Maternal Health Niagara

Maternal Health Niagara A collaborative of regulated health providers. Supporting families during the reproductive period and beyond. Virtual Services are available in Ontario.

✨ We are so excited to welcome back Amanda O’Malley to the MHN team! ✨Amanda was part of the Maternal Health Niagara tea...
01/23/2026

✨ We are so excited to welcome back Amanda O’Malley to the MHN team! ✨
Amanda was part of the Maternal Health Niagara team from 2022–2023, and we’re thrilled to have her back.

Amanda is a Registered Social Worker with over 20 years of experience supporting children, youth, and adults through life’s messier seasons. She doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach—she honours people as the experts of their own lives and helps hold the flashlight along the way.

Her work is trauma-informed and eclectic, drawing from narrative therapy, attachment-based approaches, CBT, Internal Family Systems (IFS), motivational interviewing, and mindfulness. Amanda is a Level 1 Tree of Life Narrative Therapist and is currently completing certification in trauma therapy.
Known for her warmth, authenticity, and straight-talking style, Amanda believes therapy should feel like a real conversation. She creates a non-judgmental space where people feel valued, supported, and truly heard. Expect plain language, real connection, laughter—and yes, the occasional swear word if it helps you breathe a little easier.

Alongside her professional training, Amanda brings lived experience. As a breast cancer thriver who has navigated her own life traumas, these experiences continue to shape her empathy, resilience, and deep respect for the courage it takes to heal.
Outside the therapy room, Amanda is a mom to three teenagers, a dog, and a Holland Lop bunny. She enjoys working out, hot yoga, gardening, and travelling.
✨ Amanda believes people have the capacity to author their own stories, and she is honoured to walk alongside them.

💛 Welcome back, Amanda—we’re so glad you’re in our circle!

This season can come with expectations — but you’re allowed to create boundaries that honour your capacity.You don’t hav...
12/16/2025

This season can come with expectations — but you’re allowed to create boundaries that honour your capacity.

You don’t have to attend every event.
You don’t have to host if it drains you.
You don’t have to force physical affection.
You don’t have to “push through” when you’re overstimulated.

Boundaries keep the season sustainable.
They protect your energy, your relationships, and your well-being.

Choosing what feels manageable is a way to honour yourself in the season and create the space to experience it.









Parenting in December hits differently.There’s excitement.There’s overstimulation.There’s sugar, concerts, school events...
12/08/2025

Parenting in December hits differently.

There’s excitement.
There’s overstimulation.
There’s sugar, concerts, school events, late nights, decorations, and constant change.
And underneath all of it? A lot of nervous system overwhelm — for kids and parents.

When routines shift this much, emotional regulation gets harder:
✨ Bigger reactions
✨ More meltdowns
✨ Less patience
✨ Faster frustration
✨ Clinginess
✨ Exhaustion

None of this means you’re doing anything wrong.
December is a lot.

For little nervous systems still learning how to regulate, the holidays can feel like too much, too fast.

If your home feels a little louder, messier, or more emotional this month — you’re not failing.

You’re human. Your kids are human.
Everyone is just trying to find their footing in a season full of change.















Holiday Pregnancy AnnouncementFor those navigating fertility journeys, perinatal loss, or quiet heartbreak this season —...
12/08/2025

Holiday Pregnancy Announcement

For those navigating fertility journeys, perinatal loss, or quiet heartbreak this season — your feelings matter.

You can be happy for others and still feel grief, longing, or ache inside your own story.

Both can be true.
Both are allowed.












Santa has a list. Parents have a whole internal spreadsheet.December comes with:• reminders• events• last-minute changes...
12/05/2025

Santa has a list. Parents have a whole internal spreadsheet.

December comes with:
• reminders
• events
• last-minute changes
• emotional tracking
• gift planning
• “who’s bringing what”
• “did I wrap that yet?”

It’s okay if your brain feels full.
There’s a lot you’re managing — with care, intention, and love.
















The holidays can be really hard for perfectionists.This season brings pressure from every direction —the perfect plans, ...
12/04/2025

The holidays can be really hard for perfectionists.

This season brings pressure from every direction —

the perfect plans,
the perfect gifts,
the perfect memories,
the perfect behaviour,
the perfect family moments.

For someone with perfectionistic tendencies, December can activate:
✨ over-functioning
✨ emotional exhaustion
✨ people-pleasing
✨ anxiety about “getting it right”
✨ feeling responsible for everyone’s experience
✨ the belief that joy depends on their effort

The truth is: you don’t have to carry the weight of creating a flawless holiday.

You’re allowed to rest.
You’re allowed to do things simply.
You’re allowed to let things be good enough.

Your presence matters more than your performance.







December is a month that holds a lot.For many, it’s not just lights, gatherings, and celebration — it’s grief.Grief for ...
12/03/2025

December is a month that holds a lot.
For many, it’s not just lights, gatherings, and celebration — it’s grief.

Grief for the people who aren’t here.
Grief for the versions of ourselves we’ve lost.
Grief for the expectations, the memories, the “should have been” moments.

You’re not alone if December brings heaviness instead of holiday joy.
Your grief is real. Your experience is valid.
And you’re allowed to move gently through this season at your own pace.

“Please don’t kiss the baby.”Parents ask this,Not because they are dramatic.Not because they’re overprotective.Not becau...
12/02/2025

“Please don’t kiss the baby.”
Parents ask this,
Not because they are dramatic.
Not because they’re overprotective.
Not because they’re trying to make things uncomfortable.

