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Does Eating Dates Induce Spontaneous Labor?

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

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How to Store Breast Milk for a Healthy Term Infant?

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

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Guest Post: Learn More About Perinatal Mental Health

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.

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Why Do We Need Vitamin B12?

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

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Is Travelling to High Altitudes Safe in Pregnancy?

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

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Is it safe to drink alcohol while breastfeeding?

Stephanie Liu, University of Alberta; Erin Manchuk, University of Alberta, and Shannon Ruzycki, University of Calgary Is it safe to drink alcohol and breastfeed? As physicians, we have always cautioned patients not to. As mothers, we look forward to the occasional glass of wine. We also know that drinking while breastfeeding remains a controversial and

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The health benefits of coffee.

When I was going through my undergraduate training – I would have 3 cups of coffee per day. My mom and my relatives kept telling me to cut back on my caffeine consumption, but never really told me why. “Its not good for you!” they would say, but what does the evidence say? What are

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