Today, Dr. Alicia chats with Dr. Stephanie Liu, a Family Physician and Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Alberta, with a special interest in pediatrics and maternal health. Dr. Liu identified a need for accurate, evidence-based child and maternal health information for Canadian mothers and created Life of Dr. Mom , a blog where she shares her experiences as a first-time Mom and provides parents with a credible medical source to help make informed decisions, as well as By Dr. Mom ...
Nov 30, 2022•25 min•Ep. 134
Here is Part II of a three part series on the top five gifts to give the pregnant, postpartum, and newborn people in your life! Today we focus on the needs of that newly postpartum mama! As usual, we share some physical products as well as courses that we love both for ourselves, and often recommend to our patients. Enjoy! Sleep is crucial to optimize as much as possible in that postpartum period. Check-out our She Found Motherhood Newborn Sleep 101 Course, helping you create a sleep plan and be...
Nov 23, 2022•8 min•Ep. 133
Did you know that milk production begins during pregnancy, and that we can express (or discharge it) by squeezing the breast by hand? In fact, antenatal hand expression - as it’s more formally called - is considered to have lots of benefits, which we outline in today’s podcast, as well as what changes your breasts undergo during pregnancy, what colostrum is and why we call it liquid gold! Check-out www.firstdroplets.com which is a great, free website offering tutorials on how to do hand expressi...
Nov 16, 2022•20 min•Ep. 132
We thought we'd put together something a little special for the upcoming holiday season! This is Part I of a three part series on the top five gifts to give the pregnant, postpartum, and newborn people in your life! We share some physical products as well as courses that we love both for ourselves, and often recommend to our patients. We hope you find it helpful. First up - pregnancy! Check-out our She Found Motherhood Amazon Store where you can buy all of the books we mention, as well as the Me...
Nov 09, 2022•10 min•Ep. 131
Shamaya’s Birth Story began with a fairly easy pregnancy - until she went into labour unexpectedly at 32 weeks. She describes the hardships of having to leave your newborn in the NICU for an extended period of time, as well as advice on which systems and supports she had in place that helped her through that time. The Nesting Box : A trimester specific subscription box filled with our favourite pregnancy, postpartum, and newborn items! Perfect for you or the pregnant person in your life!...
Nov 02, 2022•21 min•Ep. 130
October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month - something that affects tens of thousands of families across North America each year, yet it is rarely talked about. So we are talking about it. And we are grateful to have reporter and editor Emma Gilchrist bravely join us to tell her story of pregnancy termination for medical reasons. She tells us about her journey and the many difficult decisions she had to make, how she found support, and shares valuable advice on how to support those a...
Oct 26, 2022•38 min•Ep. 129
They say that between the ages of six and eight is when you begin to see behaviour patterns in children related to organization. It’s a good time to assess their natural tendencies and begin to build good habits. Something that the whole family can do - and also benefit from - together! Jane Stoller from Organized Jane shares some of her tips with Dr. Alicia on how to prepare your space before the baby arrives, what to do once they’re there, and how to form good habits as they grow! Don’t forget...
Oct 19, 2022•28 min•Ep. 128
If you are a regular listener and follower of our Instagram account ( @She.Found.Motherhood ), you will know that every Sunday we do a Q&A with our community where we try to answer as many of your burning questions as we can - but we often don’t have the capacity to get through all of them! So we decided to answer your most frequently asked, crucial questions here on the podcast in what is part one of many in the series over the coming months. Enjoy! Check out the following for a bit of extr...
Oct 05, 2022•23 min•Ep. 127
Today’s episode comes with a bit of a warning. Deb talks to us about her fertility journey and the birth of her two beautiful children, but she also discusses the large number of first and second trimester losses she experienced, and the challenges, struggles, and grief that went alongside them. She shares it all with us with such generosity and positivity that her story is undeniably inspirational, and we hope it helps anyone listening who may be going through their own grief to feel a bit less...
Sep 21, 2022•42 min•Ep. 126
The Canadian and American healthcare systems are frequently compared, from either side of the border, with Canada’s often lauded as superior largely due to its publicly funded nature. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot to learn from other healthcare models around the world. One area where the US can be considered a leader in comparison is the increasing growth of Birth Centers accessible around the states. But you may be wondering - what even is a Birth Center and who is it for? Join u...