Baby’s immune systems are fragile.
What feels like a simple loving gesture can carry viruses like RSV, flu, cold sores (HSV-1), and other infections that little bodies can’t fight off easily.

Parents are allowed to set boundaries that protect their little ones.
This boundary isn’t meant to push people away — it’s meant to keep babies safe.

Respecting this request means respecting the parents and their baby’s health.

Love doesn’t have to be physical to be meaningful. It can be shown by:

✨ Warm Smiles
✨ Soft words to the baby
✨ Respecting space
✨ Checking in on the parents who are doing their best

If a parent says “please don’t kiss the baby,” they’re safeguarding the little one they love most.

It’s responsible.
It’s protective.
And it’s allowed. 💕

Therapy is not something you “finish.”It’s not something you only seek when life is falling apart.And it’s not a service...
12/01/2025

Therapy is not something you “finish.”
It’s not something you only seek when life is falling apart.
And it’s not a service designed to make your therapist “out of a job.”

Therapy is part of whole-person wellness.

Just like you check in with your family doctor, your dentist, your physio, or your naturopath — many people check in with their therapist for maintenance, clarity, growth, and support.

At MHN, we believe in consistent, ethical, relationship-based care — the kind that reduces stigma and embraces mental health as a lifelong part of wellbeing.

Some clients come monthly.
Some come seasonally.
Some come during milestones or transitions.
Some come when life is heavy, and some come when life is full.

There is no wrong time to be in therapy.

We’re here for the hard moments and the everyday ones.
For the breakthroughs and the grounding.
For the maintenance visits, the check-ins, the debriefs, and the wins.

Therapy isn’t a last resort.
It’s a part of living well.







Parenting Across Generations Isn’t the same. Sometimes we hear comments from parents of different generations.They may c...
11/26/2025

Parenting Across Generations Isn’t the same.
Sometimes we hear comments from parents of different generations.
They may compare, reference how they parented, or offer advice from a time that feels far away from the world we’re raising kids in now.

Parenting today is not the same as parenting in the 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s.

The world is different.
The risks are different.
The expectations are different.

Today’s parents navigate:
• screen time
• an entire online world
• social media
• cyberbullying
• online predators
• earlier exposure to mature content
• mental health awareness
• school pressures
• overstimulation
• constant information
…and the list goes on.

Parents in the 2020s also carried something no other generation had to navigate —
a global pandemic that shut down the world and reshaped childhood, and family life in ways no one could prepare for.

Even basic safety standards have changed:
There was once a time with no car seats, then a single bucket seat… and now we have stages of seats— because research has evolved and safety has evolved too.

It’s not that parents from the past “did it wrong.”
They parented with the information, norms, and lifestyle they had at the time.

But times have changed.
And change can be hard.

Sometimes comments land in a way that feels hurtful — not always because they mean harm, but because:
• they may miss when their kids were little
• they may carry regrets of their own
• they may be trying to connect
• they may be trying to show their value
• or they simply have a different lens of what parenting looked like

Still, it can be hard to navigate unwanted advice or comparisons when you’re parenting in a world that looks nothing like the one they grew up in — especially when you’re vulnerable, tired, overwhelmed, or grounded in different values.

Give yourself permission to parent in the world you’re in —
not the world that once was.

At MHN, we hold high standards — not for numbers, but for care.We believe in quality over quantity, and in creating a cl...
11/25/2025

At MHN, we hold high standards — not for numbers, but for care.

We believe in quality over quantity, and in creating a clinic where every therapist, every client, and every interaction is rooted in ethics, connection, and genuine support.

Our clinic owner understands first-hand how meaningful it is to receive care that is thoughtful, personal, and grounded in integrity — and she believes deeply in knowing each therapist, honouring their strengths, and supporting them as whole clinicians, not just providers.

MHN is a space where we want to get to know you, to understand your needs, and to provide care that feels aligned and meaningful — both for the clients we serve and the clinicians who join us.

As we grow, we’re committed to finding the right fit, not just filling seats.
No therapist is one-size-fits-all, and no client should ever feel that way either.

We strive to create a practice where every person — in-person or virtually across Ontario — can find their fit, feel understood, and experience personalized, values-driven care.

Maternal Health Niagara







Therapists aren’t exempt from life.We don’t get a free pass from stress, heartbreak, overwhelm, or the layers of being h...
11/23/2025

Therapists aren’t exempt from life.
We don’t get a free pass from stress, heartbreak, overwhelm, or the layers of being human.

We hold space for others —
but we also need space held for us.

We support people through grief, anxiety, trauma, transitions, relationships, identity, parenting, and everything in between…
but we still navigate our own stories, patterns, and emotional landscapes.

Therapists have therapists too.

Not because we’re broken or unqualified —
but because we believe in the work.

Because we know healing happens in connection.
Because insight grows in reflection.
Because support matters.
Because no one should carry everything alone.

We model what we encourage:
self-awareness, vulnerability, compassion, and reaching out when life feels heavy.

Therapy isn’t a sign of weakness.
It’s a sign of being human.

Address

245 Pelham Road Unit 205
Saint Catharines, ON

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 2pm

Website

https://emilypollak.janeapp.com/#/staff_member/43/treatment/280

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