can get pregnant, the best ways to begin trying, and when you might need to look into getting some fertility help!

We should note right from the top that for the purposes of this episode and post, we are focusing on the heteronormative paradigm of the cis female and cis male having sexual intercourse to try to conceive - but there are many other paradigms and ways to conceive we will focus on in subsequent episodes! 

Top 4 Things You Should Know About Getting Pregnant

1. How do I know if I can get pregnant?

Most people start with the assumption that they are fertile, and often they are...

Have you ever thought about hypnobirthing? Curious to understand exactly what it means? Check out our latest podcast with Melanie Bearne from Better Birth Stories.  

Melanie is the founder of Better Birth Stories - Hypnobirthing & Positive Birth. She is a Senior Clinical Hypnotherapist, an Accredited Certified EFT Practitioner and an experienced Hypnobirthing teacher. She lives in Wandsworth, London with her partner, 3 awesome kids, and their rescue chihuahua.

Hypnobirthing focuses on three key spaces.

1. What is your understanding of birth, looking at your belief systems and past experiences of birth. 

2. Reviewing and understanding the physiology of birth. 

3. Understanding your birthing landscape. 

If you're preparing for birth, we'd also invite you to check out our free birth planning webinar series where we walk you through creating your own birth preferences and planning document please check it out here!

What is Circumcision? How many newborn males get circumcised? What are the risks? What are the benefits? 

Well, Dr. Ellen joins us on our podcast to discuss just these questions! 

Here is a brief synopsis of our chat. 

What is Circumcision? 

Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin on a penis.  The foreskin is the skin that covers the glans of the penis. 

How many boys are circumcised? 

This has changed over the years.  In the 1970s approximately 50% of men were circumcised.  It has dropped to approximately 25-30% of infant males now getting circumcised. 

How do I decide whether to circumcise my newborn baby? 

This is a decision that all parents should be involved in and should be made in the best interest of the infant.  Have a listen to our full podcast to get all the information you need to make a decision. 

The Canadian and American Pediatric societies DO NOT recommend routine circumcision of newborn males, as...

What is Placenta Previa? 

Placenta previa affects about 2% of all pregnancies. 

It is when the placenta covers part or all of the cervix. 

It is usually diagnosed around 20 weeks when you have your anatomy ultrasound. 

Why does this matter? 

Well, this matters because if your placenta is covering your cervix, the baby can not come out that way! 

As the cervix is an open tube, any dilatation or disruption of the cervix can also cause bleeding. 

Can the Placenta move? 

YES!! During the first two trimesters the uterus mainly grows from the top half (farthest away from your cervix) but in the third trimester the lower part of the uterus starts to grow and can pull the placenta up and out of the way! 

We always recheck the position of placenta's that are previa around 32 weeks gestation to see if they have moved out of the way to allow you to try for a vaginal delivery, if that is your goal! 

What if it doesn't move? 

Well, if it...

If you're pregnant or postpartum, then you've more than likely experienced pelvic pain in some way, shape, or form.  

And one of the messages we want to get out there is that YES it's common but it's NOT necessarily normal!  

Dr. Sarah talks with Lauren from Core Connection physio about all things PRPGP.  They cover lots of important topics including: 

What are the common myths and misconceptions about PRPGP? Let's talk relaxin, "instability" and "separation".

Wondering what GBS in pregnancy is? How do we screen for Group B Strep? How do we treat GBS during labour?  What effects GBS has on your newborn?  

Well today's podcast is for you! 

Did you know that 15-40% of pregnant people have Group B Strep in their perineal region at time of delivery? 

Historically this bacteria has caused significant illness in babies including: 

• Septicemia (blood infections)
• Meningitis (nerve and brain infections)
• Pneumonia (lung infections)

1-3% of term babies who contract GBS die, and 20-30% of preterm babies who contract Group B Strep die.  This is too high!! So we recommend a few things. 

1) Screen all pregnant people around 35-36 weeks of gestation (or earlier if they present in threatened preterm labour). 

2) Treat all people who screen + for GBS with intravenous antibiotics during labour. 

3) If people present and have not been screened, then treat based on risk factors. 

Wanting to learn more...

We talk lots about the impact of pregnancy loss on the pregnant person, and the challenges of postpartum as a culture, but we also need to talk more about how these life experiences impact you as a couple and how it changes your couple story. 

Dr. Sarah had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Stephen and Erin Mitchell, who are parents of three young children and are also work in the area of counseling. Stephen has a PhD in Medical Family Therapy and Erin has a Masters in Counseling Psychology.  

They talk candidly about how pregnancy, pregnancy loss and parent hood impacted them as a couple and they share strategies about how you can prepare for parenthood as a couple. 

Additionally, they offer a number of incredible online resources including a FREE pregnancy mini-course, and a comprehensive online course aimed at couples called Create Your Couple Story. And for our community, they've extended a discount code so if...