During my pregnancy with George, there were a few things that I missed being able to do. I not only missed eating deli meats, but I also missed being able to sit in the hot tub. During my medical training I remembered learning that hot tubs should be avoided during pregnancy. But I didn’t know the
Breast ultrasound has many uses in the assessment of breast health. Some women wonder whether they can or should have breast ultrasound for screening instead of mammography, but mammography remains the primary screening test for breast cancer in the general population (1) as recommended by the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR). When do we recommend
I was asked a very interesting question by a patient a few years ago “Dr. Liu, I’m almost 40 weeks pregnant and I want to go into labour, if I eat lots of dates will that help kick-start labour?” I had no idea what the answer to her question was, so we looked up the
Pregnancy is an exciting time in a woman’s life, but also one that can be quite stressful. While there are already a million things on your mind, it’s important to make sure that your dental care is one of them. The fact is that many women don’t realize that poor oral hygiene can have a negative effect
If you are a nursing mother, at some point you may consider pumping your breast milk and storing it for future use. This will allow you to leave your baby in the care of others with a supply of breast milk for bottle-feeding. Whether you are manually expressing, or using a battery or electric pump, the
There are many changes that come with motherhood – body changes, sleep changes, relationship changes, identity changes, emotional changes, routine changes, & psychological changes. Having some challenges adjusting to the changes that come with pregnancy or with the arrival of a new baby is normal! But struggling significantly is a lot more common than most people realize.
What is vitamin B12? Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a vitamin that plays a crucial role in the synthesis of our genes (DNA and RNA). Vitamin B12 is very important for our body’s cells to function normally, particularly for red blood cell formation and for neurons (the cells in our nervous system). Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause serious
Low or no calorie sweeteners are common. They are present in soft drinks and many other foods to replace sugar and other high caloric sweeteners in efforts to aid in weight loss or help control diabetes. Artificial sweeteners are on every restaurant table to add to your coffee or tea as an alternative to sugar. What are
I was 30 weeks pregnant when our family travelled through New Mexico and Colorado while we were relocating from Atlanta back to Edmonton. The mountains in these states have altitudes greater than 10,000 feet (3048 metres)! During my medical training, I learned about the potential consequences of high altitudes for non-pregnant travellers. But what I didn’t know was
Many women consider intrauterine device (IUD) as a form of birth control both before having a baby, and after. This is because the IUD is very reliable, safe, and is as effective as permanent sterilization. These features make the IUD a very desirable birth control option. There are two main types of IUDs available on