Ottawa Prenatal & Postpartum Guide

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Publication Date | March 9th, 2022

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Resources, Support Groups, & Helplines

Programs

  • Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program –  A free weekly program for pregnant individuals facing challenges such as financial concerns or recent arrival to Canada. You can find a community program closest to you.
  • Healthiest Babies Possible –  One-on-one nutrition counselling in Toronto that also provides interpretation services and food certificates.

Resources

Pregnancy

  • Pregnancy calendar – A week by week calendar that allows you to follow your baby’s development.
  • Your local public health unit – Public health units have programs for pregnant women. Contact your local program for more information.

Breastfeeding

Postpartum Care

  • Postpartum Information – Information about post-partum, including breastfeeding & social services from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
  • Vaccines & Immunization – Immunization is the safest way to protect your child from vaccine-preventable diseases. View for more information from the government of Canada.
  • Contraception Methods Guide – Explains the different methods of contraception that are available
  • Caring for Kids – Information from the Canadian Pediatrics Society on attachment & bonding

Websites

Helplines

  • Assaulted Women’s Helpline (GTA): 416-863-0511
        • Provides 24/7 crisis counselling and referrals to shelters, legal advice, and other help. Support is available in over 200 different languages, including 17 Indigenous languages 
  • Talk4Healing: Toll-free 1-855-553-4325
        • Provides 24/7 culturally sensitive crisis counselling, advice, and support for Indigenous women & their families living in urban, rural and remote communities, both on and off-reserves. Support is available in English, Ojibway, Oji-Cree & Cree
  • Emergency Shelters: 211 or toll-free 1-877-330-3213
        • Provide security for women and their children fleeing violence and abuse 
  • Ontario 211 Helpline: 211 or toll-free 1-877-330-3213
        • Provides 24/7 assistance in getting connected to community, social, health-related and government services in your local area
  • Fem’aide: toll-free 1-877-336-2433
        • Provides 24/7 crisis counselling and referral services for Francophone & French-speaking women

Public Health Insurance

Canadian Passports

  • Passport fees – This page outlines how to pay for your passport fees.
  • Canadian passport – This page provides information about applying for an Adult Canadian passport.
  • Child Canadian passport – This page provides information about applying for Canadian passports for Children.

Cultural, Religious, & Community Groups

Midwifery 

  • Midwifery handout – Explains what services are covered while clients are in midwifery care, and what they will still have to pay out of pocket for (e.g. hospital stays).
  • How do I find a midwife? – Information on how to find a midwife in Ontario. From Settlement.Org.
  • Midwifery in Ontario – Information about midwives and services provided by midwives in Ontario. From the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Social Work 

General 

Crisis Lines

  • The Mental Health Helpline: 1-866-268-1154
  • Ontario Telehealth: 1-866-797-0007
        • Crisis line open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Call for health information from a Registered Nurse. 
  • Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566
        • Crisis line open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Call for suicide prevention support.
  • Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 
        • General: 416-408-4357
        • GTA: 416-408-4357
        • Peel: 905-459-7777
  • Gerstein Crisis Centre: 416-929-5200 
        • Available 4 hours a day 7 days a week

Women’s Resources (Referral Needed)

  • Mount Sinai Hospital — Perinatal Mental Health Program
        • 700 University Ave., 3rd floor, Toronto, ON 
        • 416-586-4800 ext 8325; 416-586-4800 ext. 8630 (for questions about the telemedicine program) 
        • Services: consultation, assessment, ongoing patient care (in clinic or virtually) 
        • Eligibility: women 18+ who are planning on having a baby, are pregnant, or have a baby and are at risk of developing mental health challenges/are experiencing anxiety or depression. 
        • Referrals: fax to 416-586-8596 (fill out perinatal referral form on their website)
  • Sunnybrook Hospital — Women’s Mood & Anxiety Clinic: Reproductive Transitions 
        • 2075 Bayview Ave., Toronto, ON 
        • 416-480-5677; fax: 416-480-7842
        • Services: assessment, treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, education to family members, short-term group and individual therapy
        • Eligibility: women experiencing mood issues across lifespan, including during pregnancy and postpartum 
        • Referrals: fax online referral form 
  • Women’s College Hospital — Reproductive Life Stages Program
        • 76 Grenville St., 7th floor, Toronto, ON 
        • 416-323-6230 
        • Services: education, psychotherapy, medication, along with a multidisciplinary team approach to helping depression and anxiety prenatally and postpartum. 
        • Referral: from GP or midwife. Fax to 416-323-6356 

Women’s Resources (No Referral Needed)

  • Women’s Health in Women’s Hands
        • 2 Carlton St., suite 500, Toronto, ON
        • 416-593-7655 
        • Services: classes to help prepare women for the birth of their children. Education on healthy birthing, labour and delivery, exercise, nutrition, breastfeeding etc. 
        • Eligibility: racialized women, 16+, from African, Black, Caribbean, Latin American and South American communities 
  • Healthy Babies Healthy Children 
        • Services: weekly postpartum group or phone check in through Toronto Public Health nurses 
        • Eligibility: women who have recently given birth or have adopted a child and are experiencing episodes of postpartum adjustment 
        • No OHIP card needed, service is free and voluntary 
        • Referral: can self-refer by calling Toronto Public Health at 416-338-7600 or by using e-chat via their website
  • Parkdale Community Health Centre — Postpartum Mood Disorders Group
        • 1229 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON 
        • 416-537-8222 ext 3303 
        • Services: Women’s Connection Program offers weekly maternal support on Tuesdays from 2-4pm; Prenatal Women’s Support Group on Thursdays from 10-11:30am or 1:30-3pm. Get support and information from nurses, dieticians, settlement workers, and counsellors, as well as snacks and a bag of groceries. Child care is provided.
        • Eligibility: open to birthing, non-birthing and adoptive mothers and their partners/families. 
        • Referrals: self-referral; call 416-537-8222 and speak to Grazyna at ext. 3303 or Isabel at ext. 3305
  • East Toronto Postpartum Adjustment Program 
        • 955 Queen St. E. Toronto, ON — 416-469-7608
        • Services: Weekly postpartum group/phone check in from Toronto Public Health nurses.
        • Eligibility: Women who have recently given birth and are experiencing mental health challenges. It is a self-referral program.

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Authors | Claire Dong, Dilini Kekulawala, Brintha Sivajohan

              | Liz Dayo, Kimya Manouchehri, Avika Misra, Hannah Roberts, Vaishvi Patel (Reproductive Health)

              | Ishita Aggarwal, Carly Alfano, Balsam Arwini (Sexual Health)

References

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  10. Hudak, K., Gonzalez-Nahm, S., Liu, T., & Benjamin-Neelon, S. (2020b). Food security and diet quality in postpartum women. Current Developments in Nutrition, 4(Supplement_2), 1007-1007. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzaa054_079
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  15. Office on Women’s Health. (2016). Pregnancy. Retrieved Feb 18, 2021, from https://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy
  16. US Preventive Services Task Force, Bibbins-Domingo, K., Grossman, D. C., Curry, S. J., Davidson, K. W., Epling, J. W., … Tseng, C.-W. (2017). Folic acid supplementation for the prevention of neural tube defects: US preventive services task force recommendation statement. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 317(2), 183–189. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.19438
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