Being a new mom or a mom with small kids can come with a little (or a lot!) of anxiety. You are responsible for a very vulnerable person and much of what you are going through will be new. My colleague Dr. Sarah Nunes, a registered psychologist and PhD had some great advice for managing
I discuss Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs, or Sexually Transmitted Diseases – STDs) with all sexually active patients and I routinely recommend screening for STIs. STIs are infections that you can get from having sex that can be caused by bacteria or viruses. Two of the most common STIs are gonorrhea and chlamydia. Sexually transmitted
Cervical cancer is a scary diagnosis, with it affecting 1 in 5 Canadian women. Fortunately, there are many steps we can take to prevent it and one of them is by talking straight to my patients about the pap smear. Cervical cancer screening (done through a pap smear) can identify cervical cancer and cervical “pre-cancer”
Attending your prenatal appointments and going for prenatal ultrasounds and blood-work is a LOT of work! I learned that when I went through my pregnancy. Even as a health care professional, I sometimes got confused on when to attend my visits and almost forgot to go for my gestational diabetes screen! As a physician, my
Many women are concerned about the appearance and the function of their bodies after having children. Our bodies go through incredible changes in order to grow and birth our babies, so its normal to worry about recovering from your pregnancy and delivery. After all, you just spent 9 months growing a life inside of you.
I often get parents coming into my office asking why their child is developing Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD – formerly known as ADD). The truth is: scientists don’t fully understand why some children might develop ADHD, and why other children do not – but there have been studies done that suggest that genetics and
As a physician, often ask my post-partum patients “how are you feeling emotionally?” Naturally, many women experience strong emotions after having a baby. Some women say they feel overwhelming happiness and excitement, and others might experience intense sadness, guilt, or depression. When I had Madi, for the first 4 weeks I remember feeling guilty for
As a working mom with a toddler, I often feel guilty about not spending all day with my little one. In the morning when I leave home to go to work, Madi will get upset and fussy. On those days when she gives me those puppy-dog eyes, I can feel my heart sink into my
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by a virus. The flu can be deadly, especially in certain populations such as the very young, very old or those with weakened immune systems. I have seen the serious consequences of the flu firsthand, this has made me realize how important flu immunizations
I try my best as a physician to make sure that I ask appropriate screening questions of all of my patients who have recently had babies. For the first two weeks after having my daughter, the smallest things would send me into a rage (i.e. the dishwasher not being started), and I found my husband