BREAST FEEDING
This thick, yellowish "first milk" produced in the first few days after birth is packed with protein and antibodies.
What is colostrum?
To prevent neural tube defects, it is recommended to take a daily prenatal vitamin containing this specific B vitamin.
What is Folic Acid?
For the best protection of their head, neck, and spine, infants must always ride in a seat that faces this direction.
What is rear-facing?
These harmless, irregular "practice" contractions can start occurring months before real labour begins.
What are Braxton Hicks contractions?
Characterized by mild mood swings, crying spells, and anxiety, this common condition affects up to 80% of new mothers and typically resolves on its own within two weeks of giving birth.
What are the baby blues?
Triggered by the infant's sucking, this temporary reflex causes milk to flow out of the alveoli into the milk ducts.
What is the let-down reflex (or milk-ejection reflex)?
Found in lean meats, beans, and spinach, this essential mineral is vital for producing the extra hemoglobin a pregnant body needs to supply oxygen to the fetus.
What is iron?
The chest clip on the car seat harness should always be positioned level with this part of the baby's body.
What is the armpits?
Often kept in a hospital bag, this customizable written document outlines a parent's preferences for pain management, environment, and immediate newborn care to help them feel empowered and in control.
What is a birth plan?
Designed by maternal mental health experts, this preventative tool is a written arrangement created before birth where partners and loved ones detail exactly who will handle specific chores, night shifts, and cooking to prevent parent burnout.
What is a postpartum support plan?
Released by the pituitary gland, this hormone is primary responsible for the actual production of breast milk.
What is prolactin?
Pregnant individuals are advised to avoid deli meats and soft unpasteurized cheeses due to the risk of this harmful bacteria.
What is Listeria?
Due to potential hidden damage or degraded materials, safety experts strongly recommend against buying or using these types of car seats.
What are used or secondhand car seats?
This thick, clear plug of mucus seals the cervix during pregnancy to block bacteria and is often discharged just before or during early labour.
What is the mucus plug?
From the Greek for "servant," this trained professional provides vital non-medical emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother after childbirth.
What is a postpartum doula?
Breast milk is dynamic; it contains this specific type of living white blood cell that helps the baby fight off infections.
What are leukocytes?
Eating smaller, more frequent meals and avoiding lying down immediately after eating can help manage this common, burning chest discomfort caused by pregnancy hormones relaxing the stomach valve.
What is heartburn / acid reflux?
Because they prevent the harness straps from getting tight enough against the child's body, these bulky winter items should always be removed before buckling a child into their car seat.
What are winter coats / snowsuits?
This hormone, naturally produced by your body (or given synthetically as Pitocin), is responsible for causing uterine contractions.
What is oxytocin?
Triggered by physical affection and breastfeeding, this chemical compound is affectionately nicknamed the "love hormone" for its role in maternal-infant bonding.
What is oxytocin?
These small, bumpy glands on the areola secrete a lubricating fluid to protect the nipple during nursing.
What are Montgomery glands?
To support the massive increase in maternal blood volume, a pregnant person's daily intake requirement for this fluid jumps to roughly 10 cups (2.4 litres) per day.
What is water?
Safety experts state a car seat must always be replaced immediately after experiencing one of these automotive events.
What is a car crash / accident?
This specialized physiological strategy involves a laboring person resting or waiting during the second stage of labor until they feel a natural, involuntary urge to push, conserving vital energy.
What is laboring down?
A sharp and rapid drop in these two specific primary reproductive hormones immediately after childbirth is believed to contribute significantly to postpartum mood changes.
What are estrogen and progesterone?