On our 2021 holiday special episode we will be discussing the COVID-19 vaccine and pregnancy. As part of our special edition episode, we are turning our eye to the community and talking to an Ottawa-based mother. Michelle is a mom to one 2-year old daughter with another child on the way.  Pregnant people currently have lower COVID-19 vaccination rates than the general population in Ontario, yet are at higher risk for severe illness and complications related to COVID-19 infections in pregnancy. As of Oct. 3, 2021, only 68% of pregnant individuals have had the first dose, and les ..read more

On this episode of the Treebark Podcast, Julia is joined by Dr. Anna MacKinnon to discuss Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders and COVID-19. Dr. Anna MacKinnon is a post-doctoral fellow at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, in the Departments of Psychology and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on social determinants of child health and development, risk and resilience for perinatal mental health, as well as intervention programs for psychological distress and parenting. Currently, Dr. MacKinnon is a part of the team at the Healthy ..read more

On the second episode of the Treebark Podcast Season 4 Julia is joined by Lori Preshing to discuss food intolerance and getting proper nutrition. Lori Preshing has completed her studies with CSNN and GAPS and is a nutrition consultant (RHN) practicing with various wellness clinics, progressive clinics, and corporate events. She is the founder of Allergies and Me. She has a specialty in pediatric nutrition and discovering hidden food intolerances. For more information check out Lori on her website https://www.allergiesandme.ca/ To learn more about Julia's work check out her website https://w ..read more

On the first episode of the Treebark Podcast Season 4 Julia is joined by Carrie Owen to discuss transitioning to solid foods. Carrie Owen is a an accredited Occupational Therapist, program designer, facilitator, researcher, and lecturer. She is the owner of sweet pea therapy. She coordinated, consults, and developed the feeding clinics at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Carrie also has many years of experience working as a lactation consultant. For more information check out Carrie on her website https://sweetpeatherapy.com/ or send her an email at info@sweetpeatherapy.com ..read more

Pregnancy, birth, and the post-partum period are tumultuous times filled with sudden and difficult change for all families. Today Julia is joined by Amie Scharfe, the owner and founder of the National Capital Doulas, to discuss what doulas are and how they help families make it through this period of great change. Following the birth of her two older sons Amie decided to pursue birth doula training. That was over a decade ago and she's never looked back. To date she has become a DONA certified birth doula, a trained postpartum doula, a Certified Lactation Counselor, a Certified Babywearing E ..read more

The trees with the greatest roots survive the strongest storms. Join Julia as she chats with Sarah Hardy-Walsh, ND about cultivating mothering resilience and the Well-Rooted Mama Collective, an effort spearheaded by Sarah Hardy-Walsh to help mothers overcome the storm that is parenting. Inspired by her own transition to motherhood, her work as a naturopathic doctor & lactation consultant, Sarah supports women to cultivate resilience in their transition to motherhood, from pregnancy, through labour & birth, postpartum, breastfeeding & beyond. If you want to check out Sarah's work ..read more

Women with disabilities account for 1 in 8 pregnancies in Ontario. Dr. Lesley Tarasoff joins Julia Slanina to discuss how accessibility is desperately needed around pregnancy, childbirth, and early childhood services. Dr. Lesley A. Tarasoff is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Health and Society at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Dr. Tarasoff’s program of research focuses on improving the health and health care experiences of marginalized groups, namely women with disabilities and sexual minority women. Specifically, her research has focused on the sexu ..read more

In the premier episode of Treebark Podcast Season 3 Julia Slanina is joined by Dr. Karline Wilson-Mitchell to discuss the importance of Midwifery as a profession. Dr. Karline Wilson-Mitchell has practiced midwifery in the US and Canada since 1992 (including clinics, birth centres and hospitals in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Northern Quebec, and Ontario). She has taught in the MEP at Ryerson University since 2008. She is a member of the ACNM (Midwives of Color Committee). If you want to check out Dr. Karline and her work out on Ryerson's website If you want to learn more about Jul ..read more

In today's episode of our International Women's Week 2021 Event, Dr. Shahana Alibhai joins Julia Slanina to discuss the postpartum period and mental health. She discusses her own experience with postpartum anxiety and OCD. Dr. Shahana Alibhai is a family physician dedicated to preventative health care at Abbotsford Youth Health Centre and is raising 3 energetic boys. Shahana, studied at the University of British Columbia to receive her Bachelor's degree, Doctor of medicine and residency program. Shahana is also very passionate and a keen advocate for women's health. She is working hard to eli ..read more

In today's episode of our International Women's Week 2021 Event, Dr. Darine El-Chaâr joins Julia Slanina to discuss how COVID-19 has changed pregnancy and giving birth. Dr. Darine El-Chaâr is an Associate Scientist, Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, an Assistant Professor, Department of OB/GYN at the University of Ottawa and the current program director for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the Ottawa Hospital, located in Ottawa Ontario. If you want to learn more about Dr. El-Chaâr's work you can check it out at ohri.ca/profile/del-chaar If you ..read more