Roots Community Midwives

** trigger warning/postpartum mood disorders ** The first days with your newborn baby can be hard. We often hear about how little sleep we will get, that the feelings are BIG and that you will never love something so much. These are all true, but for some folks, there are feelings that are bigger and more powerful than that. For some people, anxiety and low mood made it impossible to sleep (even when the baby sleeps) and the thought of putting your baby down, or even closing ...your eyes, makes your heart break over and over all day long. For some people there are thoughts terrible, sad, horrific and debilitating thoughts that can control your every move and every decision. They can rob you of your happiness and turn your postpartum time into a perpetual state of panic. Although not incredibly common, postpartum anxiety IS MORE COMMON than postpartum depression, yet we don’t speak enough about it. Postpartum Anxiety is cruel and isolating. Postpartum Anxiety Is invisible to those outside your bubble. Its hard to open up and to tell another person how you feel - but we are here! Your midwives are OK with the thoughts, worries and overwhelming sadness. We are here to listen, without judgement and to offer support and access to local resources. We are here for your partner, to help them navigate the journey through this treatable and supportable time. We are here. We are listening. If you are a client of ours and are suffering in silence from Postpartum Anxiety - please reach out to the team If you are not a client of ours please reach out to your midwife or doctor for a listening ear and help navigating through the storm If you live on the coast, Pacific Postpartum Society is an excellent resource for help. You can find them at: http://postpartum.org

Please share widely! For #IDM2020 (on May 5th) we're asking you to express your gratitude for midwives on social media in the form of quotes, photos and/or stories that highlight the experience of birthing in the time of #covid19. @bcmidwives #bcmidwives #yearofthenurseandmidwife #ilovemymidwife #YONM2020 #bcmidwivesday #seatoskymidwives

Do you have a doppler or home blood pressure monitor to donate to us? It would help tremendously with our clients in isolation!

Lets talk about being ‘overdue’ Firstly, your due date is a ‘guess’ date - an approximate, an average. Most people will deliver their babies a week before to a week after their given ‘due date’... Your placenta is not a lemon (thanks Ina May!) It doesn’t stop growing and developing, even after the 40th week of pregnancy! Yes, we offer increased surveillance between 41 and 42 weeks of pregnancy to make sure baby is still growing well and your placenta continues to function well Going over 42 weeks is not inherently dangerous. The problem with being greater than 42 weeks pregnant is that we simply do not have the data to support its SAFETY. This means that we have a lot of info about the relative safety of being up to 2 weeks overdue but after that - the numbers are scant. This is why we tend to counsel folks to make decisions about getting labour going by the middle of the 41st week . Babies born at 40 + weeks tend to be easier to feed, less sleepy and generally more robust. This doesn’t mean that your baby born at 37 weeks will not be, but the last weeks of pregnancy are a HUGE time for brain development in your little one. It is your right and absolutely your choice to be induced at 41 weeks of pregnancy (if you are 40 and older or have other specific complications of pregnancy, you can elect this at 39 weeks) It is also your right to ask questions, to be informed and to make decisions that are right for you when it comes to managing your entire pregnancy - including after 40 weeks! At Roots Community Midwives our #1 goal is to make sure you feel supported, safe, listened to and informed about all of your options. We are your guides and you are the expert! If you are interested in a fantastic handout about going beyond 40 weeks of pregnancy, follow this link! https://www.ontariomidwives.ca//Postdates-pregnancy-Englis incredible artwork in this post created by the one and only Amanda Greavette. You can find more of her incredible paintings here : https://amandagreavette.com

If you're looking for some rock solid breast/chest feeding support and live in Whistler, look no further! Meeting tomorrow <3