You are now pregnant and all of a sudden there is so much to read, so much to do and so much that you think you should know. You are determined to do it “right”. You want to make sure that you are eating right, exercising right, choose the right care giver, taking the right vitamins, seeing the right health care professionals to best help you through your pregnancy. And that is just the beginning what about having the baby? You want to have the best support for your birth; you want to have the best classes to prepare you for birth. What else is there you should know? Are you missing anything? Should you take an extra class about breastfeeding? You hear it is hard to do. Is there a class to prepare you to be a parent? Should you take this before you even become one? How hard is it? Of course there is after the baby is born too, don’t forget that. The breastfeeding, how will you feel supported and educated with this? What if you need extra help? Support groups seem like a good idea. You heard somewhere that it is helpful to connect with other new parents. Where do find those? Where do you start with a list that is so large and how do you fit all you want to fit in to such a short amount of time?
Luckily Calgary is a wonderful place to have a baby. There are so many resources and professionals that focus primarily on the care of the new expectant family. As you make decisions as to what you want for your pregnancy, birth and beyond you will know better which services and resources to seek for. It can all be a little overwhelming and time consuming trying to make your lists and find your “team”. However there are great resource list in many different locations, this magazine is a great start. There are even companies in Calgary that offer a majority of the services that you need all under one roof. They are committed to collaborating with other groups and companies that offer complimentary services to enhance your experience and provide you with a full range of resources. By doing this they do the work for you, no more list making and hours of internet searches. All you have to do is ask and they provide the rest.
As you start your journey remember that there are such good resources just for you, to help you make your experience everything you want it to be. Make sure those you find will help give you the tools to find your own strength and support your successful journey.
Sharon Loose
Director – Calgary Birth Essentials