Sep 07, 2022•32 min•Ep. 125
Today’s podcast features one of our favourite guests and collaborators, Mommy Berries founder & mom of two, Melissa Dessaulles (BScPT, BScKin, Pelvic Health). Dr. Alicia and Melissa discuss what pelvic physio is really all about, demystifying common assumptions, and giving you a glimpse into how practitioners approach their pregnant and postpartum patients. Have a listen - it’s not as scary as you may think! Check-out the below offerings from Mel Dessaulles - there is a special discount for ...
Aug 24, 2022•31 min•Ep. 124
Pregnancy is a stress test. What does that mean!? Think of pregnancy as an early warning system. Some conditions that come up during pregnancy might mean you are at higher risk down the road of being affected by chronic disease. But this doesn’t mean there isn’t anything you can do about it. Join Drs. Sarah & Alicia as they outline the two most common conditions in pregnancy that can be an indicator of your future health, and what you can do to prevent or reduce the risk! Check out these rel...
Aug 10, 2022•22 min•Ep. 123
This is a topic Drs. Sarah & Alicia frequently get asked about, and today they outline the four most common changes you may expect to see in your skin during pregnancy, why they happen, and what you can do about it! Check out our podcast on Skincare in Pregnancy with Dr. Bri ! Taking you from anxious and overwhelmed to confident during your childbirth experience: Pregnancy to Parenthood Online Prenatal Masterclass...
Jul 27, 2022•12 min•Ep. 122
Today’s episode talks about returning to running after a Cesarean birth - but don’t be fooled by this seemingly narrow focus. The episode is chock-full of essential information about pelvic floors, scar tissue, and exercise that is useful for those pregnant, not pregnant, non-runners, and several years postpartum alike! Dr. Sarah herself learns a lot from Diane Rizzardo , a registered physiotherapist and founder of Elevate Pilates & Physio , about the essential steps to returning to activity...
Jul 14, 2022•48 min•Ep. 121
Laura M summed up her own birth experience in one word - dreamy. Despite waiting a while to get pregnant and anticipating things to go wrong, sometimes everything goes right. She leaned into the great strength and mental fortitude of all birthing people, found community among other moms, and support from perinatal professionals near and far, including the She Found Motherhood community, and encourages you to do so as well. Tune in to Laura’s uplifting, moving, and inspirational story. Use this l...
Jun 29, 2022•45 min•Ep. 120
Let’s cut right to the chase - Drs. Alicia and Sarah have compiled a list of 6 things no one tells you about postpartum! Tune in to learn more about what to expect from the unexpected (yet all perfectly normal)! And follow the links they reference below for more related resources, guides, and tips. For more information on some of the topics touched above, check out our podcast on Diastasis Recti in Pregnancy with Kim Vopni - The Vagina Coach and Postpartum Pelvic Floor Recovery with Mel Desaulle...
Jun 15, 2022•21 min•Ep. 119
Mag’s birth story is truly an inspiration. Overcoming one obstacle after another, her fortitude and perseverance through several tough diagnoses is a reminder of the incredible resilience of the human spirit and body, and her own ability to face each challenge as it came. It is also a story about the importance of empathy and compassion for someone’s experience, and knowing that it is okay to advocate for your needs, even though it can be a difficult process. We hope you enjoy this moving episod...
Jun 01, 2022•47 min•Ep. 118
Today’s podcast starts and ends with a BANG! It’s a topic that implicates neuroscience, hormones, human relationships, the physical body, the societal body - and yet sex and libido in pregnancy and postpartum is so rarely spoken about and so many couples struggle with in silence. But Dr. Kelly Casperson is here to the rescue! Originally a urologist with advanced training in pelvic medicine and surgery, Dr. Casperson shifted her practice toward sexual health and initimacy when she discovered so m...
May 25, 2022•38 min•Ep. 117
By now you’re probably familiar with Dr. Ginevra Mills. She's an obstetrician gynecologist with a specialty in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, a special interest in PCOS and lifelong health, and she's got three young kiddos of her own! We’ve been talking to her about fertility: how it changes with age, causes of infertility, and today we discuss what the next steps look like if you’ve been referred to a fertility specialist. Check out The Pregnancy to Parenthood Podcast Series ! For ...
May 18, 2022•21 min•Ep. 116
Tongue ties are such a vast, controversial, and often misunderstood topic that we brought in pediatric otolaryngologist (ENT) surgeon Dr. Elise Graham to help us wade through the topic. She is also a mom to two boys with a complex breastfeeding journey of her own, which has brought her to shine a postpartum lens onto her field that she admits can gain from providing more support to patients, especially as information about tongue ties can vary greatly and specialized support can be hard to find....
