Blog & Updates on Vancouver Prenatal Classes

Giving Birth in Vancouver BC
Birth, pregnancy, vancouver bc, midwives, informed choice, prenatal Stephanie Ondrack Birth, pregnancy, vancouver bc, midwives, informed choice, prenatal Stephanie Ondrack

Giving Birth in Vancouver BC

While birth itself could be described as universal, standard practices around birth are very local. What we can expect varies significantly from place to place. Which means that much  of the information we get on the internet, or in books, might not reflect common practices in regionally. This can cause confusion around what to expect in our own area. So let’s focus on this location: Vancouver BC and the surrounding lower mainland.

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The So-Called Due Date
Birth, prenatal, informed choice, due date, myths, What's normal Stephanie Ondrack Birth, prenatal, informed choice, due date, myths, What's normal Stephanie Ondrack

The So-Called Due Date

If there is one date that your baby is unlikely to arrive, it is on your so-called due date. Approximately 96% of people do not give birth on that date. Odds are, neither will you.

So when do people typically give birth? Where does the putative “due date” come from, and why do we even call it that?

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Location, Location, Location: Choosing Baby’s Place of Birth
Birth, Birth Stories, labour, Pregnancy, oxytocin, informed choice, birth culture Guest Birth, Birth Stories, labour, Pregnancy, oxytocin, informed choice, birth culture Guest

Location, Location, Location: Choosing Baby’s Place of Birth

“Have you considered having a home birth?” My midwife had asked me in one of our first appointments. I promptly responded no, but the question spurred a few thoughts: “I’m a nurse. How could I even consider that?” “That can’t be safe.”

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Editorial: The High Caesarean Rate
medical interventions, informed choice, vancouver bc, Birth, belly birth, caesarean, birth culture Stephanie Ondrack medical interventions, informed choice, vancouver bc, Birth, belly birth, caesarean, birth culture Stephanie Ondrack

Editorial: The High Caesarean Rate

The World Health Organization states that the Caesarean rate should ideally hover around 10%. Anything lower means parents and babies who might benefit from Caesarean births are not getting enough access, and anything higher means too many surgeries are being performed without any improvement in maternal or newborn outcomes.

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