Why This Canadian Hospital Created a Book about What Nobody Tells New Parents
While becoming a first-time parent can easily be one of life’s most rewarding experiences, it’s not exactly a walk in the park. For most, the experience is chock full of surprises - both good and bad - from the days before the baby is born, all the way up to when it’s in the world, crying to be fed at four in the morning.
Of course, what can one do, other than figure it out as they go along? Sure, you can ask medical professionals and people with similar experiences for advice, but ultimately, traditionally, there’s been an element of making it up as one goes along… which might not be the most comforting when you’re dealing with something as vulnerable as a human life.
Herein, North York General Foundation (NYGF) and creative agency Courage saw a real opportunity to make a difference. With ACD duo Domenique Raso and Cindy Marie Navarro both coming off respective mat leaves and sharing experiences of what they didn’t expect with each other, and North York General Hospital in the midst of a $32-million fundraising effort to build a new Birthing Centre, the creative stars aligned. The result was a play on the classic pregnancy book, but one that specifically focused on sharing honest, real and raw insights. Titled ‘What No One Tells You When You’re Expecting’, the illustrated offering featured over 100 insights on what parenthood looks like, gathered from diverse families across North America and serving as a way to remind parents - both prospective and new - that they’re not alone in their experiences, or their feelings.
So, to learn more about how this endeavour came to life, LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Domenique and Cindy, as well as NYGF chief marketing and communications officer Ya Shan Waley-Horhager for a chat.
LBB> How did this campaign get started? What was the brief, and how did Courage and NYGF end up teaming up?
Ya Shan> North York General Hospital is a leader in maternal and newborn care, delivering thousands of babies each year. We know that there are so many things parents don’t expect when having a baby, despite how much research they may do, and we wanted to help normalise what it’s like from pregnancy to birth and beyond.
So, that’s why we created the book – to be a helpful resource for new parents and to make the unexpected a little more expected for those growing their families. The book is in honour of our $32 million fundraising campaign to transform our ageing Labour & Delivery and Post-Partum units into a modern new Birthing Centre.
As our agency of record, Courage came to us with the idea, and we loved it from day one. They really went all in to get it off the ground and to bring the book to parents. We are so pleased with the reception, and that we’ve been able to help so many families.
LBB> Specifically, re-imagining the classic pregnancy book with real, relatable truths is a great idea! Where does one start with an endeavour like this, and why was this the right way to support the hospital’s fundraising effort?
Cindy> Because Domenique and I were both new mothers ourselves, we had so many insights. The one that stood out the most was how there were SO many things we didn’t expect during the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum process. We constantly talked about all of the things that no one told us about: how debilitating the first trimester nausea could be, the unexpected side effects of getting an epidural, the long and painful recovery - oh, the recovery! We knew we weren’t the only ones who had these experiences, so giving all families a forum to actually share theirs to help inform and empower future parents felt like it had huge potential. The fact that we were able to play off of a classic (yet somewhat outdated) pregnancy book immediately made the idea feel really big. The clients immediately loved it the second they heard it, it just worked on so many levels.
LBB> Notable is the fact that you received hundreds of submissions for the book’s entries. How did you approach gathering these, and how long did it take to go through all of them?
Domenique> Phase one of this campaign was the submission phase, where we ran a social campaign that invited parents to share the anecdotes no one told them when they were expecting. We went through the anecdotes as they trickled in so it wasn’t too overwhelming to tackle at the end. While it was time consuming, it was also so interesting and rewarding, because it was so apparent that other parents felt exactly how we did: like there were so many facets of new parenthood that are unexpected because no one talks about them.
Ya Shan> We received hundreds of submissions from diverse families across North America, and the responses covered all aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. They spanned a range of emotions – some were happy and playful, many others were really funny, and some were heartbreaking -- but they were all heartfelt and authentic. Even though there were many different perspectives, the most eye-opening part about it was the commonalities in what people didn’t expect, which shows how important a book like this is for expectant parents.
LBB> And what was the vetting process like? Specifically, what made you choose the entries you did, and did you know ahead of time you were going to categorise them in the book, or was that a result of the entries you got?
Cindy> For all of the final entries that made it into the book, we tried to look at them through the lens of things people really don’t tell you, or the niche things you wouldn’t have known until you experienced them. We wanted to avoid the clichés that everyone’s heard before.
After that, we talked for a while about how we should organise the book, but after going through some of the submissions, we definitely started to see recurring themes, which we then made into chapters. While some of these chapters were a bit more obvious, like ‘Pregnancy’ and ‘Recovery’, and some emerged a little later, like the ‘Poop’ chapter. It’s amazing how many submissions we got about poop!
LBB> How did you approach making the lessons bite-sized and digestible, while also still hitting the points they were trying to make effectively?
Domenique> We tried to simplify as much as possible, but then also provide additional context from doctors, midwives, and nurses where applicable. These were intentionally made small so that the main anecdotes still stood out most, but with more context for those interested in learning the ‘why’ behind the experiences. And of course, there were illustrations to dramatise the anecdotes in a fun and playful way.
LBB> Speaking of illustrations, the design of the book itself is beautiful! What was this process like? How did it all come together?
Cindy> The design took a long time to figure out as well, but we had a team of people working on it simultaneously as submissions began to come in. Our designer, Marina Khouzam, and illustrator, Emilie Muszczak, played a huge part in its creation.
