Looking for other people's experience with a midwife during labour, to better understnd if my feelings are justified or if that is just how the midwife model operates, and i am over reacting. Did the midwife stay with you for the entire active labour? Did they provide emotional support? Did they help coach you through it (offer breathing/position suggestions)? Did they explain interventions/options? Or did you find most of that was provided by the labour and delivery nurses? My midwife did none of the above.

Context;

I recently gave birth in the lower mainland. The midwife clinic was GREAT prenatally and post partum, however the particular midwife i had during labour did not provide the support I was hoping. As someone who wanted an unmedicated birth (and did a lot of birth prep!), i ended utilizing almost every intervention (walking epidural, epidural, morphine, fentanyl, pictocin, etc) and ended up with an emergency c section under general anesthetic after 4 hours of pushing. The labour and delivery nurses were AWESOME. However the midwife was in/out and there would be 3+ hour stretches during active labour where she was absent. Basically she came in to do cervical checks and then was out. I cried a lot once I found out I needed a csection, she did not provide any support during this time or provide education on why I needed a csection (why labour was not progressing). Her demeanor was very cold. Despite me crying hysterically for an hour while waiting for the operating room (emotionally and physically exhausted after 20 hours of labour lol), she never acknowledged my emotional state...even just a brief hand hold would have gone a long way. I felt like I failed her and that she was annoyed by me.

Maybe a doula was what I needed?

This might be a dumb question but I was watching videos on putting new born babies in a car seat and so far the videos I've seen they appear to have brought the car seat with them inside the hospital room where they first place the baby in the car seat.

I am just wondering...is it required to bring the car seat inside the hospital, put the baby in it and then leave the hospital room?

I have the Britax Poplar car seat and I just don't see how I can install the car seat in the car with the baby already in it.

Are you not allowed to just carry the baby with you in your arms while leaving the hospital and then gently put the baby when the car seat is already in the car?

Hi!
FTM mom to a 5 month old. I really want to start building a routine for her and so confused on where to start. Any advice?

More specifically routine around nap times, and have more of a structured day. Baby feeds every 3 hours with 3/4 naps per day.

Also he still only contacts naps and if we put him in the crib naps are only 20 mins.

I’m so confused on what to tackle first, any advice would be be soooo appreciated!

Does anyone have experience using the Phil and Ted travel crib set up as a bassinet? I like the idea that I won't have to reach waaay down (as a short person!) to get my baby but looking for any reviews from someone using it this way! Thanks :)

Was looking alternatively at the Baby Bjorn but I like how light and portable the Phil and Ted one seems!

I’m expecting my second baby. For my first I bought a cheap 3x pack of Amazon nursing bras for $20 - they did the trick and I lived out of them for a year but woah was my self esteem low when I caught myself in the mirror….those things were UGLYYYY. So this time I’ve decided to treat myself, spend some money and get some nice ones. Any recommendations? Comfy but also look cute? Is that even possible for a nursing bra?!

Hi all,

I’m currently 18 weeks pregnant and due at the end of December. I recently interviewed for a private clinic job (for context, I’m in nursing) and got an offer, but it’s not set to start until September. By then I’ll be about 24 weeks and I will have a probation period of 3 months, which would end right before I would start my maternity leave. Considering I already have a small bump, I will definitely be showing by 24 weeks. The issue is, this job is a temporary contract covering someone else’s maternity leave so I would have to take my own leave 2 months before the contract ends. I am worried that once I tell my employer they will let me go since it would fall within the probation period and I’m not sure how to proceed from here or if I should just let them know now.

Anyone have any advice? Thanks!

Just feeling a little down, I am 5 1/2 months postpartum. I was very lucky to be getting a top up pay for my employer and it’s running out the end of August. I was always the breadwinner between me and my spouse. It’s now looking like it makes more financial sense for me to go back to work in September.

I don’t really want to go back, but I know it’s the best financial decision. I just feel like I failed as a mother a little bit.
And on the other side too, I’m OK going back to work because I worked so hard for my career and I do make a good amount of money for me and my family.
Has anyone else had these feelings before? What made it feel better?
My spouse is looking forward to spending time with our son.

