Maternal Health Resources

Healthy Pregnancy: Government of Canada

Use these food safety and healthy eating tips during pregnancy. Also get the facts on vitamins and minerals, dealing with depression and maintaining oral health.

Click Here: StatsCan report on Maternal Mental Health in Canada

Preventing and Reducing Risk of Suicide: A Framework for Nova Scotia January 2020

Life with a baby: Postpartum and Mood Disorders Resources

A round-up of Postpartum Depression & Anxiety related resources.

Postpartum Depression: CMHA National

Pregnancy: Dietitians of Canada

Eating a healthy diet while you are pregnant will help you and your baby get important nutrients. Staying active will also help you to feel your best. For more information, check out the resources on the site.

Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator: Health Canada

The Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator will help you determine the recommended weight gain that will promote a healthy pregnancy.

Prenatal Nutrition Guidelines: Government of Canada

A woman’s nutritional and overall health, before and during pregnancy, influences the health of her developing baby. Eating well, combined with taking a daily multivitamin, can give a woman the nutrients she needs to feel good, have energy, and support a healthy pregnancy.

• Key Recommendations for Women
• Prenatal Nutrition Guidelines for Health Professionals
• Background on Canada’s Food Guide
• Additional Resources
• Related Resources
  • For Health Professionals
  • For Pregnant Women

Screening for Postpartum (Perinatal) Depression

• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
• Postpartum Progress: New Mom Checklist for Maternal Mental Health Help
• Message from Dr. Tanya Tulipan- IWK Health Centre Reproductive Mental Health

Trauma and PTSD

Georgetown Nursing Supporting Women Recovering From

Pregnancy and Infant Loss

Websites with resources and information

• http://www.october15.ca/  (BC)
• https://www.ontarioprenataleducation.ca/infant-loss/ (ON)
• https://pailnetwork.sunnybrook.ca/resources-for-families/(ON PaIL network)

News Articles

• Candlelighting ceremony honours grief of pregnancy, infant loss that ‘never goes away’
• I am not overprotective—I am a mom who lost a child
• Province creates Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

Peer Reviewed Articles on Grief and Perinatal Loss

• Complicated grief after perinatal loss
• Previous prenatal loss as a predictor of perinatal depression and anxiety

Websites

Websites for Women & Partners

• The Smiling Mask: Tuths About Postpartum and Depression 
• Anxiety BC for Mothers
• BC Reproductive Mental Health
• Best Start (Ontario)
• Government of Canada PHAC – Health Promotion – Depression in Pregnancy
• Heretohelp: Mental Health and Substance Use Information You Can Trust
• Maternal Mental Health Alliance: Awareness Education Action
• Motherisk – The Hospital For Sick Children
• Pacific Post Partum Support Society
• Postpartum Progress
• Postpartum Support International
  
• Perinatal Mood Disorder Awareness (PMDA)
• Perinatal Services BC
• Post and Antenatal Depression Association (Australia)
• Postpartum Support International
• Reproductive Mental Health | Supporting BC women’s mental health before, during and after pregnancy
• 2012_SupportingPregnantandParentingWomenWhoUseSubstances
• IWK Health Centre- Reproductive Mental Health
• STRONG WOMEN, STRONG NATION: Aboriginal Maternal Health in British Columbia. (article)
• Addressing Perinatal Depression A Framework for BC’s Health Authorities
• Understanding and Improving Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health in Canada
• Depression and Mental Health in Pregnant Aboriginal Women – Key results and recommendations from the Voices and PHACES study (2015)
• National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month Toolkit

Websites for New Fathers

• New Dad Manual (24-hour cribside assistance for new fathers)
• Postpartum Men (for new fathers with concerns about depression, anxiety or other problems with mood; includes an on-line forum).
• Postpartum Dads (guidance for partners and families supporting a woman through postpartum depression)
• Understanding Male Menopause and Mental Health
• The “Male Menopause”

Addiction and Pregnancy: A Guide for Mothers 

Pregnancy should be an exciting and empowering time in a woman’s life. Unfortunately, addiction and mental health problems can compromise a woman’s safety and well-being.

We have published an educational guide about pregnancy, substance abuse, and co-occurring mental health disorders, please feel free to review it.