Out Now!
Out Now!
There are so many things new parents don’t expect when they’re expecting, so we created a book, compiled from hundreds of submissions from real parents, to make things a little easier to navigate. As one of the busiest birthing centres in Ontario (we deliver more than 4,000 babies each year!), we wanted to give parents-to-be a real and honest look at what to expect throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
Get your free digital copy today by filling out the info below.
It’s all in honour of our $32 million fundraising campaign to transform our aging Labour & Delivery and Postpartum units into a modern, new Birthing Centre that matches our exceptional care.
Looking for a printed edition? Get yours on Amazon.
“I didn’t expect changing diapers to be like wrestling an alligator. The process would go much faster if they just laid still in starfish pose.”
— Darlene
“I didn’t expect my baby would fight sleep so hard!! Sleep like a baby does not mean what you think it does.”
— Sydney
“I didn’t expect how much I’d appreciate joining a mom and baby group. It gave me the courage to go out with baby, and I’ve met some great friends!”
— Anonymous
“I didn’t expect for my newborn’s startle reflex to be so powerful. A good swaddle does wonders!!!”
— Vanida, 44
“I did not expect how different all babies are. Every baby is born with a very distinct character from day 1.”
— Elena, 41, Toronto
“No one can explain how amazing it would feel to build each cell of another human inside of you.”
— Samantha, Toronto
“I didn’t expect that an emotional connection to your new baby can take time. It doesn’t always happen the second you lock eyes after giving birth”
— Sarah, 36
“That everything is a phase. Once you figure it out they grow and change. Everything passes. It’s hard and wonderful at the same time.”
— Stephanie, 36
“I didn’t know that miscarriages are so common. Women should know it happens often and it’s not their fault.”
— Tonya, 41, Toronto
“I did not expect my feet to be permanently wider and longer post-pregnancy.”
— Mary, 66, Toronto
“I didn’t realize that it takes much longer after your water breaks before you deliver!”
— Lewelyn, 49, Richmond Hill
“I didn’t realize how amazing and involved the nurses are during labour and delivery. They are so kind and hands-on.”
— Laura, 38, Pickering
“I didn’t expect it to be so hard to introduce a bottle after exclusively breastfeeding.”
— Anonymous
“I didn’t expect to feel such incredible highs and such severe lows in the days after giving birth.”
— Ashleigh, 34, Toronto
“I didn’t expect to produce only a fraction of the milk my baby needed with no explanation as to why.”
— Rachelle, Toronto
“I didn’t expect breast milk to shoot out of me like a sprinkler system after a warm shower.”
— Ocean, 35, Toronto
“II didn’t expect that the first poop after vaginal birth would hurt… and the constipation!”
— Rosalyn, 34, Toronto
“I didn’t expect how weird it would feel when they start hiccupping in the womb.”
— Khani, 26, Toronto
“I didn’t expect to literally hear my water break! It sounded like a balloon had just popped.”
— Deanna, 59, Toronto
“I didn’t expect my labour to last for 30 hours. I went through 4 shifts of staff.”
— Zhuoliang, North York
“I didn’t expect my milk supply to arrive up to 5 days after giving birth.”
“I didn’t expect to arrive at the hospital already 8cm dilated, No time for an epidural, we’re going “Au Natural ” Yikes !!! Lol”
— Heather, 55, Toronto
“I didn’t expect my whole day to be spent making meals and feeding my child once his solid journey began.”
“That the fontanelle or soft spot on the top of his head would pulsate! I’ve never Googled something faster in my life!”
— Jenn, Toronto
“I didn’t expect putting my baby into his crib smoothly without waking him up to be so hard!”
“I didn’t expect how hard it would seem to leave my house and how good it felt to gather the courage to do it.”
— Catherine, Toronto
“How hard it would be to bathe a slippery, wet baby that keeps making jerky movements”
“I didn’t expect that I would miss being pregnant: feeling their kicks, seeing my belly move as they moved, and being able to keep them safe inside me.”
— Lisa, 38, North York
“I didn’t expect putting together the car seat to be so hard. The nurse had to help me strap my baby in properly. She was so small I was so afraid of hurting her.”
— Anonymous
“I didn’t expect breast feeding to be so hard! Here I was thinking it would be like drinking from a straw. But nope!!!”
— Kavita, North York
“I didn’t expect how my relationship with food would change in the first trimester. Chicken? Blegh!”
— Mehreen, 32, North York
“Though ever so tiny, EVERY baby inevitably takes over the entire house—nappies, diapers, formula, toys, pram, blankets/comforters, etc. & more!”
— Oscar, Toronto
“I didn’t expect the first baby poop to look like microwaved chocolate.”
— Henry, 42, Richmond Hill
“I didn’t expect my baby to hate every single baby bottle we bought.”
— Cheyenne, 29, Toronto
“I didn’t expect to love the large postpartum panties. They are so comfortable!”
— Sophia, 38, Etobicoke
“I didn’t expect to be nap trapped in a car because ‘never wake a sleeping baby!”
— Raman, 45, Mississauga
“I didn’t expect the umbilical cord to be so hard to cut – like a tentacle!”
— Steve, 35, Vaughan
“I didn’t know my breasts would deflate into pancakes after breastfeeding lol!”
— Tania, 41, North York
“I didn’t expect all the little noises newborns constantly make in their sleep.”
— Rue, 32, Toronto
“I didn’t expect my baby to have so much hair when she was born.”
— Amna, 53, Scarborough
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