Maternal Health Niagara

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

Becoming a parent, in any form, is a major transition. It’s beautiful and meaningful—and it also comes with new challeng...
24/07/2025

Becoming a parent, in any form, is a major transition. It’s beautiful and meaningful—and it also comes with new challenges, roles, and responsibilities. It can change the emotional landscape of a relationship in ways that catch people off guard.

Common shifts couples experience:
🧠 Less time or energy for emotional connection
💬 More logistics, fewer deep conversations
🎢 Increased sensitivity, tension, or misunderstandings
😴 Fatigue that affects patience and presence
🌪️ Unresolved patterns or emotions from earlier life stages may resurface

These changes don’t mean your relationship is failing. They mean your bond is adapting to something incredibly complex.

This chapter often calls for:
❤️ Compassion—for yourself and each other
❤️ Patience and gentle communication
❤️ Micro-moments of connection, even if brief
❤️ Space for repair and reconnection over time

Your relationship may not look the same—but that doesn’t mean it’s broken. It’s evolving.












Many of us grow up with attachment wounds—emotional injuries that happen when our early needs for safety, connection, an...
23/07/2025

Many of us grow up with attachment wounds—emotional injuries that happen when our early needs for safety, connection, and comfort weren’t consistently met. These wounds can show up in subtle ways:
• Difficulty trusting others
• Fear of abandonment or rejection
• People-pleasing or over-functioning in relationships
• Feeling “too much” or “not enough”
• Discomfort with closeness or intimacy

These patterns aren’t flaws—they’re adaptations. Smart, protective responses from a younger version of you who learned how to survive.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting or rewriting the past. It means learning to listen to the parts of us that didn’t get what they needed, and offering them the care, boundaries, and compassion they deserved all along.

Healing looks like:
💛 Naming your needs without shame
💛 Letting safe people in, little by little
💛 Setting boundaries without guilt
💛 Unlearning harsh inner narratives
💛 Finding safety in your own body and nervous system

You don’t need to rush. You’re allowed to take your time. Healing happens in moments of safety, over and over again.
















Not all mental health services are created equal.In Ontario, Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists are regulate...
22/07/2025

Not all mental health services are created equal.

In Ontario, Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists are regulated professionals—which means we follow a strict Code of Ethics and Practice Standards.

✔️ We are accountable to our colleges
✔️ We use our protected titles with integrity
✔️ We practice within ethical, evidence-informed frameworks

But not all marketing online reflects this.

Here are a few red flags to watch out for when choosing a therapist or clinic:

🚩 Promises of specific outcomes (e.g. “we guarantee healing in 3 sessions”)
🚩 Testimonials posted on clinic websites (regulated therapists are not permitted to solicit or publish client reviews)
🚩 Discounts or kickbacks for referrals (this violates ethical guidelines)
🚩 Omitting professional titles (e.g., not identifying as a Registered Psychotherapist or Social Worker; or misusing the title)

These may seem like small things—but they matter deeply. Ethical practice protects you.

🌱 If you’re looking for safe, professional, and compassionate support, make sure your provider is regulated and accountable.

You can check out OCSWSSW or CRPO to find out if your provider is registered.

When Summer Brings More Than SunshineThe parks are full of laughter.Strollers roll by on sidewalks.And every ice cream c...
22/07/2025

When Summer Brings More Than Sunshine

The parks are full of laughter.
Strollers roll by on sidewalks.
And every ice cream cone seems to belong to a tiny hand.

If you’re grieving the family you dreamed of—
whether through fertility struggles, miscarriage, or infant loss—
these simple summer moments can feel anything but light.

You may find yourself smiling politely, while something inside aches.
You may pull back from gatherings, unsure how to explain the sadness that shadows sunny days.

It’s okay.
You’re not broken.
You’re grieving something deeply real and deeply human.

This season can hold both warmth and sorrow.
And you don’t have to navigate it alone.

“90s Kid Summer” is Back… and it’s Exactly What We NeedNo screens.Just bikes, sprinklers, scraped knees, and the smell o...
21/07/2025

“90s Kid Summer” is Back… and it’s Exactly What We Need

No screens.
Just bikes, sprinklers, scraped knees, and the smell of sunscreen.

This summer, parents everywhere are unplugging their kids (and themselves) for a taste of how it used to be—when joy was jumping through the sprinkler, climbing trees, and making mud pies.

But here’s the truth:
It’s not just fun.
Unstructured play is essential for nervous system regulation, creativity, and confidence.

Let them get bored.
Let them explore.
Let them grow.

And if parenting feels harder than ever—you’re not alone.

