Stephanie Liu, '13 MD, is the creator of Lifeofdrmom.com, a website providing families with medically credible parenting and health advice.
Health topics like nutrition, sleep training, and childhood anxiety can leave parents scrambling for answers that seem to be just a Google search away. Estimates suggest that there are 4,000 mom bloggers in Canada and 4.4 million in the United States, offering up advice, moral support and personal reflections on the highs and lows of parenting. The flood of information can make fact checking especially challenging for sleep deprived moms and dads.
"There is some very serious misinformation on mom blogs that can cause harm to mom and baby if not rooted in evidence-based science," said U of A clinical lecturer Stephanie Liu, '13 MD.
Five months ago, the family physician started Lifeofdrmom.com, a website providing families with medically credible parenting and health advice, with the help of Suzanne Black, a psychiatry resident at the University of Calgary. The blog draws on Liu's experience as mother of a busy toddler to inform readers on child and maternal health during pregnancy and after giving birth.
"As I am hearing from women more and more, I am discovering just how little is well known about baby health," said Liu. "Moms will turn to a blog where they can ask questions and feel like they are having a conversation with someone they know more than they will read a handout from their physician. There's a tremendous need for more evidence-based mom blogs like mine."
Liu will be speaking during the Festival of Health's Rapid-Fire Presentations and Ask the Experts: Q & A Sessions starting at 1 p.m. The festival is a free event and open to the public. Event information and a link for tickets is below.
Festival of Health
Register here for your free ticket
May 25, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Edmonton Clinic Health Academy
North Campus, University of Alberta
Booths and Children's Activities Area
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Learning Session and Tours Block 1
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Barbecue and Entertainment
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Rapid Fire Presentations and Ask The Experts: Q & A Session
1 - 2:30 p.m.
Learning Sessions and Tours Block 2
3 - 4 p.m.
More information available at uab.ca/healthfest.