May 11, 2022•38 min•Ep. 115
In Part II of our three part series on fertility, Dr. Genevra Mills, an obstetrician gynecologist with a specialty in reproductive endocrinology and infertility with three kiddos of her own, discusses with us causes of infertility. She gives us a most helpful breakdown of the main medical conditions that can lead to infertility in both the male and female partners. Tune in in the following weeks where we will be continuing our conversation about fertility with Dr. Mills! But until then, feel fre...
May 04, 2022•32 min•Ep. 114
Today, Karly shares with us her special pregnancy and birth story which, despite feeling generally ‘smooth,’ left her with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG, also known as prolonged and severe morning sickness) and an irritable uterus. She also speaks candidly about her struggles with mental health in early pregnancy, through pregnancy loss and into postpartum, and about how she wishes she had gone into her pregnancy a bit more prepared and knowledgeable about her birth preferences and options. Sign-up...
Apr 27, 2022•31 min•Ep. 113
Fertility is a fascinating topic that touches almost everyone’s lives in one way or another. It is an evolving field of study that can be clouded with misinformation, lack of education, and new findings that have altered some of our fundamental understanding of the science behind it. This is why we have brought in Dr. Ginevra Mills, an obstetrician gynecologist with a specialty in reproductive endocrinology and infertility with three kiddos of her own, to help us wade through some of this inform...
Apr 20, 2022•25 min•Ep. 112
Consider this a bonus episode to our three part series on Pregnancy Care. We talked about how to choose a pregnancy provider, what to expect at your first prenatal appointment, and what a routine timeline of pregnancy care looks like. We are also huge proponents of empowerment through education, and often advise our patients and listeners to take a prenatal course to help them along their pregnancy to parenthood journey. But how do you even begin to find a course that’s right for you!? We’ve put...
Apr 14, 2022•12 min•Ep. 111
Today’s birth story from Sara is a doubleheader. She tells us about her first hospital birth and her second planned - but a little unexpected - home birth! Sara candidly shares with us her rollercoaster of experiences with a miscarriage, lupus diagnosis, a successful pregnancy that led to a hospital birth, a second pregnancy during covid with a toddler in the home, using different types of pregnancy care providers, and homebirth that required her husband to be more “hands-on” in the experience t...
Apr 06, 2022•37 min•Ep. 110
In the third and final part of our three part series on pregnancy care, today we are providing you with an overview of what routine pregnancy care looks like, after the first prenatal visit we discussed last week! After the initial visit where we do a deep dive into your and your family’s medical history and a long survey of health related questions, we'll ask you to come back in about two to three weeks later for a complete physical exam. In today’s post, we’ll do an overview of what you can ex...
Mar 30, 2022•14 min•Ep. 109
This is Part II of our three part mini-series on Pregnancy Care! On today’s episode, Drs. Alicia and Sarah share with us what you can expect at your first prenatal visit. Generally speaking, maternity care providers would like to see you between your sixth and ninth week of pregnancy for your first visit. If you're experiencing significant nausea or other concerning symptoms, don’t hesitate to reach-out to your provider sooner and they will try to address your concerns and manage symptoms! Tune ...
Mar 23, 2022•12 min•Ep. 108
This is Part I of our three part mini-series on Pregnancy Care! On today’s episode, Drs. Alicia and Sarah address a question they get asked a lot: how to choose a pregnancy care provider! It’s one of the first major decisions you make in pregnancy, and often an overwhelming one as you try to navigate the different options and which one is best for you. Join Drs. Alicia and Sarah as they review the different options and how to choose the best one for you. Check out our She Found Motherhood Podcas...
Mar 16, 2022•17 min•Ep. 107
Today’s birth story is a little different. We are lucky to have Katie share with us her experience with postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety, the deep dark moments it brought her to, and how she got through to the other side. We are so grateful to her for sharing her story and reminding us that you are not alone in this tricky postpartum journey - if you are struggling please reach out for help. Katie’s bracelet project: Twentyseven For Twentyseven For IG The Nesting Box : A trimester sp...
Mar 09, 2022•34 min•Ep. 106
Pregnancy may feel like a long nine months at times. But sometimes the arrival of baby and consequent planning and preparation can catch you by surprise! One such surprise can be feeling unprepared to go on maternity leave. It can be a big pause in a person’s career at a pivotal time, and transitioning into and out of it can be a tricker maneuver than it seems. This is precisely why today’s guest, Sonja Baikogli Foley, co-founded Maturn, Canada’s first comprehensive program supporting self-ident...
Mar 03, 2022•28 min•Ep. 105
