Being pregnant and being a parent is a special time. It can be a time of joy and celebration. It can also be a time of uncertainty filled with many questions. It is a time of many changes – there is a lot to learn. The following resources will provide you with information to support you in your pregnancy and parenting.
This information can help you or your partner to have a healthy pregnancy and to learn more about child development and parenting. It can also be a time when you are looking for guidance from Elders and Indigenous culture.
Our resources in English
Prenatal Health |
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Beginning Journey: First Nations Pregnancy Resource This prenatal book will help First Nations women to prepare for pregnancy, to have a healthy pregnancy and to welcome a new life into their family. It shares cultural knowledge from Elders, community members and First Nations caregivers. It also provides medical information. At the end of each chapter there is a page where women can make notes about their pregnancy.
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Abuse |
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You and your Baby… These printer-ready handouts provide information on abuse and pregnancy in multiple languages. Download printer-ready handouts as PDF files in Cree - N Dialect and Severn Ojibwe |
Alcohol and Drugs |
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Be Safe: Have an Alcohol-free Pregnancy - Printer-ready Handouts The handouts provide information and tips for expectant parents about alcohol use in pregnancy. Download printer-ready handouts as PDF files in Cree and Ojibway |
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Indigenous Pregnancy and Alcohol - Brochure This brochure is for Indigenous women on the topic of alcohol and pregnancy. It includes the effects of drinking, traditional teachings about pregnancy and where to get help in Ontario.
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Breastfeeding |
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Breastfeeding for the Health and Future of Our Nation This booklet was created to support Indigenous women with the art of breastfeeding. The Medicine Wheel is used to symbolize the balance needed to support breastfeeding women. |
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Mixing Alcohol and Breastfeeding - Printer-ready Handouts The handout is a resource for mothers and their partners to help them make an informed choice when it comes to drinking alcohol while breastfeeding Download printer-ready handouts as PDF files in Cree and Ojibway. |
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Breastfeeding Your Baby - Magnet (guidelines for nursing mothers) This 13 cm by 18 cm fridge magnet is a teaching aid for new mothers and their families. It is a good reminder for mothers on how to assess their infant’s breastfeeding effectiveness during the first three weeks. Colourful graphics and photographs with minimal text provide an at-a-glance look that new parents find particularly helpful. |
Child Development |
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When Children Speak More Than One Language
Best Start Resource Centre, 2014
As a parent of a child who will learn two or more languages, you may have questions. This guide will give you information based on research to help you.
Language is the best tool to help a child do well later in school and in life.
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Nutrition |
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Feeding Your Baby - A guide to help you introduce solid foods - Booklet This guide provides information about feeding your baby from six months to one year. It answers questions you may have about breastfeeding and starting solid foods.
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Physical Activity |
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Have a Ball Together! - Brochure This brochure provides Indigenous parents with information about the promotion of physical activity for children aged 2-5 years.
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Have a Ball Together! - Parent Resource Activity Cards There are four laminated cards that provide parents with seasonal ideas of how to be physically active with their children.
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Tobacco |
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Sacred Tobacco, Sacred Children - Video This video is for Indigenous parents and caregivers. It offers real stories from Indigenous families who have smoke-free homes. These people talk about the approaches that worked for them. The purpose of the video is to:
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Sacred Tobacco, Sacred Children – Parent Handout You can download this parent handout about smoke-free homes. The fact sheet includes information about cultural use of sacred tobacco, recreational use of commercial tobacco, second and third hand smoke and smoke-free homes.
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Links and other resources
Preconception and Prenatal Health
Early Child Development
- CANImmunize - A digital immunization record for Canadians
- Children and Technology
- A Healing Journey: Aboriginal Children’s Environmental Health
- Infant Mental Health Promotion – Sick Kids
- Publications of the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health
- Making Your Home Safe for Your Baby: Information for Moms, Dads and People Who Care for Children
- Ontario Government Programs for Aboriginal Children and Youth
Websites
- Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN)
- Canadian Aboriginal AID Network
- Cherokee Youth Council's Teen Pregnancy Film
- Eating Well with the Canadian Food Guide
- Health Canada - First Nations and Inuit Health
- Journey for Two: A guidebook for when you are away from your community to give birth
- Kanawayhitowin - Taking Care of each Other's Spirit
- Map of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Midwifery in Canada
- Métis Nation of Ontario
- National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence
- National Aboriginal Diabetes Association
- National Aboriginal Health Organization
- Native American Fatherhood and Families Associations
- National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
- Native Youth Sexual Health Network
- Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
- Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
- Raising the Children
- Sexual Health
- The Healthy Aboriginal Network