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By Jaryn Vecchio

Cultural Births

Sturgeon Lake First Nation creating cultural birthing centre, aiming to recruit midwives

Feb 18, 2022 | 5:00 PM

Sturgeon Lake First Nation is in the process of creating a first-of-its-kind birthing centre.

They’re one of three Indigenous communities in Canada currently taking part in a demonstration project aimed at revitalizing cultural births on their own land.

To ensure each mother and their baby get the best care possible, the First Nation decided to put together designs for a centre aimed at taking care of their every need.

“We want to have an opportunity to welcome the new babies into our family, not have birthing continue in what we see as a cold, sterilized kind of atmosphere,” said Shirley Bighead, Director of Health for SLFN.

The centre is expected to have four birthing areas, room for families and midwives, an exam room, a kitchen, quiet rooms, and a birthing tub. The building will be created using logs and shaped like an octagon instead of a perfect circle due to its difficulty.

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Bighead noted their culture is what’s ultimately designing the centre.

“It’s important in our culture to make sure those birthing beds face the east and the entrances face the south.”

Those who want to give birth at the centre will also need to take in their culture.

“We will be offering cultural prenatal teachings and in order for someone to give birth here you have to participate, they can’t be in labour and just show up and say we want to give birth,” added Bighead.

The goal is to see construction start in the spring and have it operational by the end of 2023.

Bighead explained the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Indigenous Services Canada is helping with funds for the project.

Need for Midwives

To help make the centre a success, the SLFN is looking to recruit midwives.

They’ve been trying for years but have had no success. In the meantime, two healthcare workers for the First Nation are undergoing training to become midwives.

Norma Rabbitskin, a senior nurse with SLFN, told paNOW they’re being trained to do more than the normal midwife.

“These midwives are going to be working from birth to death, all stages of life.”

Typically, a midwife works alongside a mother during her pregnancy, birth, and in the early stages of the baby’s life.

The First Nation also doesn’t want to wait until the centre is up and running before hiring any midwives. Bighead added they want to use their expertise to ensure the centre is built properly.

“We need them, not only to provide support but to assist as we ensure everything is in place in terms of development.”

Meanwhile, the SLFN is doing all this without consulting the Government of Saskatchewan.

Being a sovereign community, Bighead explained they plan on making their own decisions instead of trying to get permission for something they can already do.

“We are doing what needs to be done in terms of exerting who we are, what we are.”

To make this official, they are developing their own Treaty-based traditional midwifery legislation.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow