May 5th is the International Day of the Midwife!

In Winnipeg, supporters of midwifery are encouraged to celebrate the occasion with the Manitoba Midwives Day Annual Picnic, at noon on May 5th at the front lawn of the provincial legislature building. Bring your picnic lunch and join the tradition – this has been an annual event since 1991!

“While some years are cold or even snowy and some hot and sunny… the picnic (like birth) happens whatever the weather.   The informal noon-hour picnic is open to all. There are often stories and games, and in some years music, face-painting or other activities. “

From the Facebook event: “Please join the UCN class of 2014 at the UCN Midwifery Campus @ 491 Portage following the picnic at the legislative grounds. There will be presentations from the Virtual Day of the Midwife, Midwives returning from Haiti and a poster presentation from the graduates.”

P.S. Let’s make May 5th our official National Day of the Midwife! Head on over to http://peggynash.ndp.ca/midwives to make your voice heard – over 2500 others have signed this petition so far!

The March/April 2014 issue of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority magazine, Wave, has two articles that caught my eye.

One is about pelvic floor dysfunction (page 28), and features an interview with Dr. Kelli Berzuk, a pelvic floor physiotherapist and director of the Incontinence & Pelvic Pain Clinic. This article contains a ton of really useful (and eye-opening) info about pelvic floor health and is a most-read for anyone who has given birth or expects to, and overall important information for women to have.

The second article (page 44) talks about the benefits of staying active during pregnancy, dispels some myths surrounding the issue, gives tips on how to get started, and includes a neat photo guide to some prenatal exercises and stretches you can do at home, courtesy of Aileen Hunt of Fit4Two.

Fit4Two has announced their “Spring Free Trial Frenzy” — the opportunity to check out a bunch of different prenatal and postnatal fitness and yoga programs for free this spring! Programs include stroller fitness, bootcamps, yoga, etc.

For all the details see Fit4Two East (River East, Transcona, St. Boniface, St Vital) and West (River Heights, Lindenwoods, St. James, Tuxedo).