SPOTLIGHT: Markham Prenatal brings online pregnancy classes to Windsor
Markham Prenatal offers online classes via Zoom (Photo courtesy Insception Lifebank)
Windsor’s parents-to-be have had to expect the unexpected with the pandemic. But Markham Prenatal has come through with a special delivery: free online prenatal classes for parents across Ontario.
“Expectant parents are facing new challenges,” said Adam Dennison, commercial director for Insception Lifebank, which owns Markham Prenatal. “They’ve not been able to get out and see their doctors much to prepare them for their pregnancies, and there’s so much information that they need to know.”
That information is covered in Markham Prenatal’s webinars, which are broadcast live on Zoom.
“Each class runs for about two hours and goes through the whole prenatal series, so labour and delivery through to postpartum and breastfeeding,” said Dennison.
Over 10,000 expectant parents across Ontario have attended the classes. And, Dennison noted, “We’ve had a large number of patients from Windsor.”
Katie Arthurworrey, a mom-to-be, said the classes were a huge relief.
“All of a sudden, the place to get my concerns answered wasn’t there. (With the) online classes, it was great to have a place where I could ask questions and feel like I was getting an expert response,” Arthurworrey said.
Topics included the stages of labour, what to bring to the hospital, newborn routines, how to tell if a baby is sick and when to call a doctor. Each webinar offered time for much-needed discussion.
“We try to answer everyone’s questions,” said Dennison. “Up to 150 are answered in each class, and if there are any we can’t get to, we always have a nurse follow up.”
Parents-to-be face even more challenges than usual with the pandemic (Photo courtesy Insception Lifebank)
Dr. Rahi Victory, medical director of Victory Reproductive Care in Windsor, noted that prenatal classes are important for helping parents make informed decisions.
And, he added, Insception, which owns Markham Prenatal, focuses on providing patients with the right information.
“They’ve put a lot of money into research, and they’re very organized. They follow up with patients universally and have a very fluid and efficient process to make sure parents are educated,” said Victory.
Markham Prenatal has been helping parents for 30 years. Leanne Casbourn, the company’s founder, said the goal of the online classes was to help parents cope with the stress of a pandemic pregnancy.
Up to 50% of obstetrician visits are now held over the phone, and many parents have less time with their doctors and fewer prenatal visits than before the pandemic.
“Our hope was to provide a measure of calm in what is a challenging time,” said Casbourn. “By adapting our classes to a free online live format, we felt we could contribute to the community more broadly.”
For Arthurworrey, the classes hit that mark. “It was very relieving to hear the information. The online environment worked really well, and I was super appreciative of the service."
Visit Markham Prenatal’s website to sign up for the free classes.