We grew up in a different time. Raising kids now means re-learning how to rest, how to play, and how to be present.


fades.When the wishing and waiting turns into knowing.When you stop trying to fix it and start choosing yourself.It’s no...
20/07/2025

fades.
When the wishing and waiting turns into knowing.
When you stop trying to fix it and start choosing yourself.

It’s not what you imagined.
But maybe that’s okay.
Maybe it’s exactly what needed to happen.

✨ It’s time for a change.
I’m ready to move on.
Not because it was all bad,
but because I finally know I deserve more.

Sometimes, the love and care we needed most as children didn’t come through.That’s where reparenting steps in.Reparentin...
19/07/2025

Sometimes, the love and care we needed most as children didn’t come through.
That’s where reparenting steps in.

Reparenting means becoming the nurturing, safe, and compassionate parent to yourself that maybe you never had.
It’s about healing old wounds, setting healthy boundaries, and learning to meet your own needs with kindness.

💛 It’s okay to give yourself the love you deserved.
💛 It’s okay to say no when something hurts you.
💛 It’s okay to rewrite the stories you’ve told yourself about who you are and what you deserve.

Reparenting is a journey — sometimes challenging, often beautiful — toward self-acceptance and emotional freedom.

There’s so much that goes into running a business—more than most people ever see.Being an owner comes with an invisible ...
18/07/2025

There’s so much that goes into running a business—more than most people ever see.

Being an owner comes with an invisible mental load.
The late nights, the sacrifices, the quiet moments of doubt.
The heart you pour into every decision.
The care that no one invoices for.

People might see the “success”—the wins, the growth, the brand.
But they may never know the cost.
The time, energy, and love it took to build something from the ground up.

Some people will cheer you on.
Some may feel entitled to a piece of it.
Some will leave and take more than you expected.

But still… you show up.
Because this isn’t just work—it’s a labour of love.
And even when it’s hard, it’s yours. And that means something.

There are days you’ll remember forever.Mile markers of change—some beautiful, some painful—but all leaving you forever c...
17/07/2025

There are days you’ll remember forever.
Mile markers of change—some beautiful, some painful—
but all leaving you forever changed.

It’s in those moments you found a strength you didn’t know you had.
A resilience that rose quietly beneath the chaos.
A turning point that no one else may fully understand,
but you do. You know.

Because that was the day your story shifted.
And while the world may not see what that chapter held,
you carry the wisdom, the scars, the growth.
You know who you are—because of it.

Even on the days you feel like you’re barely holding it together.Even when progress feels invisible.Even when you think ...
16/07/2025

Even on the days you feel like you’re barely holding it together.
Even when progress feels invisible.
Even when you think no one sees how hard you’re trying.

Therapists don’t just witness the breakthroughs—we hold space for the quiet resilience.
For the tears that never fall.
For the strength it takes just to show up.

So if no one’s told you lately:
I see your effort.
I’m rooting for your healing.
And I believe in the version of you that’s still unfolding.

The anxiety doesn’t wait until your first day back.It creeps in during those final weeks.While you’re rocking your baby ...
16/07/2025

The anxiety doesn’t wait until your first day back.
It creeps in during those final weeks.
While you’re rocking your baby and suddenly thinking,
“This moment won’t be part of our everyday soon.”

You start counting down — not to something exciting,
but to a goodbye you’re not ready for.

There’s a quiet grief in preparing to return to work.
Packing the daycare bag, labeling bottles,
trying to figure out a new routine…
while your heart holds onto the old one.

Everyone asks if you’re “ready.”
But how do you explain that you’re torn?
That you can want to work, to show up, to contribute —
and still feel shattered inside at the thought of leaving them?

Separation anxiety isn’t just for babies.
Sometimes it’s the mom crying in the shower,
rehearsing how she’ll say goodbye without breaking.

You’re not weak for feeling this.
You’re not ungrateful.
You’re human — and your love runs deep.

There’s room for all of it:
The anticipation. The grief. The love. The strength.

















Take a pause.Think about all the people you’ve crossed paths with—family, friends, acquaintances, even strangers.Some ma...
15/07/2025

Take a pause.
Think about all the people you’ve crossed paths with—
family, friends, acquaintances, even strangers.

Some may have been in your life for years.
Others for only a moment.
But still… they left something behind.

Maybe it was a kind word when you felt invisible.
A gesture that softened a hard day.
Or just the right kind of presence when you needed it most.

These are the ripples.
The quiet acts of compassion that shape us in ways we don’t always see.

We are more connected than we know.
And the kindness we carry forward might be the very thing someone else will remember.

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Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 20:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 20:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 20:00
Thursday 09:00 - 20:00
Friday 09:00 - 20:00
Saturday 09:00 - 14:00
Sunday 09:00 - 12:00

Website

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

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