Having a baby is one thing, having a baby as a new immigrant in a country is another. Everything is different, and for first-time moms, it might be too much. For me, it was. I needed all the information I could get to survive new motherhood in Canada.
In the part of the world that I migrated from, I would have been surrounded by at least a community of 10 women who would provide guidance to me on caring for a newborn. It would have been my mom, her friends, aunts-in-law, cousins, church members, etc. Here in Canada when I had my baby, it was me, my husband and God.
Due to the covid restrictions, my mum was not able to travel to Canada. She called me several times a day to check up on me. She even bought a doll and created videos for me to watch on how to bathe a baby, etc. Lool. my mum turned into a vlogger overnight.
I had so many questions to ask. Sometimes, I wrote them for my next appointment with the midwife who helped with the delivery of my baby, especially the medical questions. Other times, I checked online.
But I had to be careful with the information dished out online. I vetted the answers I got with my midwife who is a registered professional. However, I was still able to get some helpful information from some Instagram and Facebook accounts/groups that I followed.
In this post, I will be sharing with you my favourite Instagram and other online resources that were helpful for me when I first had my baby in Canada.
Disclaimer: Please note that this post is not in any way medical advice. I am only sharing my personal experience. Please consult a medical practitioner before you practice any of the information that these resources share.
Top 15 Instagram Accounts
1. Ask the Paediatricians:
This is a private Facebook group with paediatricians who answer kid-related questions of their members. They also have a guides section on their group where they share videos on various topics like how to breastfeed, baby care etc.
From this group, I was educated on some newborn care myths that I grew up with. For example:
- I learnt that exclusive breastfeeding is indeed exclusive. This means that the baby does not drink water while on exclusive breastfeeding. Breastmilk is enough.
- A baby does not need to drink herbal mixtures for colic. The colic will disappear after some time. I followed this and truthfully, my baby’s colic went by the third month without using any herbal mixtures.
2. Healthiest_Baby:
This is another of my favourite handles. It’s run by Dr Cathryn, a paediatrician. I started following this channel even before I had my baby and found it helpful in my experiences of new motherhood in Canada.
I learnt so many things including the various milestones to expect from your baby every month, that there’s nothing like spoiling a newborn, how many toys are enough for a baby, etc.
Her content is visually appealing, there’s no way you’d be bored. Plus she has a newsletter where she shares more helpful baby tips, I’d suggest that you subscribe as well.
3. Feeding Littles:
I found the content on this page super hilarious and at the same time very helpful. The feeding therapist, Judy acts like a toddler in the various funny videos shared. Here I learnt that it was okay for babies to play with their food. It’s one of the ways that they learn about textures. I also learnt about how to feed a picker eater.
4. Happy Healthy Eaters:
This handle came in really handy for me after my baby clocked 6 months and started feeding on solids. They shared helpful tips on what to feed a baby, how to feed a baby, etc.
5. New Ways Nutrition:
This is another handle that talks about the nutrition of babies. I like the way the handle visually shares a lot of tips for moms. For example, on this handle, I learnt about the various ways to introduce nuts to a baby, the different ways to serve various foods like avocado to a baby, etc
6. Babysleepdr:
The one thing I needed badly when I first had my baby was sleep. I just wanted to sleep for 6 hours straight without carrying my baby. It was tough because my newborn slept during the day and kept her eyes wide open at night.
This handle is run by a doctor who is also a baby sleep expert. She shares helpful tips that can help you with managing your baby’s sleep patterns. It’s another essential account to help with the experiences of new motherhood in Canada.
7. Mama Psychologists:
This page came through for me when my feelings were all over the place after I had my baby. I learned that postpartum depression is normal. Those feelings I felt were normal too. This page is like listening to two big sisters share what no one ever told you about having a baby.
8. Motherhood.and.Montessori:
On this handle, I learnt about various ways to play and engage with your baby at various ages. This includes content like which book to read to a newborn vs a six-month-old, fine motor activities, etc.
9. The baby chick:
I must confess, the hilarious parenting memes on this page were an utter stress relief in the early days of caring for my baby. Plus, they also share helpful tips on baby feeding, pumping at work, etc.
10. Respectful Sleep Training/Learning:
This Facebook group provided me with useful information on guiding my baby to sleep independently. Members of the group are free to ask questions as long as it’s in line with the rules of the group.
11. Sleep without sleep training:
When sleep training did not work out for my baby, I decided to try out the methods in this Facebook group too. They share other helpful tips on baby care as well.
12. Taking Cara Babies:
This Facebook page is run by Cara, a registered nurse and it provides helpful information, especially for new moms. For me when I wasn’t sure whether or not my baby needed a bassinet vs a crib, the page shared the best answer for this. The page covers other topics too on baby’s sleep, tummy time, etc.
13. Mommy.labornurse:
This handle on Instagram for preggy moms. You’d learn things about using a sitz bath, what to do when pregnant, what to expect during labour and more.
14. Expecting and empowered:
This page is quite helpful for expecting parents as well as managing things postpartum. You’ll learn what to do when you experience tearing during labour, information about c-section and more.
15. Sharon Mazel:
I must confess that I really love this Instagram page. Sharon is a parenting expert that shares useful information on this page.
Personally, I learnt everything from how to thaw breastmilk to understanding my breastmilk supply. I like the way she uses those really nice pictures to explain her point too.
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you find useful content on these handles that will make your baby care journey easier. If I missed any useful Instagram or Facebook handle, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.
