Becoming a new parent is a time of wonder and delight. It can also be stressful with uncertainty in navigating pregnancy challenges, baby care and new family roles. Of course, all of us also feel the stress of living in the time of COVID-19.
Albatross Mom and Chick – Photos by Dr. Chapman
https://hopepregnancyapp.com – Sign up for this great app while pregnant to support your mental wellness now and for the first year postpartum
https://www.anxietycanada.com/
https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-health-and-covid-
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/amh/if-amh-mhpip-disaster-pandemic-covid-19-and-your-mental-health.pdf
https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/covid19
https://www.baypsychology.ca/workshops
https://www.covidhope.net/
If you have an Emergency or Urgent mental health crisis, please:
Call 911 or go to ER or Urgent Care
Access Mental Health 403-943-1500
Families Matter https://www.familiesmatter.ca/
Sunridge or Foothills Perinatal Mental Health or Mosaic Perinatal Mental Health Counsellor – you can ask your Family Doctor for a Referral
Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association https://www.ciwa-online.com/
Eastside Family Centre – provides phone and e-therapy counselling 403-299-9696 or email etherapy@woodshomes.ca
Calgary Counselling Centre https://calgarycounselling.com/
Carya https://caryacalgary.ca/our-programs/family-support/family-counselling/
Catholic Family Services https://www.cfs-ab.org/
https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/covid-19-managing-financial-health.html
There are free budgeting mentors e.g. https://www.creditcanada.com/debt-assessme
You may be eligible for financial support e.g. CERB or EI
You may be able to delay payment of your mortgage or utilities.
The benefits for the baby of having parents that can find a place of calm for a good part of the day is enormous and many people need medication in addition to counselling and self-care to help them find this. If you feel you might be helped with medications for depression or anxiety, please call your family doctor or your maternity care provider. They can have a phone or virtual visit with you about this. There are some small risks to the baby to taking anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication in pregnancy. The risk to the baby of anxiety and depression that cannot be well controlled with counselling and stress reduction measures is much larger than the risks of the medication. This stress can lead to babies not growing well, being born early, and being at risk for mental illness when they grow up,
Cannabis might seem like a good option, but it stays in breastmilk for a long time and the baby can get a large amount through breastmilk. There is growing evidence that THC harms the babies’ rapidly growing brain. Why take the risk?
If you are tempted to have drink or two, please consider the baby. No amount of alcohol in pregnancy is known to be safe and we know the more alcohol the baby is exposed to, the more permanent damage can occur to the baby’s brain. Alcohol is a depressant – i.e. makes you more depressed; so probably not the best choice now. It is also easy to slip into more abusive drinking habits during times of stress. If you or your loved ones are concerned about your drug or alcohol use, there are lots of supports in Calgary.
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/service.aspx?id=1060378
www.calgaryaddiction.com
https://aventa.org/
Unfortunately, violence can increase during times of stress. If you or your partner are having trouble controlling your anger or are unhealthily trying to control each other, reach out for help. Have an escape plan with ID and a credit card at a friend’s place. You can call the Emergency Shelters https://acws.ca/shelters and most of the counselling centers listed above can help. There is also:
Province Abuse Line https://www.alberta.ca/abuse-helpline.aspx 1-855-4435722
Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse https://calgarycasa.com/
When breastfeeding is going well, the close connection with baby and the calming oxytocin hormone can help us feel increased calm. Mindful bottle-feeding can also be a lovely calming way to connect with your baby. Really pay attention to how the baby is feeding. Give them little pauses to catch their breath and smile at you.
Infant feeding challenges can be stressful. There is support for any feeding challenges through your Public Health Nurse or the physician Infant feeding clinics, eg Well Fed at Sunridge, Riley Park Breastfeeding clinic, or NEST in Airdrie, They can usually help you either find a solution for your feeding problems or adjust your goals so that your baby is well fed and the process is enjoyable and not stressful for both of you. Maximizing mother’s milk supply is a great goal in these uncertain times. We can also usually help you with this. If you need support with infant feeding, please reach out. The doctors at these clinics are available for virtual, phone, and careful face to face visits.
Based on current evidence, COVID-19 is not transmitted through breastmilk. Giving your baby any breastmilk helps to support their immune system, so keep breastfeeding and, if you are considering weaning, perhaps delay this until the health emergency is over. Make sure to wash your hands and keep pump parts and bottles sterile and clean.
It is still recommended to feed your baby breastmilk even if you contract COVID-19, you could either wear a mask while breastfeeding and wash your chest prior to breastfeeding or pump and have someone else feed your baby with a bottle of your milk. Frequent skin to skin contact between baby and mother is very important for bonding and establishing breastmilk. Many women are choosing to stop work and self-isolate from thirty-four weeks and have all family members decontaminate themselves upon entry to the house to minimize the risk of contracting COVID-19 just prior to birth. This also helps protect our healthcare workers from exposure.
If you have an abundant supply, please consider donating to Northern Star Milk Bank: http://www.northernstarmilkbank.ca/. Our fragile preterm babies need this precious resource and supplies are low.
Some good websites about infant feeding are:
https://www.healthyparentshealthychildren.ca/
https://globalhealthmedia.org/
The best thing we can all do to minimize the spread of COVID-19 is to take a self-sabbatical – in other words, physical distancing, lots of hand washing, wearing a mask when going out and trying not to touch your face.