Canadian Moms check in

kristah2

Figured we could start a thread for Canadian moms to check in! This is a great place to ask those questions Canada specific! 

Let’s have an introduction 

FTM/STM/STM+:
ages of other children: 
what part of Canada are you from?:
any questions?:
GTKY what’s your favourite winter activity for those Canadian Winters?:

kristah2

FTM/STM/STM+: STM+
ages of other children: 4 and almost 2
what part of Canada are you from?: east coast 
any questions?: where are you finding your best place to buy maternity clothes now with decent shipping costs?
GTKY what’s your favourite winter activity for those Canadian Winters?: anything inside. I hate having to bundle up the kids to go out but I do love being inside with the fireplace on and watching the snow. And I think my oldest will be ready to go sliding this year. 

wendy838

FTM/STM/STM+: FTM
ages of other children: N/A - but I do have a 6 yr old cat that is my baby  
what part of Canada are you from? Ontario
any questions? This might be a dumb question, but is having a midwife common? I like the idea of having additional support who is available almost anytime. And I found out that they're covered. 
GTKY what’s your favourite winter activity for those Canadian Winters?: Not usually an outdoorsy winter person, but I do enjoy skating sometimes, even though I'm terrible at it! 

@kristah2 - I find that Motherhood.com sometimes has good deals! Free shipping over $115+ which is probably not hard given how pricey maternity clothes can be. 

kristah2

@wendy838 I think midwifes are becoming more common around here. I know of a few moms personally who have had them! They have been more recognized in the last few years. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about having someone be able to advocate for you and really be your person. 

sugarcoateddonut

FTM/STM/STM+: STM
ages of other children: 2 and a half years
what part of Canada are you from?: East Coast. I live an hour away from the city where my husband and I work...basically in the middle of the woods. 
any questions?: 
GTKY what’s your favourite winter activity for those Canadian Winters?: Pond hockey and snow shoeing! I also love being in front of the wood stove during a snow storm. I'm hoping my daughter likes sliding this year too.

@kristah2  I am so sad that Thyme Maternity closed. That was my go-to last pregnancy. I bought a few basics from Old Navy/Gap last time but they did not hold up well. 

@wendy838 I think we only have two midwives right now in the closest city to me, but I know some moms that used a doulah (a little more common here) and had amazing things to say!

kristah2

@sugarcoateddonut I’m sad about thyme too! They had cute breastfeeding tops! 

An hour and a half away?! Are you guys working from home or do you commute everyday?! 

sugarcoateddonut

kristah2 said:

@sugarcoateddonut I’m sad about thyme too! They had cute breastfeeding tops! 

An hour and a half away?! Are you guys working from home or do you commute everyday?! 

And great dress pants!

It's an hour away! I work 4 days a week in the office, and my husband is a firefighter so he works shift work (24 hours on, 72 hours off). He doesn't mind at all, but I am hoping I can find something closer to home once my maternity leave is over. It's a very tiny town though, so options are pretty limited!

mindyb2019

FTM/STM/STM+: FTM - 3rd pregnancy. 
Ages of other children: none of my own but I have 1 step daughter who just turned 11. 
what part of Canada are you from? West Coast. 
Any questions? None at the moment.
GTKY what’s your favourite winter activity for those Canadian Winters?: I love tubing down a hill or skating. So fun! I used to ski my whole life until I was 15 and then stopped. Haven't done it since. Now that I'm an adult I hate the snow. Thank God we don't get much here lol 
 

kristah2

@sugarcoateddonut I’ve been working from home and we’re in the market for a new home in Jan or feb (thanks baby 3) and debated buying further away but I can’t imagine a commute like that if they force us back to office! I LOVE working from home and I’m hopeful we can continue from here on out. 

Has anyone put thought in to the 12 vs 18 month leave option? 

mindyb2019

@kristah2 I have thought about it and might do the full 18 month leave. I want spend as much time with my baby as I can when he/she is young, but I’ll have to look at it in more depth the closer I get to maternity leave as maybe we might not be able to afford it. We will see lol 

kristah2

I’m torn too. I like the idea of 18 mth and my union is passing it now which is great! But I don’t really like the idea of going back a month before Christmas either 😂 

wendy838

18 month mat leave sounds amaze-balls. I haven’t thought about it too hard, but I always figured I’d do the 12-month and let my husband take some more time off too. 

kristah2

I’m excited about the extra 6 weeks that dads can take without cutting in to our leave! DH will likely take the first 4-6 weeks with me where I’m going to have a repeat csection 

sugarcoateddonut

18 months would be amazing, but I don't think we can financially swing it. It is definitely nice to have the option though!

mindyb2019

Do all of you mamas have the day off tomorrow for Remembrance day? 

kristah2

@mindyb2019 I do! I was off today too because my youngest daycare was closed. 

wendy838

Not me, I miss the days of working for the government lol 

kristah2

@wendy838 definitely a perk of working for the government! It’s a stat in some provinces anyway yes? 

mindyb2019

I have the day off tomorrow and I dont work for the government. Im in BC and its a stat. 

kristah2

It’s a stat in my province too. 

