7 Self-Care Activities for Expecting Moms in Toronto

7 Self-Care Activities for Expecting Moms in Toronto

Before your life gets overtaken by poopy diapers, snotty noses and sleepless nights, pregnancy is the perfect time to start your self-care activities and creating a habit of making room for them in your calendar on a regular basis. The New Year typically brings hope and an openness to embrace positive change and set goals, and among them, self-care being the most crucial for surviving and thriving in motherhood!

Binge watching your favourites on Netflix, sorting drawers in dressers and closets, scrubbing your home clean in “nesting mode”, and folding – then refolding all the baby clothes…may have made you feel better in the moment. So now what? Here are mindful, simple ways and places to tend to your mind and heart during this most transportive (and exciting) time in your life.

 

Mama Wellness Bundle at Yoga Mamas

Yoga Mamas have put together a beautiful wellness bundle for mamas-to-be that includes an initial assessment and treatment for each of their wellness services, two free yoga class, plus a free luxury wellness basket. The Wellness Bundle includes the following service: an initial naturopathic doctor treatment, a pelvic floor physio treatment, a 60-minute registered massage, an acupuncture treatment, an initial chiropractic care treatment.

Get adjusted by a prenatal Chiropractor

A chiropractor trained in the Webster In-Utero Constraint technique can help align your body in preparation for labour and aid in optimal fetal positioning.  Dr. Kristina Bosnar from the Bosnar Centre for Health is a specialist – look for practitioners who are in good standing with their professional colleges and ask as many questions as you need to feel at ease with whomever you chose.

Indulge in a prenatal massage

A prenatal massage will ease the ache of your ever-growing body, soothe your mind and help with sleep as well as comfort during your pregnancy. One place some of our parents have gone to is Caring Touch Massage, which provides a pregnancy-safe, and fully adjustable pillow which allows you to comfortably lie on your front if that is your preference. Not every spa or massage studio has the right equipment, call ahead and ask whether they have the proper pillow supports and experience with a prenatal massage at your stage of pregnancy as well.

Get fit with Belly Bootcamp

If more active and fitness-oriented activities are more helpful forms of release for you, take advantage of Belly Bootcamp classes in your area and safely strengthen your core to help prepare for labour and liberate your body. Belly Bootcamp classes use effective techniques in women’s fitness to focus on the areas mamas-to-be need most. Classes are often held outdoors from May to October, giving you some much needed fresh air while you work on those pelvic muscles.

Go for a swim!

There are many local swimming pools all around the GTA, but why not indulge in a luxury swim at the half-indoor half-outdoor heated pool at the Sheraton? You can also relax in the lounge area and seasonal bar and get a cold drink to keep you cool on hot summer days! Or check out your local pool for some fun prenatal aquafit classes.

Put your heightened senses to good use.

We know of a mom who used to have to sit with her head out the passenger window when she and her husband drove home from her in-laws, “she’s a great cook and my husband loves sauteed onions, but I couldn’t keep anything down with that smell on his clothes!” With your senses heightened, a walk through botanical gardens is likely to be enjoyable rather than nauseating. We’re lucky to have some beautiful public gardens and hiking trails in an around the GTA, so get your walking shoes on and go for a walk or a jog in one or all of them. If you have a kiddo(s) already, they’re likely to be happier out in nature too.  To name a few, Edwards Gardens and Evergreen Brickworks also have free nature-related workshops for kids and adults.

Join a local pregnancy support group or Meet-up

Sometimes the best form of self-care comes from connecting with others who just “get it”; who will listen without an agenda or judgment. Meet-up.ca is one example of a place to find groups near you made up of people with similar interests. Wouldn’t it feel great to learn that you’re not the only one suddenly grossed out by tomatoes or crying at any commercial that involves puppies or babies?

Are there any self-care or “me time” activities you enjoy and want to suggest to your fellow-mom or moms to be? We’d love to share your recommendations!

Holiday Gift Guide for Eco Moms-to-be in Toronto

Holiday Gift Guide for Eco Moms-to-be in Toronto

Stuck on what to get a GTA eco-mom-to-be? With the confusing array of baby products and our growing environmental concerns, what can you get an expectant mom that will make her feel special, support a local business and protect Mother Earth at the same time? We surveyed our staff to put together a list of their favourite, local eco-gifts you can give this holiday season.

Fit Organix 

Organic food delivery service. When you bring a baby into this world, making food is the last thing you want to worry about, but a new mama needs her energy and nutrients more than anything! Fit Organix will deliver healthy, organic meals straight to her door, every day. Every meal is free of gluten, soy, dairy, peanuts, additives or preservatives.

 

Mama Earth 

Organic produce delivery. Their baskets are an assortment of the freshest local produce they can find, curated each week and help support local farms. Some baskets even include bread baked the morning of the delivery, eggs from local Amish farmers, coffee roasted in the St. Lawrence Market, juices pressed down the road. Need we say more?

Eco|stems 

Organic, sustainable, and fair trade flower arrangements. A beautiful bouquet of hand-selected eco-flowers will certainly add warmth to her home or her hospital room.

 


ZippyJamz

Help make diaper changing a breeze for new moms with these certified organic jammies adorned with two zippers, one to make dressing easier, and the other making diaper changing super convenient. These sleepers are adorable with their modern prints and so easy to zip and unzip even if your baby is rolling, kicking or crawling away! ZippyJamz has also partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities and donates a portion of sales to help provide a home away from home for out-of-town families with sick children being treated at a nearby hospital.


Mini Mioche 

Organic and ethical kids’ clothing and accessories. It’s so difficult to find simple, ethically made basics for the littles, but Mini Mioche clothes are beautifully made, comfortable, sustainable, and entirely designed and made in Toronto!

 

 

 

 Miik gift card

We all know our bodies change after birth and she’s going to need the motivation to get out of those maternity pants! What better way to spoil her than to treat her to a shopping spree to buy Toronto designed and sewn clothes that are also stylish and comfortable?


YogaMamas

Mom and baby yoga classes. The mama in your life will need calm and zen after baby arrives. Yoga classes are a great way for mom and baby to bond, meet and connect with other moms, and some exercise at the same time!

 

ELARI Diaper Wallet

Made in Toronto, Elari diaper wallets provide chic, compact organization for all diaper changing essentials. Small enough to fit into your favourite purse, backpack, or diaper bag – you would be gifting fashion with functionality!  The wallets are made with materials that have no harmful chemicals or additives, including non-toxic dyes, are mold and mildew resistant, and are washable.  This is a diaper wallet by day and an evening clutch by night.

 

Comfy Cotton Cloth Diapering Service

One of the best gifts you can offer a new mom is soft, comfortable cotton diapers for her little one, that protect against rashes and harsh chemicals, and the peace of mind that her laundering will be taken care of with less environmental footprint, while she tends to her newborn. Comfy Cotton has been servicing Toronto moms for 30 years!