Blog & Updates on Vancouver Prenatal Classes

Birthing Class for First Time Parents: What to Expect and How to Prepare
Prenatal classes Stephanie Ondrack Prenatal classes Stephanie Ondrack

Birthing Class for First Time Parents: What to Expect and How to Prepare

By the time most people are pregnant, they have already been thoroughly inundated with narratives about birth. Many of these come from media–movies & TV shows–and many come from stories we hear from family and friends. Some are from books, high school health class, TikTok, or just a general cultural expectation of what birth is like.

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THE SCOOP ON POOP: Ten Things To Know About Baby Poop!

THE SCOOP ON POOP: Ten Things To Know About Baby Poop!

Who knew there was so much to say about baby poop! I never thought I would be one of ‘those’ parents who obsesses over baby poop, and here I am decades later still doing it.

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“You’re Glowing”: What Causes the Fabled Glow of Pregnancy?
Pregnancy, prenatal, prenatal health, pregnancy myths Stephanie Ondrack Pregnancy, prenatal, prenatal health, pregnancy myths Stephanie Ondrack

“You’re Glowing”: What Causes the Fabled Glow of Pregnancy?

Along with all the well-known annoyances and discomforts of pregnancy, such as nausea, heartburn, swollen ankles, and having to pee every ten minutes, some people are also blessed with a few of pregnancy’s more pleasant side effects. One of these is a radiant, shiny look, mostly known as “The Glow of Pregnancy”.

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COLOSTRUM HARVESTING: Eight Things to Consider

COLOSTRUM HARVESTING: Eight Things to Consider

But while helpful for some people, colostrum harvesting during pregnancy is not necessarily a good idea for everyone. 

Why shouldn’t everyone harvest their colostrum?

Read our latest blog for 8 things to consider when you are thinking about whether or not to try antenatal colostrum extraction.

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14 Things About Colic You Might Not Know

14 Things About Colic You Might Not Know

When we hear that a baby has colic, most people picture an upset tummy, a fussy baby that is suffering from abdominal pain and gas. But even if your colicky baby does have these symptoms, this is not what ‘colic’ means. Here are fourteen things you might not know about colic.

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Giving Birth in Vancouver BC

Giving Birth in Vancouver BC

While birth itself could be described as universal, standard practices around birth are very local. What we can expect varies significantly from place to place. Which means that much  of the information we get on the internet, or in books, might not reflect common practices in regionally. This can cause confusion around what to expect in our own area. So let’s focus on this location: Vancouver BC and the surrounding lower mainland.

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The So-Called Due Date
Birth, prenatal, informed choice, due date, myths, What's normal Stephanie Ondrack Birth, prenatal, informed choice, due date, myths, What's normal Stephanie Ondrack

The So-Called Due Date

If there is one date that your baby is unlikely to arrive, it is on your so-called due date. Approximately 96% of people do not give birth on that date. Odds are, neither will you.

So when do people typically give birth? Where does the putative “due date” come from, and why do we even call it that?

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My Adventures in Lazy Diapering

My Adventures in Lazy Diapering

When weighing diaper options, few parents are aware that one of the choices is to use no diapers at all. Commonly referred to as “Elimination Communication” or “E.C.”, this approach to baby’s bodily waste involves skipping the diaper stage altogether.

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Massage for Labour: Some Rules of Thumb (& Fingers)

Massage for Labour: Some Rules of Thumb (& Fingers)

Massage is an excellent tool for coping with labour. It is a classic, well known comfort measure. It works in several ways.

But whatever you do, there is one thing you might want to avoid: creepy fingers.

For many people, creepy fingers during labour can turn massage into a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

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Mother-Making

Mother-Making

There is no question that becoming a mother changes us. Whether our children came to us biologically, through blending families, with the help of science, or paperwork, or some other way, no matter how we became a mother, motherhood is a fundamental shift in identity that alters our former perception of self. Whether we welcome this or resist it, there is no escaping it: we are no longer the same person we were before having kids.

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OEDEMA

OEDEMA

Oedema (or edema) is swelling that can occur in your extremities during pregnancy, most often in the ankles. Some people just get mildly swollen ankles, and some people get extremely puffy ankles and feet, sometimes even calves and knees, so that shoes, or even socks or pants, don’t fit. Oedema can also occur in the fingers, hands, wrists, and face. Often it gets worse towards the end of pregnancy, and some people experience it in all these places at once.

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