As a Healthy Babies, Healthy Children (HBHC) Public Health Nurse one of the best parts of my job is to help parents find moments of joy with their infants and children. Sharing joy and laughter can help parents and babies create a connection that will last a lifetime. Moments of joy may look like: A… Continue reading Increasing the joy in parenting
Online prenatal program: Survey results
Are you pregnant and living in Toronto? You may be thinking of attending a prenatal program, but may not have the time to go to in-person classes. Well, Toronto Public Health offers a variety of programs for expecting individuals and one of your options is Welcome to Parenting, our free online prenatal program. A recent… Continue reading Online prenatal program: Survey results
Tips to help beat the Autumn blues
Are you already missing the warm sunlight of summer? Have you felt stressed with trying to juggle with back to school routine with older children? Is it difficult to go out in the darker evenings? Autumn can bring a feeling of change, or a feeling of the need to prepare for our long winters. We… Continue reading Tips to help beat the Autumn blues
Postpartum Depression in Fathers and Partners
It's common for new fathers to experience joy, excitement, stress and fear while adjusting to parenthood. Did you know that 10% of new fathers suffer from Postpartum Depression (PPD) and 50% when mom is depressed too? Most people are not aware, including the fathers experiencing it. In honour of World Mental Health Day, on October… Continue reading Postpartum Depression in Fathers and Partners
Limiting food wastage
As the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables continue to rise, we tend to think of how to buy less. Food wastage has become an important issue. As a dietitian, I share with my clients how to better use foods that we already have. The Toronto Food Policy Council states households in Canada on average… Continue reading Limiting food wastage
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in pregnancy
During the reproductive years, using condoms and having regular sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing can be an important part of a reproductive health plan because certain STIs can affect fertility if left untreated. Here's more from Nancy McAlary, our Sexual Health Promoter: STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, may cause infertility if these infections are… Continue reading Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in pregnancy
Happy World Breastfeeding Week!
In Canada, Breastfeeding Week is celebrated annually on October 1-7th to promote the importance of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding provides a number of benefits: breast milk helps protect your baby from ear infections, coughs and colds and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome breastfeeding helps protect you from breast cancer, diabetes and ovarian cancer promotes closeness and bonding with… Continue reading Happy World Breastfeeding Week!
Do I have enough breast milk to feed my baby?
Almost all breastfeeding parents go through a period when they think they don't have enough breast milk. Sometimes parents worry about this soon after the birth of their baby. Other times even after breastfeeding is well established. The most common reason for stopping breastfeeding is when parents feel they don’t have enough breast milk. The… Continue reading Do I have enough breast milk to feed my baby?
Reading to baby: Get an early start on a lifetime of learning
The time I spend with my kids reading a book is my favourite part of the day. It’s a time where everyone can wind down, snuggle in, explore new adventures and…have fun while learning language! So how early should we start reading to our children? Research shows that in the last 10 weeks of pregnancy,… Continue reading Reading to baby: Get an early start on a lifetime of learning
What is delayed umbilical cord clamping?
A common question from expectant parents in our prenatal program is "when is the best time to cut/clamp baby's umbilical cord?" During pregnancy, the umbilical cord helps move blood, oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby. Shortly after baby is born, their umbilical cord is clamped. Research shows that clamping the umbilical cord at different… Continue reading What is delayed umbilical cord clamping?
