On today’s episode, Drs. Sarah and Alicia looked back and compiled the most frequent questions they get about the first trimester of pregnancy and answered them all for you conveniently in this one podcast episode and blog post! Be sure to follow along to the extra resources and links for a deeper dive into each topic. For more info on skincare in pregnancy, check out our podcast on Skincare in Pregnancy with Dr. Bri! For more tips on managing nausea in pregnancy, check out Morning...

Does pregnancy affect the voice? Today’s special episode was produced by Jillian Mitchell, recording artist, vocal coach, author, mom, and founder of Voxana, a platform celebrating the interconnectivity of our human instrument in singing, speaking, and writing. She interviewed our own Dr. Alicia Power about the role pregnancy plays on our human instrument as it changes and grows, especially how it affects our energy, movement, and voice! To learn more about Voxana, visit their website and...

The experience of pain in labor can be influenced by a variety of factors such as previous experiences, and individual emotional, physical, motivational, cognitive, social, and cultural circumstances. Strategies for dealing with the pain can be medicinal and non-medicinal, both of which Drs. Alicia and Sarah outline today, with a particular emphasis on epidurals as we get frequent questions about them! As always, having a good understanding of your options is crucial in making decisions that...

Many of us spend a lot of time preparing for pregnancy, labour, and birth but we tend to neglect putting equal care into preparing for the postpartum period. This creates certain challenges, especially considering the postpartum period is relatively much longer and requires taking care of your newborn and yourself! This is where a postpartum doula can help. Join Dr. Alicia and Brittany Porter, Postpartum Doula and founder of Birth & Beyond, as they discuss the different roles of...

Have you ever seen those photos of a pregnant friend walking in a field, their two toddlers happily in tow, or a newborn baby wrapped up in a blanket sleeping like a sweet cherub? You may have had several thoughts, such as that your young children would never stay still long enough for a photo where all of you look good! Or you think, ‘I’d love to get shots with my newborn but I can barely get out of the house to see the doctor, let alone a photographer’! Today, Amanda from Island Roots...

About one in three births are delivered by Cesarean Section, though this varies by province, country, and even community. About half of those are planned, also called “elective,” while the other half are emergency, or unplanned. Keep in mind that the term “emergency cesarean” is used to mean that delivery via cesarean section was not a birth preference, but does not always mean a true medical emergency which has to be performed as quickly as humanly possible. Join Drs. Sarah and Alicia as...

On today’s episode, you will learn how to become your own massage therapist! Joining Dr. Alicia is athletic and registered massage therapist Janette Yee from Ask Janette, who talks to us passionately about the exciting benefits of scar tissue massage after a c-section (or any other injury)! Whether you’re feeling numbness or hyper-sensitivity, Janette and Dr. Alicia describe how and why massage helps, and how to go about performing it on yourself, as always starting small but steady. We know...

Today we are very lucky to have Sarah sharing with us her story of becoming a surrogate. Well - surrogate-ish. Tune in to learn what we mean by that, as she shares with us her unique path to becoming a surrogate, and her pregnancy and postpartum journeys. As always, thank you to Sarah and all our birth story contributors for generously sharing their experiences that we hope speak to our listeners and affirm that we are not alone, no matter how varied our journeys. To learn more about home...

If you’ve just come from a pediatric check-up and you’re worried your baby is small and needs to gain weight, please don’t panic! It’s important to consider that if your baby falls into a low percentile, is this a new occurrence, or have they always been on the smaller side? Are they not meeting other developmental milestones, or are they following along their own growth curve?  It is only natural that some babies will land in a lower percentile, and that is not a cause for concern. However,...

Today we are helping you plan your ultimate baby shower! But spoiler alert, we offer no advice on picking balloons, what finger foods to serve, or the best party games. The concept of a baby shower has existed in some form for centuries, shifting in purpose and presentation over the years. Today, we encourage you to think of two main things when planning yours: what is your purpose for having one? And what is the ideal outcome? Dr. Alicia and Dr. Pip Houghton, family doctor with a special...

Karlie is the co-founder of Jen & Keri, a former collegiate athlete, and a long-time wellness professional. With over 20 years of experience in fitness she is on a mission to empower postpartum athletes to reclaim their identity beyond motherhood! One of the most important things to remember is not to jump back into strenuous exercising too quickly as it can cause injury and provide more setbacks than advances, but when you are ready to start, consider working with a pelvic...

This is the final part of a three part mini-series on the top five gifts to give the pregnant, postpartum, and newborn people in your life! Yes, babies don’t need gifts themselves, but their parents sure could use a helping hand! We hope you find this list useful - and remember to follow these links for special discounts! Infant First Aid and Car Seat Safety from Safe Beginnings Course: Infant/Child CPR, Choking, Car Seat Safety, and Injury Prevention Course. Learn the essential life saving...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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!

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...

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...

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...

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...

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? ...

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...

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...