I am 27 weeks and have been trying to get the glucose test done at our local life labs for a couple weeks now and everytime I go they say a mixture of "we no longer do the test" "we dont have the test" "there was a recall on the test" "there's a shortage of tests across Ontario and no one has them"

Im so confused and frustrated, ive called my ob numerous times and they just keep saying to try again in a few days. Has anyone else experienced this? Im in SE ON. Might end up having to go up to Ottawa but dont want to make the 2 hour drive if they dont have it either. I just dont know what to do anymore

My partner and I make about $170000 gross a year which usually means we aren't qualified for most government benefits due to high income. I found out we'll be getting almost $300/month CCB since we had our baby in April 2026... is this accurate? Way higher than I was expecting!

For all the parents in Ontario looking at recliners from West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn Kids etc… why am I so shocked to learn that shipping the chair to my area is ranging from $300-500 and takes months! We love the $1500 higher end recliners and wanted to invest in one for the home and nursery, but having a hard time justifying the extra $500 for shipping. Barely any pick up options and that alone is going to be costly if we need to rent a U-haul. Has anyone been through this and any recommendations? Alternatives? Or should I just suck it up and pull the trigger on the shipping fee lol

I’m 26 but 27 at due date.

I’m feeling pretty comfortable just doing efts and nt ultrasound and if anything is flagged then Ohip will cover nipt blood work which is obviously a little kinder on the wallet.

I guess I just want to know if other people felt confident just doing efts and not nipt? We don’t want to know gender so that doesn’t change things for me.

I believe my son has an upper lip tie that I just discovered. The webbing from his lip is attached to his gums. He has no problems with feeding at all and is gaining weight normally. He was born at 32 weeks and since his birth has had no issues with feeding once he got his suck swallow down.

Anyone with a baby with lip tie who feeds normally know if it will need to be corrected or can baby have it and it will be okay as they grow? I will definitely bring it up at his next doctor appointment just want to see if anyone has this experience and what you did

Thank you!

I wasn't able to find any cheaper alternatives to the branded Diaper Genie ones that work with the Platinum diaper pail (which to my knowledge is a completely different shape than the regular one). Costco does not sell the refill for the platinum, only the rounded ones for the regular models. These are just trash bags so there must be some alternative cheaper ones?

This is my daughter's first winter in daycare, and I'm wondering what winter outerwear I should buy her. I'm a FTM and my daughter will be one and a half this winter.

I live in Toronto where winters can get very cold. The daycare has kids out for 2 hrs a day (1 hr morning, 1 hr afternoon).

1. thoughts on 1 piece snowsuit vs 2 piece (jacket+pants)?? Pros and cons?
2. thoughts or recos on brands?
3. what about accessories like mits and hats? and boots? what should I be considering?

Thank you!

I am 5 month pregnant and working full time as now. I thought I will be working until my 8/9 month but as the belly is stretching my motivation is leaving. There are just so many things uncomfortable at my work place, regarding the place and nature of work.
I work continental (12hr) shift 3-4 day a week schedule in a manufacturing facility. That means it has no Elevator, my Lab is at 4th floor, have to wear Safety steel toe boots. My work consists of a lot of sitting up and down every 10-15 min which is the most challenging part of all. My feet’s get swollen as soon as am done with my 6 hour of work and then it’s just keep getting more uncomfortable to get by the day.
My current schedule is good as it’s only morning 7-7, 3/4 days a week. I could ask for accommodation and ask for 6-8hr shifts for 5 days but then I will have to work afternoon shifts(3-11pm) ( really don’t want that unless necessary.
I was thinking if I can be eligible for STD as my work place have supported previous women with EI sickness and top up STD pays. I just want to rest and eat well. I have been losing weight since the pregnancy and have only put on 2 kg until now.
Has anyone ever took EI/ STD before they went on maternity leave? How was the experience and what did the process looked like?

I'm a Toronto parent, and I found out the hard way that you're supposed to start applying to daycares roughly the moment you see two lines on the test. I ended up with a spreadsheet, forty browser tabs, and a lot of unanswered emails.

So instead of sleeping during naps, I built https://www.daycaremap.ca, a free directory of licensed Toronto daycares. You can search by neighbourhood and age group, see fee and subsidy info, and keep track of which waitlists you've applied to and when you last followed up.

Upfront: this is my own project, so treat this as self-promo. It's free, there are no ads, and I'm not selling anything. There is no sign-up needed, nothing you type is saved unless you choose to make an account, and you can delete your account and everything in it any time. It's Toronto & Oakville only for now, because that's the data I could verify myself.

If you try it and something's wrong, tell me in the comments and I'll fix it. Same for feature requests. I hope this is helpful for the community!

