RESOURCES
We have compiled accredited resources for our clients use below. All resources have been vetted by our Midwives and provide up to date creditable information.
Visit the Association of Ontario Midwives for handouts on the following:
-Pregnancy Beyond 40
-Iron Deficiency Anemia
-Life After Postpartum Hemorrhage
-Normal Newborn Behaviour
-VBAC
-Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
-What is Jaundice?
-When your baby needs phototherapy
-When your pregnancy goes past your due date
GENERAL
OMAMA-Ontario Based Resource App
Best Start-Resource for parents
SOGC-Pregnancy and Sexual Health
SOGC (Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada) Pregnancy Info
Government of Canada Pregnancy Info
Public Health: Healthy Babies, Healthy Children Program
MEDICATION SAFETY IN PREGNANCY
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Pocket Guide
HEALTHY EATING IN PREGNANCY
EXERCISE IN PREGNANCY
WEIGHT GAIN IN PREGNANCY
ALCOHOL USE IN PREGNANCY
CANNABIS USE WHILE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING
SMOKING AND PREGNANCY
Second hand smoke exposure during pregnancy
Smoking cessation resources for family members
SUBSTANCE USE IN PREGNANCY
NAUSEA AND VOMITING
ORAL HEALTH IN PREGNANCY
Public Health - Oral Health in Pregnancy
DURHAM COMMUNITY FOOD RESOURCES
Nutritional Allowance Information
DURHAM PUBLIC HEALTH RESOURCES
To learn more about genetic prenatal screening, including a list of Ultrasound labs list of ultrasound labs that are accredited to provide the ~11-13week NT Ultrasound, visit Prenatal Screening Ontario.
DISCOMFORTS OF LATER PREGNANCY
BREECH/ECV
DUE DATE
GBS
General information and clinical practice guidelines
PRELABOUR RUPTURE OF MEMBRANES
PRE-TERM LABOUR
FETAL MOVEMENT AWARENESS / KICK COUNTING
How can you tell if you're struggling with mental health in pregnancy and postpartum:
Markham Stouffville hospital Program (self referral)
Ontario Shores (Whitby: need referral) LOVE YOU program
Postpartum Depression Handout CAMH
CAMH, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Postpartum Depression
Reproductive Life stages Program (need referral)
Women's College Hospital, Mother Matters
Bounce Back Ontario-free, guided program (telephone, videos, etc.)
Postpartum Depression and Baby Blues
Free Online Support Groups (mental health/anxiety/depression, Black parents, Desi parents, special needs children, Queer + Trans parents, NICU parents and many other groups!)
Self-directed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) workbooks for Perinatal Anxiety and Perinatal Depression.
PRENATAL CLASSES
Midwife Holliday Tyson, RM Youtube Prenatal Videos (Part 1-3)
Shawn Gallagher- Childbirth Joy Prenatal Hypnosis
Uxbridge Prenatal Classes and Yoga
Markham Prenatal Classes and Yoga, PUSH
Your Baby Academy (run by Midwives in our Community)
Free Hypnobirthing Online Resource
Womb: Birthing from Within Prenatal Classes
Mother Matters: Prenatal Classes
York Region Public Health Online Course
Durham Region Public Health Online Course
Best Start Prenatal Education Program
Online video prenatal education series by Holiday Tyson (free)
Birthing While Black (free online course)
OONA -Newmarket
WATERBIRTH
DOULA INFORMATION
Birth Doula Program at Markham Stouffville Hospital
Doulas of North America (DONA) International Association of Ontario Doulas
Durham Region Doula Info
HOSPITAL TOUR
BREASTFEEDING
Canadian Paediatric Society Baby and Breastfeeding Handout
Breastfeeding Clinic Oak Valley Health
Is my baby getting enough milk?
Medication and drug use while Breastfeeding
Helpful Breastfeeding Information Sheets
Helpful Breastfeeding Video - English
Helpful Breastfeeding Video - Multi Language
Jack Newman, MD, IBCLC: Breastfeeding Online
La Leche League Canada: Breastfeeding Info
Ontario Human Rights Commission: Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Position and Latch
Jack Newman videos and information sheets https://ibconline.ca/
Birth Registration and Certificate
Government of Canada New Parent Resources
Infant Hearing Screening Online Booking
Normal Newborn Behaviour Association of Ontario Midwives (reviewed by your Midwives after your birth)
Sick Kids (About Kids Health)- Newborn Care
The Fourth Trimester - Online Newborn Class
GROWTH
NEWBORN MEDICATIONS
Canadian Paediatric Society Erythromycin
Vitamin D Supplementation, Health Canada Recommendation
NEWBORN SCREENING
Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screen
Canadian Paediatric Society Jaundice
JAUNDICE
CIRCUMCISION AND FORESKIN CARE
https://www.intactamerica.org/
https://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/circumcision
HOW TO BATHE YOUR BABY
VACCINATION
CRYING and COLIC
PREVENTING FLAT HEADS in NEWBORNS
Tummy Time/ Preventing Flat Head Syndrome
PACIFIERS/SOOTHERS
Things to think about before using a pacifier
Tummy Time/ Preventing Flat Heads
https://www.durham.ca/en/health-and-wellness/resources/Documents/BabiesandToddlers/Tummytime.pdf
https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/pregnancy-and-babies/preventing_flat_heads
Birth Bliss Perineal Care after Birth
Perineam (area between your vagina and your anus)
The perineum may be sore, swollen, and bruised from the birth. Women might have stitches in the perineum if they had a tear or an episiotomy. The stitches usually dissolve around two to four weeks, and the tissues heal over six weeks. It is normal for women to find small pieces of the sutures on their pads or in their underwear as the stitches dissolve.
