Kitchener Waterloo Midwifery Associates
900 King St W Suite 8 N2G1G5 Kitchener, ON, Canada

Ontario 211 is a great resource to find holiday help. Holiday hampers and toy donation programs are still going ahead where possible across Ontario. Call 2-1-1 to see what community programs are running in your area. #HelpStartsHere https://211ontario.ca/

Happy Saturday!

Learn what you need to know BEFORE the baby comes.Join us online for our FREE virtual breastfeeding class and discover How to prepare to nurse your baby (ev...en if it's not your first time). What to expect the first few days after birth. How to find a comfy breastfeeding position and get a good latch. The importance of Skin to Skin and Hand Expression Answers to YOUR breastfeeding questions. Where to find the help, tools and information you need to reach #yourbreastfeedinggoals. To register, visit us online at www.breastfeedingbuddies.com

Iron plays many important roles in your health. You need iron to make hemoglobin, a part of red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. When you have iron deficiency anemia, you don’t have enough iron to make hemoglobin, so your body starts to make smaller and fewer red blood cells. Less hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells also means your cells can’t get the oxygen they need. Normal changes to blood volume during pregnancy make it more likely for you to bec...ome anemic. Your midwife will offer blood tests when you are pregnant to check your levels of hemoglobin. If you have low iron, she may recommend an iron supplement (AOM, 2020) For more information go to https://www.ontariomidwives.ca//Iron%20deficiency%20anemia

The Holliday season is often one of joy and excitement. This year may be different, especially for those who have lost a pregnancy or a child. We see you at this time to. You don’t have to go through this season alone. Please reach out for support.

How do you become registered as a midwife? Midwives in Canada have graduated from rigorous university midwifery education programs. They are neither doctors or nurses. Your midwives at KWMA have graduated from one of two programs: The Midwifery Education Program (MEP), offered at Laurentian, McMaster and Ryerson universities, a four-year degree program that awards graduates a Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) degree in midwifery.... The International Midwifery Pre-registration Program (IMPP), offered through Ryerson University, a bridging program that prepares experienced, internationally educated midwives to practice in Ontario. Additionally, Ontario midwives are required to take part in professional development and keep their CPR, neonatal resuscitation (NRP) and emergency skills (ESW) certifications up to date.

There is some debate as to when babies begin to intentionally smile. When did your baby first smile back at you?

To participate in this study visit: https://rsjh.ca/redcap/surveys/?s=RYL3ARPX79 before February 28, 2021. Midwifery Infant Feeding Information Survey

Can you get an epidural if you have a midwife? Yes! You can choose whether or not you want to have an epidural during labour. If you want an epidural you will need to plan a hospital birth so your midwife can consult with an anesthetist who will insert the epidural. The main benefit of an epidural is that it can provide excellent pain relief during your labour. Risks of epidurals include:... Headache Itchy skin Nausea Infection A drop in blood pressure that can lower the baby’s heart rate (usually this is resolved with medication) (NHS, 2020) You may not want or need an epidural. Your midwife is there to help you make informed choices through your labour.

Henry was born on August 21 at home with KW Midwives. Today we said goodbye to Starr and Henry at their final midwifery appointment

Register now for an online session with Zoom. Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services and the EarlyON Child and Family Centres in Waterloo Region are inviting you and your baby to a free session to help you get to know more about your baby’s sleep patterns and how to respond. https://earlyyearsinfo.ca/program/sleep-and-your-new-baby-8/

September always keeps midwives busy! Pictured is Nicholas Aaron born on October 5, 2000 with KWMA.

What’s the difference between a midwife, obstetrician and a doula? . . . Midwives are health-care professionals who provide government-funded expert primary care to healthy pregnant people and their newborns. Through pregnancy, labour, birth and the first six weeks after birth, you will be cared for by a small group of midwives. Midwives can order ultrasounds, bloodwork and all of the other tests you need throughout your pregnancy. Midwives can deliver babies in the hospital... or out of hospital settings. . You can choose to have a midwife or a doctor, not both. Obstetricians are experts in complex pregnancies. They perform vacuum, forceps and cesarean births. They only deliver babies in a hospital setting. Typically your family doctor will provide postpartum care for your baby if you have an OB. . A midwife is not a doula! A birth doula is a trained labour support person who provides emotional and physical support to those giving birth and their families. While not medical professionals, doulas can offer a wide range of comfort measures. You would find and pay your doula yourself, as doula services are not covered by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. If you are considering having a doula at your birth, talk about it with your midwife (AOM, 2020). See more

Reese Emma Reimann came into the world with the help of KW Midwives (Ann) on this day 20 years ago. She was born at the hospital but her siblings were brought into the world with your lovely midwives at home.

https://www.ourplacekw.ca/virtual-stork-secrets

Good Morning! Find us this week at our virtual drop ins, our socially-distanced in person park meet-up, or at our virtual prenatal class! To register or for more information, check out www.breastfeedingbuddies.ca

We had 15 girls, 11 boys and 6 out of hospital births this past August. Thank you for choosing us to be your midwives!

*TMC Reading Review* Simone is back at it again with another TMC reading review! This time, it’s all about baby in the book called Baby Care Basics, written by... Dr. Jeremy Friedman, Dr. Natasha Saunders with Dr. Norman Saunders. This book is awesome! It answers ALL your baby care questions, up to one year old, in a non-judgemental, non-alarmist way. It covers umbilical cord care, feeding, sleeping, bathing, playtime and so much more. Chapter 2 covers almost everything you might want to page your midwife about in the first few days of your baby’s life. As a registered midwife, I stand behind the information in this book. I also appreciate that the authors identify midwives as primary care providers, as we are left out of the picture far too often. Along with the book we reviewed last week, Baby Care Basics is available at Toronto Public Libraries.

Sam gave birth to Rhogan in our birthing suite tub on September 5 with Natasha Welcome to the world little one!

HOW TO FLIPPLE! If you’re experiencing pain with your latch or your nipple is coming off the breast creased or pinched, this is a useful tip to help your baby... get a deeper latch. . . This step by step with my knitted boob and baby head actually happens really fast in real time with your baby! It’s okay if it take a few times for you to get the hang of it. . Follow @breastfeeding.dietitian for more breastfeeding and nutrition tips. . #breastfeedingmom #breastfeedingmama #flipplethenipple #burgertheboob #flipple #deeplatch #breastfeedingjourney #breastfeedingstruggles #breastfeedinghelp #breastfeedingsupport #newmom #newbabyboy #newbabygirl Posted @withregram @breastfeeding.dietitian