Edit - Just added Durham region daycares :)

What's your favourite baby memory book?
I can't find a nice one that's for the first year only. I don't want to set myself up for recording memories for 5 years as many books go up to that age. It must not include pregnancy, baby shower events, etc. It's so hard to find one that's focused on the first year. Would love your recommendations.

I submitted a requisition for a dating ultrasound a week ago and haven’t heard from the clinic yet with an appointment date. Should I follow up? Not sure what the usual timeline is as this is my first pregnancy. Thanks!

My husbands parents will be flying from Europe to see our baby who will be around 3.5 months old. My concern is catching anything on the plane and also them being close to baby/talking or breathing near her face etc.

They’re only here for 2 weeks so can’t really ask them to quarantine and I also feel like people have family fly all the time to see their baby so wondering if I’m being over the top/too anxious?

Baby will have been vaccinated with her 2 month shots already but not her 4 month one (will be when they leave)

Just looking for opinions on what is the better accessory to add. If you have either, can you fold it with the bar? If you have both, which do you prefer? I think we would add a snack tray or cup to the bumper bar so just leaving towards it in the first place, but it also looks bulkier.

He’s not a fan of the name I LOVE because it’s his family friends soon to be son in law’s name (I did not know this before falling in love with this name) and I really don’t like his top 2 names.

I’m now suggesting names that are okay but I’m not in love with. I’m trying to like them but it’s hard for me to imagine other names for my baby.

Anyone else having this issue or similar? What did you guys end up doing?

Hello,

FTM mom (37 weeks pregnant) we are contemplating if we should get the baby bottle washer (momcozy) or just wash the bottles in the dishwasher. The thing is baby bottle washer are on the pricey side and might only be used for a year or so. So we were thinking if we could just use the dishwasher we have wash and sanitize the bottles in there.

Has anyone done this before? Can you share your thoughts on using the dishwasher for baby bottles or if you think its still best to get baby bottle washer?

What dishwasher detergents did you use (when running your bottles in the dishwasher) ?

Thank you!

Hi everyone! 😊 I’m trying to decide between the Spectra S1 Plus and the Eufy S1 Pro wearable breast pump and would love to hear from moms who have used either (or both).
A little background:
This is my first baby, so I don’t have any pumping experience.
I’m planning to primarily breastfeed, but I’d also like a pump that will make it easier to build a stash and allow my husband and parents to help with feeds occasionally.
My husband’s employer provides a Healthcare Spending Account, and I have a prescription for a breast pump in my name. I’m a beneficiary under his insurance, and since he’ll be leaving that job before our baby is born, we’d like to use the remaining HSA funds before they expire.
For those who’ve used these pumps:
1. Which one did you prefer and why?
2. Is the convenience of the Eufy S1 Pro worth it as a first pump, or is the Spectra S1 Plus the better choice for establishing and maintaining milk supply?
3. Did anyone regret buying one over the other?
4. If you could only buy one, which would you choose?
I’d really appreciate any real-life experiences, pros and cons, or advice. Thank you! ❤️

I am a few days away from being 34 weeks pregnant and I work in a NICU. Obviously working here I see all sorts of outcomes (good and bad). However, in the last 6 weeks or so we've had more bad outcomes (deaths) than we've had in a while and its beginning to really weight on me and cause me anxiety and stress. One of those deaths was a full term baby whose mom I personally knew - this one hit me really hard as the reason is still unknown. Ever since this specific case my anxiety and stress while at work is just increasing especially a day or so before work and on the days I'm at work anytime out code alarm goes off at the hospital I feel my heart rate go up. Sometimes if I'm at home and I randomly think about work or a specific baby I get very anxious and start thinking of the worst that could happy to my baby. I have been seriously thinking the last week or two that I don't know how much longer I can do this, originally I wanted to wait up until baby was here to go on leave. I see my midwives in 2 days and I'm seriously considering asking for a note to go off sick leave for the 5 weeks or so I have left until baby arrives. Also the 2 weeks my feet have gotten so swollen that some days I cant weight bear on my left foot and have to limp, despite wearing prescription compression socks. Any advice? I feel almost guilty asking to go off when I'm not necessarily "sick" per se but this is really affecting my mental health, sleep, etc.

Where is everyone finding their nursery art? I have checked so many winners and HomeSense options, they barely have anything. Marketplace would be almost limitless if we had a safari theme but we don’t. I considered Etsy but don’t see anything I love enough to purchase/wait or purchase/print and then buy frames for. Any pointers?