Born months before her due date, mother and daughter now spend their days in Sunnybrook’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Weeks after her birth, Madison weighs only 3 pounds. Laurie speaks for the community of parents of preemies when she describes the whole experience as an “emotional rollercoaster” that you have to live “day by day”. Except for today, which is all about planning for the future.

Down the hall from her room, Laurie slips into a small classroom with several other preemie parents. They are all here to learn CPR, a series of potentially lifesaving skills that will be critical after leaving the cocoon of health specialists within the hospital. Preemies face specific health risks because of their size and development, including a higher risk of choking, so in a way the two-hour session is equal parts skill and reassurance. It’s good to know that there is a way to manage the worst-case scenario.

Before the session, Laurie and I had a chance to sit down and talk about her thoughts on CPR. While most people would agree it’s an important skill, Laurie has actually seen the lifesaving results firsthand. During a camping trip two years ago, a man in a nearby boat had slumped over following a heart attack. She and another bystander delivered CPR until paramedics arrived on scene. “There is the possibility you have to use it in life,” she told me. “So I’m very, very grateful that this is an opportunity.”

Learn more about Sunnybrook’s NICU

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For families that have experienced such devastating loss, receiving more sensitive and personalized obstetrical care during their next pregnancy is essential, but it can be difficult to find.  A new pilot project at Sunnybrook is attempting to address this gap: the Subsequent Pregnancy Program.

“Our primary focus is on evidence-based, woman-centered care.  We are seeing women and their families who are experiencing another pregnancy after a late loss (past 16 weeks gestation) or the death of a baby within the first month of life,” says Megan Fockler, Advanced Practice Nurse. Together with Dr. Jon Barrett, Chief, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, she is leading the implementation of the Subsequent Pregnancy Program at Sunnybrook.

[pullquote align=”right”]“Linking women to a care team that knows about their history, and understands their story and preferences, will hopefully create a more positive experience for our families,” says Fockler.[/pullquote]

The one-year pilot project, which launched in the summer, has started seeing women who are expected to give birth in the fall and early 2015.  Within a family-centered model of care, women will receive care from an interprofessional team. The Advanced Practice Nurse will act as a navigator, connecting families with resources and providing seamless care and support when needed.

“Women are looking for excellent clinical care that includes sensitivity and continuity.  We focus on individualized care that begins during antenatal visits and extends through the birthing process and postpartum care. Linking women to a care team that knows about their history, and understands their story and preferences, will hopefully create a more positive experience for our families,” says Fockler.

After the initial pilot project phase is complete, the Women & Babies Program hopes to expand the Subsequent Pregnancy Program to take on more patients in early 2015.

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The Answer: This type of question – a pregnant woman living out of country – wondering if she can give birth in Canada is one we receive a few times a year. Without meeting specific criteria, it is unlikely Sunnybrook could accommodate you.

Generally speaking, obstetricians are not supposed to accept patients from out of country unless they are Canadian citizens living abroad, who wish to come home to have their baby delivered. Women who are non-citizens, are fully insured, who may be residing in Canada for their work and have family in this country are also accepted by obstetricians to give birth here, according to Arthur Zaltz, Chief, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

According to Sally Bean, ethicist and policy advisor at Sunnybrook, an “out of country obstetrical patient who is not physically present in Canada poses numerous liability and insurance coverage issues.”

As a result, it is difficult for physicians to accept them as patients.

Doctors who agree to accept out-of-country patients would be viewed as having directly or indirectly solicited the patient and may not necessarily be provided coverage if they were sued outside of Canada, she said.

The federal government has been watching this issue closely and is considering changes to citizenship rules in a bid to stamp out so-called birth tourism – cases where a foreign national comes to Canada to deliver their baby, knowing the child will get full citizenship.

Currently, under the Citizenship Act, children born in Canada to parents who are temporarily in the country – visitors, students, temporary workers, asylum claimants – are automatically conferred citizenship, allowing them to access the range of taxpayer-funded benefits that come with it.

Canada and the United States are among the few countries worldwide that confer automatic citizenship by birth on soil; most other countries limit citizenship to those with a parent with permanent status, according to Remi Lariviere, spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

“We have been considering bringing forward comprehensive amendments to the Citizenship Act,” Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, said in a CBC television interview in 2012. “…We don’t have a precise timeline. But we are looking at modernizing the Citizenship Act and this might be considered as one of those amendments.”

The post Birth Tourism: The Pregnant Patients Most Doctors Cannot Accept appeared first on Your Health Matters.

The place was abuzz with hundreds of Sunnybrook staff, Toronto EMS workers and even Sick Kids staff. Everyone was wearing color-coded T-shirts for easy identification, and there was an energy usually reserved to the theatre district on a Friday night. But Sunnybrook was about to enact its finest performance yet, moving dozens of high-risk mothers, and delicate preemies, 9 kilometers up to their new home at 2075 Bayview Avenue. Years of planning, preparation and prayer had finally collided: it was moving day!

It’s no small feat moving the most delicate patients down the hall, let alone to an entirely new building uptown. But all the prep work paid off in droves. With military precision, high-risk mothers, women in labour, and glass incubators cocooning the tiniest citizens of our city rolled out of the dark halls of 76 Grenville, and into the bright and beautiful space they deserve at Sunnybrook. The new Women & Babies Program was now officially open for business, and their business is providing unparalleled care.

