I recently had the pleasure of talking to Lynette Beard, a nurse and lactation consultant (IBCLC) who has recently launched a private lactation consultant business serving Winnipeg and surrounding areas. You can get more details on her business on her website or Facebook page, and I have also added it to this site’s breastfeeding support/resources page. I am just thrilled to see someone offering lactation consultant services that can be accessed from the client’s own home.

Kudos to Lynette – this is a much needed service here in Winnipeg. We have amazing, free resources through our WRHA breastfeeding clinics, but sometimes they aren’t the right fit or are hard to get to. Having someone who can come to your house and spend a larger chunk of time with you is invaluable.

In addition to her consultant services, Lynette also told me about a breastfeeding support group she runs in Landmark, and I wanted to share details about that here. Learn more about it by joining their Facebook group. Lynette notes that:

“Starting September 30, we will be meeting every other Tuesday evening 7pm-8:30pm. Please see facebook page for address or contact me. A small snack and water is provided. I also have a baby scale to weight babies. You can bring your breastfeeding baby, but it’s not required. Lots of moms leave their children at home since it is close to bedtime. Pregnant ladies are welcome as well!”

Here are some upcoming sales to mark down in your calendar! Usually there are a couple of Y Neighbours sales in the fall as well, but I haven’t found details for any of them yet. Will update this list as needed. Happy shopping!

• Childcycle: Glenwood Community Club Sale – August 27th
• Childcycle: Gateway Rec Centre Sale – September 17th
• Manitoba Families of Multiples sale – September 24th

A researcher asked me to help spread the news about a study underway at the University of Toronto. You could earn gift cards for completing questionnaires at different stages of your pregnancy or after your baby is born. Here are the details of the study — to apply to participate, visit the study homepage.

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The University of Toronto is conducting a Canada-wide study to learn about the challenges new mothers AND fathers experience together in the first two years of their baby’s life. We are hoping to improve the health care we provide to the WHOLE family during pregnancy and after the birth of a baby. We are currently recruiting 3000 couples to participate in this innovative and exciting study.

WHAT DOES THE STUDY INVOLVE?

Both you and your partner will complete your own questionnaires online or by telephone. The first questionnaire is completed by telephone with a research assistant within the first 2 weeks after the birth of your  baby and then a link to online questionnaires will be emailed to both you and your partner when your baby turns 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months old. Each questionnaire will take approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete depending on how the questions are answered.

THANK YOU GIFT:

To compensate you and your partner for your time we will send to each of you a $15 gift card for each questionnaire you or your partner completes. If you both complete all the questionnaires then you will receive a $50 bonus gift card at the end of the study. As a couple, you could receive up to $230 in gift cards for completing all the questionnaires.

You may be eligible to participate if you:

• Are pregnant or just had a baby within the past 2 weeks
• Reside with a partner of the opposite sex
• Read and understand English fluently
• Are willing to take up to 1 hour of your time to complete a questionnaire every 3 months

*If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please fill out the Study Application Form below*

This study has been approved by the University of Toronto Research Ethics Board.