We chose Emilie because her illustration style was perfect for what we wanted our book to represent. She was able to capture people and their experiences in a way that felt real, yet whimsical. Because some of the subject matter is a little heavy-handed, we wanted the design to feel fun and approachable, not technical and scientific like most pregnancy books. Her illustrations also hyperbolised the feeling of every anecdote in a really creative way. Specifically, the design of the type and the layout of the anecdotes were also meant to feel modern and digestible at the same time - like something you’d be excited to open up and read, not something that felt like homework.
Finally, the colour palette was chosen based on NYGH’s fun and vibrant brand colours, with the addition of a range of skin tones to ensure everyone could see themselves in our book. Overall, the design was a labour of love that so many contributed to, and we’re so happy with how it turned out!
LBB> The accompanying spot is also brilliant! Where did you find the featured couples, and what was the shooting process like?
Domenique> We found the expecting couples by asking friends and coworkers if there were any expecting parents in their lives. Luckily, we were able to find a few, but one woman actually went into labour right before the shoot!
Overall, the shooting process was loose and fun; it was really just about making the couples feel comfortable and giving them the stage to explore the book and reflect on their own experiences. They all really enjoyed it, and most ended up ordering the book because they found it so helpful.
Ya Shan> A handful of North York General’s health care practitioners were involved in the project, including OBGYNs, family medicine obstetricians, and registered midwives. Our clinicians are true champions of patient care, and they were incredibly supportive of the project and proud to be trusted resources for parent advice. They responded to some of the anecdotes we received from the community by providing helpful insights and context to what parents were experiencing. It was a great complement to the book.
LBB> The book was also advertised via OOH across the city. What was the design process like, and how did you choose where to feature it?
Cindy> Designing the OOH pieces largely drew from the design of the book itself, but we had to find the perfect balance between showcasing the interesting anecdotes, letting people know we wrote a book with help from hundreds of parents, and also ensuring that North York General didn’t get lost in the messaging. It was an interesting exploration to strike the right hierarchy, but eventually we got there. Shout out again to our amazing designer, Marina!
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Domenique> One of the challenges was trying to find the right balance with the content of the anecdotes. For this book to work, we needed to make sure we tackled the more taboo topics, like postpartum depression. But, the clients also didn’t want it to be too negative. We went back and forth on how important it was to include a chapter on feelings. It had to be run by many, many people at the hospital, so it was no easy feat, but ultimately they agreed.
Ya Shan> Creating a book was new for all of us, so that in itself was a challenge as there were a lot of unknowns, multiple steps, and a lot of work involved. Courage really took the lead and helped navigate through it all.
LBB> Do you have any memorable lessons learned from the making of this new campaign?
Domenique> In the beginning, making a book felt like an enormous undertaking, but the main lesson is that with the right team (and a very organised producer!) you can make anything happen if people are committed enough to the project. It also helped that the clients bought into the idea from day one, and were instrumental behind the scenes in getting things done, like the website development and the clinician responses. It was a true partnership that has set the bar for how we’d love to work with other clients in the future. And in the end, everyone wins.
LBB> What has the initial response been like?
Cindy> We have to say that so far, the book has resonated exactly as we hoped it would. Parents have reached out to us personally to let us know how much they love the book, and also to share their own anecdotes of what they didn’t expect. We also have quite a few interviews lined up for the clients to talk about the initiative, and also give away a few books.
Ya Shan> The reaction has been so positive! Many families have already said how helpful the book has been, or that they wish they had the book when they were expecting. The content is really resonating with both expectant parents and those who have older children as a nostalgic look back. It’s relatable, heartfelt and honest. It’s also a beautiful book with bold, fun, colourful illustrations, which really adds to it.
LBB> With all this said and done, what can you tell us about the $32-million fundraising effort? And how can Canadians best support this?
Ya Shan> North York General Hospital’s Labour & Delivery and Post-Partum units have not received substantial updates for decades. The new Birthing Centre will transform the space to reflect the modern standard of comfort that all families need and deserve. It will match our best-in-class care to a best-in-class space.
Specifically, the centre will be a warm, calming, home-like environment with many improvements to enhance patient comfort, security, and privacy. The community we serve is highly diverse, and more than 50% are immigrants and visible minorities. As such, the Birthing Centre will reflect this diversity, with an inclusive environment that respects various family dynamics, more private rooms to give families space to celebrate customs and traditions, and a family lounge that will promote an inclusive and personalised birthing experience.
We are relying on community support to help bring our new Birthing Centre to life, and the $32 million fundraising campaign reflects this need. Canadians can donate to the campaign by visiting nyghfoundation.ca/birthingcentre.
LBB> Finally, do you have a favourite or most meaningful quote from the book?
Ya Shan> I can relate to so many with my own kids! Both of my kids were born with a full head of hair, so the quote about that really stuck with me. I also lost a lot of hair post pregnancy, so the quote about that brings back a lot of memories and reflects my own experience.
Domenique> My favourite quote is at the end of the book, in the ‘Feelings’ chapter, because I relate to it so deeply. The quote was: “I didn’t expect the feeling of loss. The loss of your body, your identity, your old life. I still struggle with this, but it gets better with time.” I went through some pretty severe postpartum depression throughout my mat leave, and it was really hard to reconcile these difficult feelings with the guilt you feel for feeling them, because you know you should be so grateful for this beautiful new life you’ve created, and you also aren’t used to hearing people talk negatively about that experience. To see that someone else felt this way as well made me feel less alone. It perfectly captures the spirit of why we decided to make the book in the first place: to make parents feel less alone in their feelings.
