RCP Personnel Update – RCP would like to formally welcome Cynthia Mann to RCP in the role of Perinatal Nurse Consultant. Cynthia brings valuable experiences from several practice and management roles held during her career at the IWK. Her knowledge and strong connections with perinatal care providers will support collaborative initiatives to ensure high-quality, accessible perinatal and newborn care across NS. Welcome Cynthia!
New and Updated RCP Resources/Reports – RCP has been working on the development of new education and practice resources as well as updating existing ones. These clinical resources are intended to support perinatal and newborn care provider practice. Several are highlighted below:
Unanticipated Birth: Guidelines for Labour Assessment, Imminent Delivery, and Transfer - RCP is pleased to share our updated guideline for managing unanticipated births outside the birthing unit - Unanticipated Birth: Guidelines for Labour Assessment, Imminent Delivery, and Transfer. It is hoped that these resources will enhance your team’s ability to respond effectively to unanticipated births. Additionally, to support healthcare providers in emergency settings, we have developed four infographics designed for printing and laminating, to serve as practical, in-the-moment tools for your emergency department (ED).
These include:
- Pregnancy in the ED: Guidance for decision making and next steps, including transfer protocols.
- Imminent Birth in the ED: Steps for managing urgent birth situations.
- Postpartum in the ED: Care considerations for birthing individuals following birth
- Newborn in the ED: Essential practices for newborn assessment and care in emergency settings.
Note: RCPs video simulation of a vaginal birth is currently being updated and will be available on the RCP website soon.
RCP’s Practice Resource and the CPS Revised Position Statement on Hyperbilirubininemia - The CPS has recently released a revised position statement titled “Guidelines for detection and management of hyperbilirubinemia in term and late preterm newborns” . This guideline will assist perinatal care providers in collaborating with and caring for new families. It replaces the 2007 version and includes an updated approach to universal screening and new phototherapy thresholds.
RCP acknowledges and supports this important update and is currently working on updating its’ clinical practice guideline and documentation tools to reflect the updated recommendations. Screening, monitoring, and managing hyperbilirubinemia remain essential components of your day-to-day care. While you await the updated esources from RCP we encourage teams to become familiar with the revised CPS position statement, communicate, and clearly document the care plan for all newborns.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Network Event: From Silos to Collective Action – Your invited to join a free online national 'think-tank' on June 11, 2025 related to reproductive and infant loss to design a path forward across systems and communities. The event will explore needs and gaps in reproductive challenges, pregnancy loss, infant death, and perinatal palliative care, listen and learn from diverse voices and contexts, and share our ideas about a path forward. We welcome healthcare and support professionals, researchers, advocates, and people with lived experience to join us. To register for the event, click here.
Canadian Pediatric Society National Grand Rounds - The CPS Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Section is hosting a free virtual National Grand Rounds titled: Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in Infants ≥35 weeks gestational Age.
Presenter - Eugene Ng, MD
Date and Time - Jun 3, 2025, at 01:00 pm
Learning objectives:
- Decide what preventive strategy should be used to identify and monitor neonates at risk of developing severe hyperbilirubinemia.
- Understand how hyperbilirubinemia should be managed, and how infants should be monitored during treatment of hyperbilirubinemia.
- Describe how follow up of infants treated for hyperbilirubinemia should be conducted after treatment.
To register for the online event, click here.
Breastfeeding Grand Rounds Re: Ankyloglossia – A recording of IWK’s Breastfeeding Grand Rounds - Ankyloglossia: A review of current evidence and misinformation by Dr. Elise Graham is available for your viewing here. Dr Graham is a Pediatric Otolaryngologist with an IBCLC. Learning objectives for the session include:
- To appreciate the influence of oral anatomy on breastfeeding.
- To review the evidence and management of oral ties.
- To highlight misinformation and the power of social media.
Sign-Up for Smart Parent - The IWK Health Centre and Nova Scotia Health Public Health have launched the SmartParent pilot program. SmartParent is a free evidence-based text messaging program that sends information to achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth, timed and tailored to the specific stage of pregnancy. We are requesting your support as our healthcare and community partners in the pilot program in sharing the details of this valuable prenatal resource with colleagues, patients, and families. Additional information is available for parents on the IWK website and for care providers on the SmartParent website. SmartParent also provides posters which can be downloaded and posted in public spaces and online. Please encourage your perinatal patients and clients to sign up for SmartParent so they can benefit from the information shared throughout this transformational time in their lives. Enrollment can be completed by texting the keyword ‘Baby’ to 12323 or by going to www.smartparent.ca and clicking ‘Enroll Now’.
Professional/health-related upcoming awareness events/days:
May:
- Red Shirt Day (for accessibility) — May 28
- World No Tobacco Day — May 31
- National Biomed/Clinical Engineering Week — May 19–25
- National AccessAbility Week — May 25–31
- Asian Heritage Month
- Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
- Brain Tumour Awareness Month
- Canadian Jewish Heritage Month
- Celiac Awareness Month
- Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month
- National Physiotherapy Month
- Speech and Hearing Month
- Vision Health Month
June:
- World Orthoptic Day — June 2
- National Cancer Survivors Day — June 4
- Eid-al-Adha starts — June 6
- World Blood Donor Day — June 14
- Father's Day — June 15
- World Sickle Cell Day — June 19
- Juneteenth National Indigenous People's Day — June 19
- National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism — June 21
- International Women in Engineering Day — June 23
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day — June 24
- National Cancer Wellness Awareness Day — June 26
- Canadian Multiculturalism Day — June 27
- International Men's Health Week — June 9–15
- ALS Awareness Month
- Brain Injury Awareness Month
- Canadian Men's Health Month
- Filipino Heritage Month
- Italian Heritage Month
- National Indigenous History Month
- National Scoliosis Awareness Month
- National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
- Portuguese Heritage Month
- Pride Season Stroke Awareness Month
- Thyroid Month
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If you have any questions or comments, please contact the RCP office at rcp@iwk.nshealth.ca.
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