Blog & Updates on Vancouver Prenatal Classes

Pregnancy Dreams
pregnancy Stephanie Ondrack pregnancy Stephanie Ondrack

Pregnancy Dreams

Are you having crazy dreams during your pregnancy? You’re not alone. Pregnancy affects our whole body, all our systems, floods us with new hormones, and even changes our senses. Is it any wonder it also affects our minds?

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COLOSTRUM HARVESTING: Eight Things to Consider

COLOSTRUM HARVESTING: Eight Things to Consider

But while helpful for some people, colostrum harvesting during pregnancy is not necessarily a good idea for everyone. 

Why shouldn’t everyone harvest their colostrum?

Read our latest blog for 8 things to consider when you are thinking about whether or not to try antenatal colostrum extraction.

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Giving Birth in Vancouver BC

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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OEDEMA

OEDEMA

Oedema (or edema) is swelling that can occur in your extremities during pregnancy, most often in the ankles. Some people just get mildly swollen ankles, and some people get extremely puffy ankles and feet, sometimes even calves and knees, so that shoes, or even socks or pants, don’t fit. Oedema can also occur in the fingers, hands, wrists, and face. Often it gets worse towards the end of pregnancy, and some people experience it in all these places at once.

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Weighing In on Pregnancy Weight Gain

Weighing In on Pregnancy Weight Gain

How much weight should you gain when you’re pregnant?

While a cursory glance at the internet may appear to provide a consistent answer, a deeper search risks poking a hornet’s nest of dissonant opinions. There are many ways of thinking about this question. And they fly in wildly different directions.

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Placenta Trivia

Placenta Trivia

When you are pregnant, you not only grow a baby, you also grow a placenta! 

Even though the placenta has been sometimes characterised as a waste-organ, an icky footnote, or unmentionable by-product of birth (the “after birth”), it is actually an important, unique, and fascinating organ. 

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Pregnancy Nutrition – Easy Eating for a Healthy Infant

Pregnancy Nutrition – Easy Eating for a Healthy Infant

Congratulations! You’re pregnant and looking for ways to nourish yourself and your growing baby. Maternal nutrition is extremely important as nutrients are passed from the mom to the baby, therefor; moms must have an adequate supply for the health of her fetus. The best and easiest way for mom to ensure she is receiving adequate nutrition is through a varied diet consisting of whole foods including: Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean animal protein and/or dried beans, and plenty of fresh, clean water. My general rule is if it comes from the ground, eat it; if it comes in a box, read the ingredients carefully.

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