I know when I lived in Ontario it wasn’t a stat but most offices were closed but all stores, restaurants , gyms etc were open. 

wendy838

@kristah2 that’s true! I always forget that it’s different in each province. Ontario is part of the small group where it’s not a stat holiday. We didn’t get the memo lol 

wanderlustsoul

I miss having Remembrance Day off. I used to work for the federal govt then provincial then went private. 

wanderlustsoul

Also I’m posting here because I’m Canadian born and raised. And we will likely be repatriating in 2022! 

kristah2

Always welcome home @AKuzReve! Definitely welcome on this thread  

@wendy838 I found it super weird when I moved to Ontario to not have it off! I lived in Manitoba for a short time and they also had it as a stat. 

wanderlustsoul

forgot to answer the questions! Silly me. 

FTM/STM/STM+: STM 
ages of other children: 14 months
what part of Canada are you from?: Ontario 
any questions?: nope 
GTKY what’s your favourite winter activity for those Canadian Winters?: skating. I love snow soooo much though and really miss it. 

sugarcoateddonut

Do any of you have the option for NIPT testing to find out the gender?

I just saw this on one of the other pages, and wasn't sure if it was an American thing. 

I have done/am doing the maternal serum testing, but definitely wasn't given the option to also find out the gender. Is New Brunswick just super behind on technology lol?

mindyb2019

@sugarcoateddonut yes I do have the option. NIPT is offered for Americans and Canadians. Im having it done in a week or so. I had it done in my previous pregnancy that ended in a loss in July. 

wendy838

@sugarcoateddonut I asked my doctor about it and he said it can be done around 12 weeks. I'm very glad that it's non-invasive, I read about old-school methods where they used to take the fluid from the sac and there were much bigger risks. 

mindyb2019

@wendy838 I've had it where they have take fluid from the sac. Its called Amniocentesis, but they only do that when the NIPT comes back positive for some chromosomal abnormality. That procedure is freaking horrible and it comes with its own set of risks. NIPT is just a blood test and easy peasy. The NIPT can be done earlier then 12 weeks actually. I had it done the first time at 10 and a half weeks. 

wendy838

@mindyb2019 ah I see, I thought one fully replaced the other. Thanks for correcting me. 

kristah2

We were offered too but we’re going without. 

I do believe there is a charge for it here too though? Or maybe that’s just the harmony test and I’m mixing them up. 

kristah2

All the Black Friday thread is likely to be for US. Anyone keeping their eye on anything in Canada?

wanderlustsoul

@kristah2, I am. All my stuff I buy is Canadian and then either my mom ships it or brings it when she visits. Going to keep an eye on my favourite sleep sack brand, cloth diapers, and petit lem (BEST clothing brand for babies. So freaking soft).  

wendy838

@kristah2 I’m keeping an eye out. If I see anything worthy, I can post it here?

kristah2

@wendy838 please do!!!

wendy838

West Coast Kids advertising 20% off Uppababy Cruz from Nov 25-30. I hear they are fantastic strollers. 

wendy838

[Walmart] Graco Bundle: On-the-Go Pack 'n Play and Slim Spaces Swing $199.97
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/graco-abc-home-bundle-on-the-go-pack-n-play-and-slim-spaces-swing/6000201630549?rrid=richrelevance 

wanderlustsoul

@wendy838, I was gonna say WCK has major Black Friday sales! 

wanderlustsoul

petit lem has 40% on certain styles. Code: EARLYBIRD 

best baby clothes ever. Organic cotton and so, so soft. Only pjs I use for my DS. 

wendy838

@AKuzReve I love how they have the matching set for mama. So cute 

kristah2

I hope if any of you are in the Ontario area that went on lock down again today you’re doing well and all ready for the lockdown! 

Canada seems to be increasing numbers everywhere these days.