Pregnancy

• Learn more about immunization and pregnancy.
• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, vaping, second hand smoke, recreational drugs and substances. Learn more about substance use in pregnancy.
• Did you know that the use of cannabis may be harmful to your baby?
• Eat a balanced diet of healthy foods.
• Take care of your teeth & gums and see your dentist for a check up.
• Be physically active.
• Learn about pelvic health in pregnancy and postpartum
• Safety for the Perinatal Population During Extreme Heat
• Understand the emotional changes during pregnancy
• Have a good support system
• Postpartum Support Guide - Preparing to welcome your baby into the world
• Learn about the prenatal services available to you in your community
• Choose a health-care provider that you trust and can talk to. If you live in British Columbia and need a family doctor or nurse practitioner, register for the Health Connect Registry. You can also visit Urgent and Primary Care Centres (UPCCs) in some regions if you do not have a family health-care provider.

Thinking about your feeding options is an important part of getting ready for your baby. Your health-care team will support you with up-to-date information about feeding your baby. It is your choice to decide what is best for you and your baby. 

• Feeding your baby 
• Prenatal Hand Expression
• Newborn Feeding Information
• Deciding how to feed your baby 
   

Throughout your pregnancy, your health-care professional will recommend specific tests and procedures to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

• Urine test, blood pressure and weight checks

• Blood tests

• Ultrasounds

• Prenatal genetic screening

• Glucose screening

• Group B streptococcus

Having more than one baby may be scary, but it does not have to be. There are some simple things you can do to keep you and your babies healthy:

• The best thing you can do is take care of yourself. The healthier you are, the healthier your babies will be.
• Woman with a multiple pregnancy might be scheduled for more frequent appointments with their obstetrician/ gynecologist. Learn more about multiple pregnancy.

After your babies are born, you may feel overwhelmed and tired. You may wonder how you're going to do it all. This is normal. Most new moms feel this way at one time or another. The first days, weeks, and months are often the most difficult for parents of multiples, as everyone learns to get used to the frequent feedings, lack of sleep, and little personal time involved in parenting multiples. Learn more about breastfeeding twins and supports you may need.

Here are some things you can do to ease the stress:

• Ask your family and friends for help
• Rest as often as you can
• Join a support group for moms with multiples. This is a great place to share your concerns and hear how other moms cope with the demands of raising multiples.
• If you feel sad or depressed for more than 2 weeks, call your health-care provider

If you think you may be pregnant, you may feel happy, sad, worried, or just confused. You are not alone. Every year many women in B.C. experience unplanned pregnancies.

If you are pregnant and not sure if this is the right time to have a baby, learn what your options are.

Sadly, sometimes pregnancy ends in a loss. It is normal to feel confused and unsure of yourself for many days, weeks and months after the loss of your baby. You need care and understanding from everybody around you.

To get support, it might help to talk about your feelings with trusted friends and family members. Support from others can be helpful as you cope with your loss. If you do not feel those around you can give you the support you need, you may wish to find someone less affected by your loss. You could contact a support group, a professional counsellor, your family doctor or midwife, or a public health nurse who can help you.

For more information:

• Healthlink BC: Miscarriage
• Pregnancy Loss
• Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support

Looking to the future

In the future, you might want to get pregnant again. You may have unresolved feelings and fears of losing the pregnancy again. This is normal.

Future pregnancies may be emotionally difficult. If you allow yourself time to grieve your loss now, you might find your worries easier to cope with during your next pregnancy. If you have any questions, contact your doctor or midwife.

In B.C., a doctor or a midwife can provide health care for you during your pregnancy, birth and afterwards.

You may also want to have a doula on your health care team. Doulas work closely with doctors and midwives to provide support to families.

Midwives

Midwives are licensed health care professionals who are trained to deliver babies and provide medical care from early pregnancy, through labour and birth, until about six weeks after your baby is born.

Midwives are funded as part of the B.C. health care system, much like a family doctor.

Services provided by midwives include:

• Support during pregnancy, labour and birth, whether normal or complicated

• Delivery of babies (hospital or home birth)

• Ordering and interpreting tests and discussing results

• Provide screening for health issues

• Home visits after the baby is born

• Help with breastfeeding and adjusting to life with a new baby

For more information on midwives and to find a registered midwife near you, visit the Midwives Association of BC’s website.

Doulas

A doula is someone who provides physical and emotional support to women and their families before, during and after childbirth. Doulas work as a part of a health care team, with a midwife or doctor and nurse. Doulas do not perform clinical or medical care and are not trained to deliver babies. Doulas are not licensed health care professionals and are not funded as part of the health care system; services are paid for by the mother/family.

Doulas:

• Provide support, comfort and education for families

• Work with your health care team to help create a positive birth experience at home or in the hospital

• Help with newborn care, family adjustment; may include meal preparation, and light household chores

• Provide information on feeding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth, soothing, and coping skills for new parents

• Provide appropriate referrals when necessary

For more information on doulas and to find a doula near you, visit the Doula Services Association of BC’s website.

The Doulas for Aboriginal Families Grant Program (DAFGP) provides grants to increase access to full spectrum doula services for Indigenous families residing in BC (on and off reserve).

• HealthLink BC Pregnancy and Parenting: Planning for a pregnancy, care during pregnancy, labour, birth, as well as postpartum baby and toddler care
• Getting Your Pregnancy Passport | HealthLink BC
• Baby's Best Chance | HealthLink BC: A reference guide to help new parents from pregnancy, through birth, and in the parenting of a baby up to six months of age. Available in five languages. 
• Perinatal Services BC: Pregnancy Information about prenatal genetic screening and emotional health resources. 
• HealthLink BC: Provides reliable non-emergency health information and advice in British Columbia. Information and advice is available by telephone, our website, a mobile app and a collection of print resources. Also provides resources on pregnancy and childbirth. 
• 8-1-1 | HealthLink BC is a free-of-charge Provincial health information and advice phone line available in British Columbia. You can speak to a health service navigator, who can help you find health information and services; or connect you directly with a registered nurse, a registered dietitian, a qualified exercise professional, or a pharmacist.
• The Healthy Pregnancy Guide: In this guide, you will find important facts and questions related to a healthy pregnancy
• BC Association of Pregnancy Outreach Programs
• Immunize BC: Vaccines are an important part of a healthy pregnancy. They help protect you and your baby against serious diseases.
• Family Resource Programs of British Columbia
• StrongStartBC: Participate with your young child (aged birth to five) in play-based early learning activities including stories, music, and art. At no cost to families, this early learning drop-in program helps prepare children for success in Kindergarten.
• Service Canada: Information on after your baby’s birth, maternity and parental leave, registering your baby’s birth and more.

Check out the following resources to have a healthy pregnancy and to prepare in traditional ways for welcoming a baby into the world.

• First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) Maternal and Child Health Program
• Perinatal Services BC (PSBC) Indigenous Resources
• Canada’s Food Guide
• Find the APN closest to you