Toronto Hospitals Ditch In-Person Prenatal Classes

0:00It's April 21st. This is Canada News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Toronto parents to be are feeling the pinch as major hospitals like Sunnybrook, ditch in-person prenatal classes. Take Laura Hensley, 34 weeks pregnant, who shelled out $240 for a weekend session with her husband. They got hands-on tips that just don't vibe the same online, and now follow-ups are cancelled too. Post-pandemic in Roman tanked, so Sunnybrook pulled the plug on both virtual and in-person options by April 30th. Unity Health and others switched fully online to reach more folks, while Toronto Public Health swapped universal classes for targeted home visits and self-paced web programs. Expecting couples say the real loss is connection meeting other parents, asking questions live, building that crew. A study from Vancouver Island University backs it up. Online boosts knowledge, but flops on forging bonds, especially for first-timers craving. Community. Not everywhere is going virtual though. Mount Sinai keeps in-person mixed

1:05with online due to demand for hands-on learning. Midwives weave education into visits, but that's only for 20% of Ontario pregnancies, leaving most without that personal touch. Hospitals promise new online resources and referrals to public health programs, but critics worry it's sidelineing real talk amid online. Misinformation. Family still need that irreplaceable spark from being in the room together.