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
Category: Pregnancy
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
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
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?
Top 12 foods to keep you hydrated
Did you know that our bodies are made up of about 60% water? You may wonder, why do our bodies need so much water? Water helps to: carry nutrients to and from baby remove waste from your body prevent constipation prevent dehydration, headaches, and muscle cramps, and keep you cool, especially in hot weather control… Continue reading Top 12 foods to keep you hydrated
Cleaning and pregnancy: Safety tips
Let’s face it! Every day we are exposed to all kinds of things that affects our health – and baby's health. During pregnancy, you may be hearing about the risks of certain environmental hazards and the effects it may have on your unborn baby. During pregnancy, your body is baby's first environment. Many cleaning products… Continue reading Cleaning and pregnancy: Safety tips
Simple and delicious peach recipes
Calling all peach enthusiasts, it is that time of year again- Peach Season! If you are like me, your taste buds have been tickling at the thought of juicy mouth-watering peaches. Peach crisp, peach pie, peach jam, peach mango salsa, savoury or sweet you just cannot get enough of them. Peaches are a good source… Continue reading Simple and delicious peach recipes
FASD: Reduce the risk
Alcohol and pregnancy – a topic that has been around for generations and many people have different opinions on. This is discussed in our prenatal programs, and common questions asked are: "Isn't it OK to have a glass of wine or cider on a special occasion during pregnancy?" "One drink won't hurt, right?" "My mom… Continue reading FASD: Reduce the risk
Vegetarian & pregnant? Tips to meet your protein needs
You can easily get all your protein needs when you are vegetarian - you just need to pay attention to where your protein sources are coming from so that you get all the essential building blocks. To help with the growth and development of your baby, protein needs increase in the second half of pregnancy… Continue reading Vegetarian & pregnant? Tips to meet your protein needs