CONNECT

I thought it would get easier.

The baby is here, but you may still need support.

Parent and baby groups can help you meet other families, ask questions, get feeding or parenting support, and find practical help.

Some groups offer snacks, baby supplies, childcare, home visits, or help connecting with other services.

Pay attention to changes in your mood, sleep, or how alone you feel. You do not have to wait until things feel unbearable to ask for help.

YOUR TICKET INTO THE DIRECTORY

Start with what would help most right now.

Find parent groups Find feeding support Find food and practical help Find home-visiting programs Find mental-health support Find young-parent support Find EarlyON and family activities Find settlement and document help

Each ticket opens the Find Care & Support directory with the right filter already set. The language you choose here follows you into the directory.

THE ROUTE AFTER THE BIRTH

Five stages. For each one: what to confirm, who to call, and where to find support.

  1. Before leaving the hospital or birth setting

    • Make sure you know who will check the baby and when. Ask who will follow up with you too.
    • Get the phone numbers to call if something changes, and ask where test results will go.
    • Check that prescriptions, feeding instructions and newborn screening are done or arranged.
    • Ask which signs, in you or in the baby, mean you should come back right away.

  2. The first few days

    • The baby usually needs a check in the first few days (weight, feeding, jaundice). If no one booked it, call the number you were given.
    • Your health matters too. Get help for heavy bleeding, fever, severe pain, a severe headache or problems with an incision or tear.
    • Call 811 if you are not sure where to go. It is free, 24/7, with interpretation.
    • Public Health's Healthy Babies Healthy Children program can visit you at home. You can ask for it yourself. Find it under home-visiting programs below.
    • Register the birth (ServiceOntario, online). If your baby is refused OHIP, the DENIED panel explains what to do.

  3. The first two weeks

    • Feeding changes fast. If it hurts, or you are not sure the baby is getting enough, get help now. Free feeding support is linked below.
    • Ask at the two-week check whether the baby is back to birth weight.
    • Talk to someone if sadness, anxiety or worry is making daily life difficult. It is common and treatable.
    • Food, diaper and clothing programs can help. Find food and practical help below.

  4. Two to six weeks

    • Book your own postpartum check. Ask when it should happen and with whom. If you had a midwife, ask who takes over after six weeks.
    • Contraception and pelvic health belong in that appointment. It is fine to bring them up first.
    • The baby needs ongoing primary care (a family doctor, nurse practitioner or clinic). If you do not have one yet, the CALL panel helps you look.

  5. After six weeks

    • Well-baby visits and vaccines follow a schedule. Our immunization tool helps you catch up.
    • EarlyON centres are free for families with children 0 to 6. Find the nearest one below.
    • Food, settlement, housing and longer-term help are in the main directory.
    • Support is available after pregnancy or infant loss. Find mental-health support below.

WHO FOLLOWS YOU, WHO FOLLOWS YOUR BABY

Care often changes hands after the birth. During pregnancy you may have seen one provider, many providers, or no regular provider. Either way, you and your baby both need follow-up now, and it is not always with the same person.

If you had a midwife, they usually continue caring for you and your baby for six weeks after the birth. This may include home visits.

CONNECT · Routes to Care · Ya Estoy Aquí

Who is following whom?

Check what you already know and write in the details if you have them. Anything left unchecked can become a question for your care provider. Your answers stay on this page. They are not saved or sent anywhere. The form clears when you close or refresh the page.

PARENT
BABY

This form is for your own records. The information is not saved by this website.

Clear everything you entered?

If you or your baby are in danger right now

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Hospitals must treat emergencies, with or without OHIP.

If you are having thoughts of harming yourself: call or text 9-8-8 (Suicide Crisis Helpline, 24/7). Indigenous women: Talk4Healing, 1-855-554-4325 (24/7, 14 languages). If a partner is hurting you: Assaulted Women's Helpline, 1-866-863-0511 (24/7, multilingual).

For health questions that are not an emergency but cannot wait, call 811. It is Ontario's free health line, 24/7, with interpretation. Feeling sad, anxious or overwhelmed after the birth is common and treatable; the supports are in the directory.

Back to the full journey