More fun stuff to read>> Child care in Canada: Types, cost, and tips for newcomers
Having a baby is one thing, having a baby as a new immigrant in a country is another. Everything is different, and for first-time moms, it might be too much. For me, it was. I needed all the information I could get to survive new motherhood in Canada.
In the part of the world that I migrated from, I would have been surrounded by at least a community of 10 women who would provide guidance to me on caring for a newborn. It would have been my mom, her friends, aunts-in-law, cousins, church members, etc. Here in Canada when I had my baby, it was me, my husband and God.
Due to the covid restrictions, my mum was not able to travel to Canada. She called me several times a day to check up on me. She even bought a doll and created videos for me to watch on how to bathe a baby, etc. Lool. my mum turned into a vlogger overnight.
I had so many questions to ask. Sometimes, I wrote them for my next appointment with the midwife who helped with the delivery of my baby, especially the medical questions. Other times, I checked online.
But I had to be careful with the information dished out online. I vetted the answers I got with my midwife who is a registered professional. However, I was still able to get some helpful information from some Instagram and Facebook accounts/groups that I followed.
In this post, I will be sharing with you my favourite Instagram and other online resources that were helpful for me when I first had my baby in Canada.
Disclaimer: Please note that this post is not in any way medical advice. I am only sharing my personal experience. Please consult a medical practitioner before you practice any of the information that these resources share.
Top 15 Instagram Accounts
1. Ask the Paediatricians:
This is a private Facebook group with paediatricians who answer kid-related questions of their members. They also have a guides section on their group where they share videos on various topics like how to breastfeed, baby care etc.
From this group, I was educated on some newborn care myths that I grew up with. For example:
- I learnt that exclusive breastfeeding is indeed exclusive. This means that the baby does not drink water while on exclusive breastfeeding. Breastmilk is enough.
- A baby does not need to drink herbal mixtures for colic. The colic will disappear after some time. I followed this and truthfully, my baby’s colic went by the third month without using any herbal mixtures.
2. Healthiest_Baby:
This is another of my favourite handles. It’s run by Dr Cathryn, a paediatrician. I started following this channel even before I had my baby and found it helpful in my experiences of new motherhood in Canada.
I learnt so many things including the various milestones to expect from your baby every month, that there’s nothing like spoiling a newborn, how many toys are enough for a baby, etc.
Her content is visually appealing, there’s no way you’d be bored. Plus she has a newsletter where she shares more helpful baby tips, I’d suggest that you subscribe as well.
3. Feeding Littles:
I found the content on this page super hilarious and at the same time very helpful. The feeding therapist, Judy acts like a toddler in the various funny videos shared. Here I learnt that it was okay for babies to play with their food. It’s one of the ways that they learn about textures. I also learnt about how to feed a picker eater.
4. Happy Healthy Eaters:
This handle came in really handy for me after my baby clocked 6 months and started feeding on solids. They shared helpful tips on what to feed a baby, how to feed a baby, etc.
5. New Ways Nutrition:
This is another handle that talks about the nutrition of babies. I like the way the handle visually shares a lot of tips for moms. For example, on this handle, I learnt about the various ways to introduce nuts to a baby, the different ways to serve various foods like avocado to a baby, etc
6. Babysleepdr:
The one thing I needed badly when I first had my baby was sleep. I just wanted to sleep for 6 hours straight without carrying my baby. It was tough because my newborn slept during the day and kept her eyes wide open at night.
This handle is run by a doctor who is also a baby sleep expert. She shares helpful tips that can help you with managing your baby’s sleep patterns. It’s another essential account to help with the experiences of new motherhood in Canada.
7. Mama Psychologists:
This page came through for me when my feelings were all over the place after I had my baby. I learned that postpartum depression is normal. Those feelings I felt were normal too. This page is like listening to two big sisters share what no one ever told you about having a baby.
8. Motherhood.and.Montessori:
On this handle, I learnt about various ways to play and engage with your baby at various ages. This includes content like which book to read to a newborn vs a six-month-old, fine motor activities, etc.
9. The baby chick:
I must confess, the hilarious parenting memes on this page were an utter stress relief in the early days of caring for my baby. Plus, they also share helpful tips on baby feeding, pumping at work, etc.
10. Respectful Sleep Training/Learning:
This Facebook group provided me with useful information on guiding my baby to sleep independently. Members of the group are free to ask questions as long as it’s in line with the rules of the group.
11. Sleep without sleep training:
When sleep training did not work out for my baby, I decided to try out the methods in this Facebook group too. They share other helpful tips on baby care as well.
12. Taking Cara Babies:
This Facebook page is run by Cara, a registered nurse and it provides helpful information especially for new moms. For me when I wasn’t sure on whether or not my baby needed a bassinet vs a crib, the page shared the best answer for this. The page covers other topics too on baby’s sleep, tummy time, etc.
13. Mommy.labornurse:
This handle on Instagram for preggy moms. You’d learn things about using a sitz bath, what to do when pregnant, what to expect during labour and more.
14. Expecting and empowered:
This page is quite helpful for expecting parents as well as managing things postpartum. You’ll learn what to do when you experience tearing during labour, information about c-section and more.
15. Sharon Mazel:
I must confess that I really love this Instagram page. Sharon is a parenting expert that shares useful information on this page.
Personally, I learnt everything from how to thaw breastmilk to understanding my breastmilk supply. I like the way she uses those really nice pictures to explain her point too.
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you find useful content on these handles that will make your baby care journey easier. If I missed any useful Instagram or Facebook handle, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.
More fun stuff to read>> Child care in Canada: Types, cost, and tips for newcomers
