Having a Baby in Toronto

Having a baby is never a small feat. Having a baby in Toronto, however, is arguably even harder. In this city of limitless options, every decision has so many dimensions that young parents-to-be can easily get lost.

When you look at all the aspects of bringing a child into the world, the action of giving birth is but an ephemeral moment of joy in a sea of preparation and planning. It all begins well before conception, and ends perhaps only when your kids move out to live a life of their own.

So what should a young mom know when she is planning or expecting a child?

Preparing to have a baby

Learn as much as possible and prepare even more during your first few months of pregnancy.

If you start feeling overwhelmed by all the information and advice out there, pick a single reputable source and filter out everything and everybody else. Your source will likely be a person with experience and education in the field of pregnancy, whether it is your doctor or a pregnancy advisor.

Pick a doctor

If you've not already picked a doctor in Toronto, try visiting your neighbourhood walk-in clinic or your GP and ask for help with this matter. In either case, pick a place that is near your home, so that you don’t have to travel far in the last months when the frequency of regular check-ups increases.

If you are confident enough to attempt a home birth, visit The Association of Ontario Midwives to learn all about it and secure a trained midwife to assist you. Find a doula to help you and support you emotionally during your pregnancy. You can learn more about doulas in the Durham region and the GTA at Choices Childbirth Education and Doula Services.

Join a pre-natal class

A fun way to learn about birth is to take pre-natal classes. Partners are encouraged to attend these classes together, so that they can both take active part in labour, delivery, and caring for baby. There are so many different types of classes offered that you just have to search for the term “Toronto pre-natal classes” on the Internet and make your choice.

Some hospitals even offer these classes alongside tours of the their birthing rooms and explanations of the technicalities of delivery. As an example, Toronto East General Hospital is known as a very ‘baby-friendly’ institution; their pre-natal classes come in a handy package at about $220 and include four post-natal classes and even a birthing kit.

Indulge

During the first two trimesters, the female body is still very flexible and you have enough energy to move around. Take advantage of this time to do all those things that you won't be able to later in your pregnancy.

• Hop into the shops and buy some "pregnant-wear” for your growing shape.
• Satisfy your other senses by doing some gentle yoga.
• Peruse Craigslist.com and see whether you can purchase or trade a stroller, a crib, or unicorn wallpaper.
• Relax with a day at the spa. A manicure is nice enough as it is, but a pedicure when you can barely see your toes is invaluable. Also, almost any pain or ache can be helped by a massage or two.
• Travel. Past your sixth month, airlines may not take you on-board, and your doctor may not let you either. And after the baby’s here, it will be impossible for you to travel anywhere far for quite a while.

Getting ready for giving birth

Planning the birth is fun, but it is also a responsibility. You will have learned in the pre-natal classes that there are many options, ranging from a home birth  to any number of surgical practices.

Make a birth plan for yourself that will be your ideal birth and share it with both your loved ones and your medical team. You may change your plan according to the changing circumstances, but having a written point of reference is always very helpful. Birthplan.com offers free interactive birth planning tools and guides.

Fortunately for you, Toronto hospitals’ maternity wards have state-of-the-art conditions for delivering your baby, and 24-hour hotlines that you can use at any point in your pregnancy. What is more, most of the standard care is covered by OHIP. While the standard birthing room provides wonderful comfort and privacy, the standard recovery room means a shared ward with three other families.

If you think you might want privacy after birth,  try to secure a private or semi-private room. This might be covered by additional coverage (from work or private); otherwise, it comes up to about $300 a day.

Visit BabyCenter.com for a comprehensive list of things to pack and prepare for you and your baby’s hospital stay.

After delivering your  baby

It seems that not only your family, but also our government is pleased at the arrival of its new citizen. And that’s why it will supply you with ample information materials and perform various administrative actions to recognize your baby as a brand new person.

On your part, you will need to register your baby in Ontario. Luckily, this is a convenient one-step process that should only take a few minutes. Do not put this off because a registered baby may qualify for various child benefits.

If your family is out of town and your partner is at work, you may find yourself in need for help. If this happens, know that there are several places you can turn to. Toronto Public Health is one such place where you can talk with a nurse, and even request that someone come help you care for your newborn.

There is also the Healthy Babies, Healthy Children program that provides free consultation for mothers of kids under six years of age.

When you are ready to play and socialise with your baby, consider visiting one (or more) of the parent/child drop-in centres in Toronto. Many of them are free and require no appointment. You can meet other caregivers, exchange clothes and ideas, and — most importantly — spend exciting quality time with your little one. Three such drop-in centres are operated by East End Children’s Centre. You could also visit the Ontario Early Years Centres, or any of the countless other centres out there.

Parenting Resources

If you thought learning about and understanding pregnancy was challenging, wait until you have to understand a brand new human being. You will surely run into many confusing situations and will face plenty of child-related decisions. Let us list a few hints and resources that might help you out at this stage.

• If your baby does not want to sleep, give the Ferber Method a try. In fact, both Babycenter.com and Babycenter.ca host many useful articles and pieces of advice for young moms.


• If you want to discuss more specific issues “face-to-face” with other parents, try the message boards at CanadianParents.com. South Riverdale Community Health Centre also organises meetings for mothers who have recently given birth, where they can discuss their post-partum experiences and find support with other women in their situation.


• Call Mother Risk at (416) 813-6780 and ask the experts about any aspect of your diet, the health impact of various medications, or the overall progress of your pregnancy. Telehealth Ontario is always there for you, but their response times (call back) may be longer due to the volume of calls they receive.


• Keep an eye on your child’s speech development with the help of the Toronto Preschool Speech and Language Services organization.


• The Breastfeeding Centre for Families at Toronto East General Hospital is the only place in Toronto where you can drop in any time to learn more about and practice breastfeeding. There are other similar places, but they usually require an appointment. La Leche League Canada organizes monthly meetings and continuous support for breastfeeding mothers. A good online resource is also the International Lactation Consultant Association.

Better yet, check out the ultimate reference publication for anybody dealing with motherhood and children from the Canadian Medical Association (published by Dorling Kindersley Ltd.) called “Complete Book of Mother and Baby Care.” Another very useful resource online is Caring for Kids by the Canadian Paediatric Society.