All in Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a time of transition. With each passing week, your body works hard behind the scenes to accommodate your growing baby or babies. It may feel difficult or overwhelming to figure out what you can do to support this process. As a physiotherapist with a special interest in pelvic health, I am passionate about providing people with tools during and after pregnancy to feel their best physically and emotionally.
We’re a risk averse culture.
The Oxford dictionary defines risk averse as "not willing to do something if it is possible that something bad could happen as a result". I mean *waves vaguely at the universe* that would include everything, really.
Many of us make decisions in this way - we consider the worst possible outcome and try to make choices to avoid that outcome. Which makes sense.
But it also traps us in a hyper-vigilant, fear-full place, expending all of our energy trying to maintain the illusion of control, dodging potential unwanted outcomes, and never working towards or considering those things we do want. Frankly, it’s exhausting.
Pregnancy after previous loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss) is a complex time. For the pregnant person it is a time of joy but it can also be filled with intense fear, anxiety, worry, and isolation. It is a time where the external world meets your pregnancy in celebration but doesn’t always make space to hold the other emotions that come along with it. Society’s lack of acknowledgement can make you feel like you are alone, that maybe something is wrong with you for not being 100% excited, joyful, or connected to your pregnancy.
I have had two sugar babies. "Sugar babies" is a term used online by expectant parents who are pregnant with, or have given birth to, babies when they have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
In this post we will explore how gestational diabetes is diagnosed, options for management, options for your birth, and resources to learn more.
Congratulations! You're going to have a baby. That's awesome. And probably, on some level, completely terrifying. You're probably already thinking about the million things you need to get done in the next nine(ish) months.
Breathe. You've got this. I promise.
Our maternity care system can be convoluted. Do you see your family doctor, a midwife, an OB/GYN? And when? What tests and procedures are usually recommended? What choices are available to you?
We wanted to simplify the process for you and have created these two handouts for you to print and use as needed.