I followed the procession of patients, movers and health care staff from start to the finish, camera in hand (and heart on sleeve). There’s nothing quite like seeing a 200 pound physician cradling a 2 pound preemie, or meeting the grandparents of the first baby born in the new space (it was a boy, just in case you were curious!). With hands draped around contracting bellies, and new parents keeping in stride with incubators in motion, each patient was brought up to their space one by one. The parade of patients soon dissolved into 120,000 square feet of space. It was truly amazing to see.

Now that it’s all done, I’d equate the move to childbirth itself. Anticipation turns to pain and then to joy when it’s all over. As with parenting, now the real work begins for the new unit. Luckily, the fancy new digs make that easy to do.

Learn more about Sunnybrook’s Women & Babies Program

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It’s funny how extreme pain makes you remember things. The first time I went into labour, I’ll never forget the glaring lights and sterile environment of the hospital. As I wandered in circles around the labour and delivery corridors trying to speed the process along, the bland paint color was hardly the inspiration I needed to bring new life into the world. Where were the seafoam and buttercream accents that adorned every designer nursery I had committed to memory? Where was the warming fireplace? Where could my husband get some sleep? Turns out, those ideas were slowly growing here at Sunnybrook. And on September 12, 2010, they’ll be delivered just for you.

The new Women & Babies Program will welcome about 4,250 new little babies into the world every year, many being some of the sickest preemies in Ontario. While function normally trumps style in the hospital setting, the new unit manages to fuse both worlds beautifully. Good designers always recommend filling a space with things you love that actually work with your lifestyle. The 2 new floors here at Sunnybrook, which span 120,000 square feet, were created after consulting with staff and family members. Let’s just say the ‘need’ list and the ‘wish’ list are getting along splendidly. From twinkly lights to help soothe preemies, to an NICU that will change the standard of care, no detail was overlooked.

Knock on wood, both of my labours went well (if not slowly). The babies wowed, even if the décor did not. Luckily, new mothers at Sunnybrook can now enjoy the best of both worlds. Welcome to the future of having babies!

For a virtual tour of the new Women & Babies Program at Sunnybrook, click here

The post From conception to delivery: new Women & Babies Program is here appeared first on Your Health Matters.

I can’t think of one girlfriend I have who got pregnant before the age of 30 (myself included). And when it comes to babies, that earlier milestone of a birthday is actually considered “old”. The risk of complications really starts to rise after 35, as does the need for C-sections. Even so, everywhere you look across this great land, mothers are simply having babies later.

Sunnybrook is now caring for the oldest population of mothers in Ontario. Luckily, this hospital will be in a unique position on September 12 of this year, when the opening of the Women & Babies Program will allow for state-of-the-art mother and baby care.

Designed with input from women and families, it will be a beautiful space to welcome new life. It will also be equipped to handle the complications that often go hand in hand with having babies later.

Learn more about Sunnybrook’s Women & Babies Program

While I’m finished having babies, many of my aforementioned girlfriends are not. I guess we are fuelling a growing trend (even if that means hitting 40, and still picking a few Cheerios off the floor.) Here’s to new beginnings at Sunnybrook, and your family, at any age.

The post Cutting-edge care for older moms appeared first on Your Health Matters.

I’ve been through labour, twice. I’ve also lived through a few construction projects at home. In a strange way, the two share a common thread of anticipation, pain and overwhelming satisfaction when all is said and done.

These two worlds are becoming one on top of the main wing of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. A massive multi-year, and multi-million dollar project will all come to fruition on September 12, 2010, when the brand new Women & Babies Program will officially open its doors at Sunnybrook’s Bayview campus. The square footage alone is awesome (120,000 sq.ft). Someone described it to me this way: taking the size of a community hospital, and plunking it onto our Hospital’s main building. The architectural angle is only one side of this impressive venture. But the heart of this story lies with the more than 4,000 families, who will welcome their new babies in one of the most advanced and patient-friendly labour and delivery units in the country. In fact, families were consulted during the design process, and their needs and wishes are echoed in every detail.

To appreciate the new space, you really have to walk through the old one. For years, Sunnybrook has been a tenant at 76 Grenville Street in downtown Toronto. The old space is a maze of tiny rooms, dim lighting and drab décor. One birthing room is aptly nicknamed “the closet”, because it’s so small, fathers are often forced to step outside during the birthing process to accommodate Hospital staff. That will soon be replaced with a new labour and delivery room with its own nickname: the Presidential suite. The design of this extra-large modern room is mimicked in 20 such others, which are flooded with light from an expanse of windows, and housed with amenities to meet all the needs of patients and staff.

The neonatal intensive care unit is another massive improvement in form and function. Right now, families dealing with the emotional realities of having a preemie are crammed into one small room. There is barely enough square footage to stand, let alone have some private bonding time. In the new neonatal ICU, every family will have their own room, with space for parents to visit and sleep. Families will even have their own separate hallway to enter their baby’s room, so they can feel comfortable coming and going.

And the Women & Babies Program will offer so much more: units for high-risk pregnancies, dedicated surgery suites, family lounge areas with fireplaces and colorful play areas for inpatients to enjoy, a high-risk ambulatory clinic and follow-up clinics. Picture all that in a large, bright space adorned with spa-like colors. It almost makes me want to have another baby! (Ok, not quite…)

Unlike both my pregnancies and home renovation projects, construction on the Women & Babies Program is on time and on budget. So the countdown is on to September 12 when Sunnybrook’s newest addition, could help you welcome yours.

Check out my video for a sneak peek at the current construction, and what the finished project will look like!

The post Oh Baby, look what’s coming to Sunnybrook… appeared first on Your Health Matters.