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
I remember when I was pregnant with Madi. I was so excited when I found out I was pregnant and couldn’t wait to start baby shopping! However, upon stepping into a baby store I easily became overwhelmed with all of the options for every single item. Add in the opinions of every friend and family member,
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
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
Graeme and I have lived in Edmonton for over 10 years. We attended medical school, completed our residencies and started our practices here. We love this city! I am biased, but I think Edmonton is one of the best cities to raise a family. It is true that the winter months can be hard with
Vancouver is home to the majority of my family, so it’s usually where we go on long weekends – especially during summer. It gets a bit dreary in the fall and winter though, so we try to make our visits at that time short or bring raincoats. One of our favourite places to go is
When Madi was 15 months old, we were at a playground and we met a little girl who was 16 months old. This little girl was speaking at a very advanced level! Meeting this little girl made me worried that Madi’s speech and language development were behind. I began to frantically try to teach Madi
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
When my daughter Madi was six months old, we went to France for a medical conference and included some vacation time. We spent a few days in Paris and then six days in Aix-en-Provence. During our stay we rented an Airbnb apartment so that we could prepare some meals at home and have more space
As a doctor, I encourage mothers to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is affordable, helps with bonding and has health benefits for both the infant and mother. In my medical practice, many new moms come to see me because they are having difficulties breastfeeding. Before having a child of my own, I would do a basic physical screen