Women may find relief from perineal pain and swelling by:
Applying ice packs to the perineal area for the first 24 hours. Ice packs and cold compresses should be removed after 10 – 20 minutes and reapplied every hour as needed.
Ice packs should be wrapped in a towel or facecloth and not applied directly to the skin.
Women can use cold compresses, a bag of ice or frozen veggies, or a frozen, water-soaked maxi pad or baby diaper to place in their underwear.
Resting as much as possible.
Letting the perineum air-dry while resting.
Using a pillow or an inflatable ring when sitting. Inflatable rings are available at most drugstores.
Soaking the perineal area in warm water a few times a day and after bowel movements. A sitz bath filled with a few inches of water and placed on the toilet seat is convenient. Sitz baths can be purchased at the drug store or home health store. If a woman is using her bathtub for perineal soaks, she should have it cleaned first and ensure that someone is present to help her in and out of the tub for the first few times.
Taking OTC pain medications recommended by her health care provider.
Pain that is not improving, or stitches that are opening or oozing are situations where the women should contact her health care provider.
Perineal hygiene
It is important to keep the perineal and anal area clean by always wiping carefully from the front to the back after urinating or having a bowel movement. Women can use a squeeze bottle with warm water to clean the vulva and perineum. Wipes or hemorrhoid pads can be gentler than toilet paper. Using soft, undyed, unscented toilet paper is preferable.
Having a sitz bath can help provide hygiene after having a bowel movement.
OONA Postpartum C-Section Support
Care of the incision
Women who have had a caesarean birth will be given instructions as to whether they need their stitches or staples removed. Stitch or staple removal is usually done a few days after the caesarean birth either at the hospital, in the health care provider’s office, or during a midwife home visit. Some women will have dissolvable stitches that do not require removal.
The incision may have small pieces of tape on it which can be removed in the shower after a few days.
The incision should be left to air dry and not covered with a dressing unless instructed to do so.
Any redness, swelling, opening or gaping of the incision or discharge from the incision should be reported to the health care provider. Tissues take about six weeks to heal from any surgery.
Pain management
Women who have had a caesarean birth will be discharged from the hospital with pain relief instructions and often a prescription for pain medication. It is important for women to take their medication as needed since controlling their pain makes them more comfortable moving around and caring for themselves and their babies. It can be normal for some women to feel numbness around their incisions for a period of days to months
The breasts undergo a number of changes in the postpartum period whether the woman plans to breastfeed or not. Additional Information
Lactogenesis
Lactogenesis 1 is the initial secretion of colostrum; Lactogenesis 2 occurs two to four days after the birth with the copious secretion of breastmilk. Lactogenesis 2 is often referred to as the “milk coming in,” and is a time when many women experience discomfort as the breasts can become quite full and swollen. Breast fullness can last a couple of days and will diminish as the milk production becomes more regulated to the infant’s needs. Since the baby can have a growth spurt about every three weeks or so, mothers can expect to experience breast fullness due to the increase in milk production at these times.
Fullness/engorgement
Normal breast fullness that improves with infant feeding is not the same as breast engorgement. Engorgement is a pathological condition in which the breasts become hot, swollen, hard, and very painful.
The following strategies can help relieve breast fullness and prevent breast engorgement in the first few days:
Support mothers to identify and respond to feeding cues soon after birth.
Encourage frequent feedings, at least eight times in 24 hours to establish a good milk supply.
Avoid giving any supplemental feedings unless there is a medical need for them.
Ensure the baby is feeding well.
Encourage skin-to-skin care.
If breasts become so full or swollen that it is difficult to latch the baby:
Prior to feeds, massage, or manually express the breasts to help the milk to flow. Manually express the breast to soften the areola to make it easier for the baby to latch, especially if the breasts are full. Warm compresses applied to the breasts before massage is comforting and can improve milk flow.
Ensure the infant is well-latched and feeding well. The mother should hear the infant frequently swallowing during the feed.
Encourage women to offer both breasts at each feeding. If the baby does not feed on the second side, the mother can manually express for a few minutes to make it more comfortable.
Encourage mothers to wear a supportive bra that is not too tight.
Apply ice packs or cold compresses after feeds to help to reduce any swelling and/or pain.
Offer support and advise mothers to seek help if things are not improving with the engorgement or infant feeding. The most important thing is to feed the baby. Mothers can express their milk and feed it to their babies with a small cup, spoon, or bottle if necessary.
If the mother develops signs of mastitis, which includes localized or generalized breast pain, redness, heat, red streaking in the breast, along with fever and flu‐like symptoms, she should seek medical help immediately.
Women may also experience nipple tenderness with breastfeeding, and it is important for the breastfeeding mother to have reliable breastfeeding resources and assistance. This may include their family physicians or midwives, a breastfeeding clinic, in-home assistance through the Public Health Department, or through a peer support group such as La Leche League.
Mothers who are not breastfeeding
Lactogenesis2 will start to occur regardless of a woman’s intention to breastfeed or not. There are some simple interventions to offer women who choose not to breastfeed to increase their comfort level. In the past, medications and herbal remedies were used to attempt to “dry up the milk” but these have not proven to be effective. Physicians and midwives do not prescribe any medications to stop Lactogenesis.
Women may find it helpful to do the following:
Wear a supportive but non-stretchy bra.
Apply ice packs or cold compresses to breasts frequently.
Avoid the application of hot packs or hot compresses as this encourages swelling and more discomfort.
Take pain medication as recommended.
Express small amounts of milk to relieve the discomfort associated with engorgement. Expressing small amounts of milk should only be done for a few minutes.
Be patient as it takes a few days to a few weeks for the milk to dry up.