Many indigenous peoples in Nova Scotia claimmidwiferylimited access to services, resulting inNova Scotia Indigenous women The Associationvisited various protected areas. State, talking about expanding services.
"What we've heard is that women often don't hear the birth experience properly. There's also a desire to revive the rituals before and after birth." We're listening," says Alesha Julian Reid, lead consultant for the project.
"It seems that voices are naturally coming out to give us something, and I hope we can find a place where people can give them what they want."
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Julian Reid is a midwife from Millbrook First Nation and has led community engagement with Suzanne Brooks, the association's wellness advisor.
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“We are not only listening to weaknesses, we are also seeing strengths in what is already established. We hear of excellent programs in the United States, which are becoming established, often grassroots initiatives, and in some areas, 24/7 breastfeeding support. Even if it's just to raise awareness of,” says Julian Reid.
Communities Her meetings are held in 13 Indigenous Reserves and are part of a partnership between Tajkeimuku, Mikumau Health Authority, Nova Scotia Women's Association and the National Aboriginal Midwives Council.
READ MORE: How Indigenous Midwives Reconnect Women, Culture and Pregnancy Care
Julian Reed considers how groups can decolonize the experience of childbirth and restore traditional Mikumo rituals and mental health.
"So, for example, placental ceremonies are possible, that is, the actual burial of the placenta and its prayerful return to the ground as an offering.
"As much as acknowledging that the first words a baby hears are the family drums and songs, or the voice of the parent," she says. It's easy and it's respected at the midwifery level... (and even in the hospital room where the doctors and nurses don't speak a word until it's over," she says.
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Lisa Robinson, who attended the Halifax session, has given birth four times and always feels culturally isolated.
“I was not allowed to feel completely. This is like a medical procedure and you should get more experience.”
According to the association, participants expressed interest in becoming midwives. There are currently no programs offered in Nova Scotia.
The Association's next goal is to offer college-level Indigenous-led midwifery programs in Nova Scotia.
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